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Quick facts
- Region: Kyushu & Okinawa
- Capital: Kagoshima
- Population: 1.5 million
- Climate: Pacific side
- Cherry blossom (average): 26 March
- No. 1 in Japan: Pigs, sweet potatoes and kurobuta pork — Japan's largest pig herd and second for tea. Sakurajima and Yakushima
⭐ Top sights
Yakushima Island
Ancient cedars thousands of years old in a moss-covered forest. A natural World Heritage island said to get 'rain 35 days a month'.
Sakurajima Volcano
An active volcano that erupts hundreds of times a year, just 15 minutes by ferry from a city of 600,000. Soak your feet while watching the plume.
Sand Bath at Ibusuki
Be buried up to the neck in naturally heated volcanic sand while wearing a yukata — a rare sand bath found almost nowhere else. Ten minutes to glow.
Kirishima Onsen
Where Sakamoto Ryoma came on his honeymoon. Plumes of sulphurous steam
🍲 Local food
Kurobuta pork shabu-shabu, satsuma-age, keihan, shirokuma
Keihan, from the Amami Islands, is rice topped with chicken and hot chicken broth. Shirokuma is Kagoshima's shaved ice dessert
🏮 Festivals & events
- Ohara Festival — November 2–3. 20,000 dancers move to the "Ohara Bushi" and "Hanya Bushi" folk songs. The largest festival in southern Kyushu
🏨 Where to stay in Kagoshima
The area around Kagoshima, the capital, has the best transport links and the widest choice of hotels; a night at a hot-spring town is also worth it.
Other prefectures in the region
Fukuoka · Saga · Nagasaki · Kumamoto · Oita · Miyazaki · Okinawa · 47 prefectures
Frequently asked questions
What is Kagoshima famous for food-wise?
Kagoshima's best-known local dishes are Kurobuta pork shabu-shabu, satsuma-age, keihan, shirokuma. Keihan, from the Amami Islands, is rice topped with chicken and hot chicken broth. Shirokuma is Kagoshima's shaved ice dessert
What are the top sights in Kagoshima?
Top picks in Kagoshima include Yakushima Island, Sakurajima Volcano, Sand Bath at Ibusuki, Ibusuki Onsen.
When do cherry blossoms bloom in Kagoshima?
In Kagoshima (Kagoshima), Somei-yoshino cherry trees usually start blooming around 26 March, reaching full bloom about a week later.
