Kagoshima

Kagoshima is the largest city next to an active volcano, closer than Naples is to Vesuvius. Volcano Sakurajima is right across Kagoshima Bay from us. This isn't a major tourist hotspot but we found a $70 flight here from Kobe and it's a good jumping off point for visiting the island of Kyushu.

It's about the size of Milwaukee with a few tourists sites and a great transportation system. We rarely do this, but we opted for the Hop on Hop off pass to see everything in one day. A lot of the tourist sites have to do with the local samurai hero, Saigō Takamori. He is sometimes known as The Last Samurai and was important in the Meiji restoration. That's the modernization of Japan that ended the Shogunate.

The highlights were Sengan-en, a Shogun family villa that is restored and has amazing gardens. The other one is the smoky volcano of Sakurajima. Many times of the year there's so much ash you have to carry an umbrella for that and wear a mask. But it wasn't active and we had great air quality.

We took a short ferry ride across the bay and jumped on the tourist bus for views around the island, a foot soak in the hot waters, and an observatory on the top. On a random Friday in November, the buses were packed with Japanese tourists. We were one of the few gaijin (foreigners). It didn't hurt that it was in the mid 70s and sunny.

I must say every meal here is an adventure. There's so much more to Japanese cuisine than sushi and tempura. We are picking random restaurants based on Google maps reviews, and almost every one of them has been fantastic. A bonus is the fact that the food and alcohol here are incredibly cheap. We're having a hard time spending $40 for meals for two with drinks. Last night I ordered (among other things) a "rice ball wrapped in meat." Delicious. It looked like a reverse corn dog, with something akin to bacon on the outside.

The island of Kyushu is famous for all of its Onsen, or hot springs since we're right on the Ring Of Fire. Ryokan are traditional family owned lodgings with Onsens and with breakfast and elaborate dinners included. There are many Ryokan throughout Kyushu. Most are booked months in advance, so we're having a hard time finding any that won't break the bank and are near a main road. Ryokan are pretty much the only expensive thing in Japan and they are usually in a rural area so city dwellers can get away from it all. My international driver's license expired, so we can't rent a car.

But, we found one in an onsen town to the North in Beppu. And after booking that, we found one in nearby Ibusuki. So we're headed down there next for two nights before heading north to Beppu.

More photos and videos are here.
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