October 2023

With an active volcano looming over the bay, it’s easy to see why Kagoshima’s nickname is “the Naples of the east.”

We could even see some steam coming off of Sakurajima today!

Kagoshima was originally known as Satsuma and is the home of Saigo Nakamura, aka “the Last Samurai.”

Saigo Nakamura had a little dog, as you can see in the cartoon depiction of him. A more regal depiction of him stands over the local park.

Bronze statues are tucked all through Kagoshima. Each one has a plaque explaining the history behind it. We even saw a monument dedicated to early astronomers right beside some mannequins at a secondhand shop.

For fun, Larry talked me into trying some fancy lipsticks at a makeup counter. Yes, I love lipstick, but I never visit makeup counters. I was actually nervous to try it, but between his urging and the sweet sales person, I wound up having fun and found a nice shade of red.

Like several other Japanese towns, Kagoshima has a covered shopping area called an arcade. These arcades always seems to have a zodiac theme along the ceiling panels. I wonder if astrology is a big thing here?

Later in the day, we enjoyed coffee (for me) and ice cream (for Larry) at a cute little cafe. We snagged seats outside for some wonderful people watching.

I love how Shinto shrines are tucked here in there in Japanese cities. We saw this one in a little alley full of restaurants.

The strangest thing I saw today, however, was a vending machine selling gyoza.Read more