Things to do in Kagoshima

1. Chiran - Kagoshima

Chiran is a small town in the middle of the Satsuma Peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture. Within the town there is a preserved samurai district with houses and gardens that date back about 250 years. The street itself is very attractive, with the rock walls and hedges of residences and the forested hillsides in the distance. Unlike some other samurai districts, it is also free of telephone poles and parked cars that would detract from the historic atmosphere.

2. Inukai falls - Kagoshima

Inukai falls is the most beautiful waterfall of Kagoshima-Shi. It can be seen from a free observation platform that is easily accessible on foot, as well as from a paid platform at the base of the falls. The paid platform is accessed via a 100 meter deep elevator and offers the more impressive views. Inukai falls is also a popular autumn color spot. The trees around the waterfall are usually most colorful from mid to late October. In the winter, the waterfall is impressive as well, when it freezes almost completely solid.

3. Kagoshima Aquarium - Kagoshima

Kagoshima Aquarium is located along the water beside Kagoshima Port, just beside the Sakurajima ferry terminal. The aquarium was opened in 1997 and has a total of seven floors. There is an emphasis on local marine life, including the chain of islands to the south that are also part of Kagoshima Prefecture. There is a Dolphin Pool that has three dolphins shows per day. Occasionally the dolphins are allowed to swim freely in the canals outside the aquarium where they also perform tricks.

4. Kirishima - Kagoshima

Kirishima is an active volcanic mountain range that lies on the border between Miyazaki and Kagoshima Prefectures. It is made up of mountains, highlands, volcanic lakes and hot springs and offers good hiking through beautiful mountainous surroundings. At the top of Mount Takachiho-no-mine you can see the spear sunk in the mountaintop, which Ninigi no Mikoto used to descend to earth. On the Kagoshima side is Kirishima Onsen, a more developed hot spring town with good baths and nice views over Kagoshima Prefecture.

5. Ogawa falls - Kagoshima

Visiting Ogawa Waterfall of Minamiosumi Town is the breathtaking experience for anyone who will come to this beautiful place. The beautiful scenery of the waterfall is breathtaking! Please visit the place if you have never been there. It is to left to mountain side at the crossroad of Kinkocho City Hall. Then it took about 5 minutes to arrive at the free parking lot of Ogawa Waterfall. It is a must visit place for things to do when you come to Japan.

6. Old Kagoshima Spinning Plant Engineering Museum - Kagoshima

Kagoshima city and Kagoshima Prefecture in south east Kyushu have some excellent museums and art galleries. This cultural richness reflects Kagoshima's active involvement as Satsuma province during the latter stages of the Edo Period of Japanese history when an alliance of Satsuma and Choshu (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture) helped to overthrow the Tokugawa regime. Kagoshima also had a role in the industrialization, westernization and commercialization of the early Meiji years. This place is very historic and must visit place for tourists.

7. Reimeikan Museum - Kagoshima

The Reimeikan Museum is dedicated to local history and culture. On three spacious floors it presents a wide variety of exhibits that cover the span of Kagoshima's history from ancient to modern times. The museum was built on the former site of the local castle, known as Kagoshima or Tsurumaru Castle, and is surrounded by parts of the former moat and stone walls. Saigo is believed to have died in combat on Shiroyama mountain.

8. Sakurajima Lava Nagisa Park - Kagoshima

Sakurajima is one of Japan's most dynamic volcanoes and the image of Kagoshima. The spring of gushing lava smokes always, and minor ejections regularly happen various times each day. Situated amidst Kagoshima Bay, Sakurajima is the range's most noticeable geographic component, having a height of 1117 meters and a boundary of around 50 kilometers. For the greater part of voyagers, nonetheless, the spring of gushing lava is still most effectively gotten to by the ships that run the 3.5 kilometers between Kagoshima Port and the Sakurajima Ferry Terminal.

9. Sakurajima - Kagoshima

Sakurajima is an active composite volcano and a former island in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The lava flows of the 1914 eruption caused the former island to be connected with the Osumi Peninsula. Sakurajima has three main peaks: Kita-dake ("north peak", 1117 meters), Naka-dake ("middle peak" 1060 meters) and Minami-dake ("southern peak", 1040 meters). The Minami-dake peak is currently the most active, with many eruptions taking place from the Showa Crater on the peak's eastern slope.

10. Satsuma Peninsula - Kagoshima

The Satsuma Peninsula is a peninsula which projects south from the southwest part of Kyūshū Island, Japan. To the west lies the East China Sea, while to the east it faces the Osumi Peninsula across Kagoshima Bay. The Satsuma Peninsula extends about 50 kilometers south from Kagoshima City, making up the southwestern section of Kagoshima Prefecture. Named after the former Satsuma feudal domain (roughly equivalent to modern day Kagoshima Prefecture), the peninsula offers a mixture of hot springs, subtropical natural attractions and cultural sites.