I travelled around Kyushu for a month, covering all the prefectures except Okinawa. During this period, my main mode of transport between each prefecture was bus. Something that did not occur to me until my WWOOF host shared with me that travelling by bus might be more convenient and cheaper than train. Typically, travelling by bus is cheaper, more convenient with less transfer and also, depending on the days and location, you get to have two seats to yourself. As someone with motion sickness, I didn’t suffer from any because the bus driver in Japan drove steadily and safely.
For 3hrs distance travel, there will usually be a short stopover where you get down the bus for toilet, smoke or food break. Though, in the bus, there is a toilet but people like to get down to stretch their legs. I would check the bus duration and time on Google Maps which is usually accurate. As for bookings, I would go to the bus centre to purchase/reserve my ticket. In my opinion, it’s easier and less confusing to buy tickets at the dedicated bus centre than to purchase online. In general, I usually purchase my ticket an hour before the bus leaves, or the day before just in case.
In this post, I’ll cover my journey in the city of Kagoshima (鹿児島).
Getting to Kagoshima from Miyazaki
I took a morning bus from Miyazaki to Kagoshima, the journey took about 3.5 hours and cost ¥2,830. The advantage of travelling by bus is not having to worry about your luggage. Huge luggage can be placed at the luggage area in the bus. I was backpacking, hence it was easier. Usually, I place my backpack on the floor of the empty seat next to me.
The bus wasn’t that full, and surprisingly, the people seating around me were tourists as well. We had a 15 minutes stopover after a 1.5 hours ride. The bus had a few stops in between but most people got down at Kagoshima Airport. From Kagoshima Airport to Kagoshima Chuo Station, you get to see the famous volcanic island, Sakurajima from afar and ashes spewing from the volcano every few minutes. It was another half an hour before the bus arrived at Kagoshima Chuo Station (鹿児島中央駅), which is located at the heart of Kagoshima city, a few minutes walk across from Kagoshima main train station and AEON mall.
First thing upon arrival is to check in at the hostel and deposit my backpack before exploring the city. I’ve only booked for one night at the hostel as my intention was to stay in Kagoshima for 2 days 1 night before heading for Kumamoto. It was a bit of a tight schedule as I arrived in Kagoshima at 11.30am, and my main goal is to visit Sakurajima. I didn’t plan any itinerary ahead, it was just something I thought of after seeing the volcano on my way to Kagoshima City. My hostel was about 5 – 7 minutes walk away from the bus terminal. After depositing my backpack, I went back to the main station in search of a local map. My travelling style is always to get a local map and decide where to go and what to eat. Typically, you can get a free map either at your hostel or at the tourist information center at the main train station. After getting a free map, I learnt that ‘kurobuta’, black pork is the pride of Kagoshima. With no restaurant in mind, I walked on further to a street that seemed to have food places and randomly walked into a ramen place that served tontoro ramen.
The ramen place (鹿児島ラーメン豚とろ ) seemed to be pretty crowded with office workers and high school students. I got the normal ‘tontoro’ ramen for ¥860 by paying at the vending machine near the door for a ticket. I didn’t have to wait for long before getting a seat and once seated, handed my ticket over to the employee. This turned out to be the best ramen I ever had. I know they say Fukuoka is the land of ramen, but seriously, this ‘tontoro’ ramen is amazing. I’m a sucker for black pork and this ramen is so flavourful that it doesn’t feel that heavy and unknowingly, you finished the whole bowl of ramen.
Getting to Sakurajima
After the delicious lunch, I took tram No. 2 to Suizokukanguchi. The ride is about 15 minutes and costs ¥170, paid when you get down at the front of the tram. From the tram stop, it takes 7 minutes by foot to the ferry terminal. I didn’t have to rely on Google Map to get to the ferry terminal, simply just follow the crowd. I started seeing people walking really fast and I reckoned the ferry to Sakurajima is leaving soon, hence, I followed closely with the people heading for the terminal. I made it in time 5 minutes before the ferry leaves for Sakurajima. I didn’t actually have to worry if I missed that ferry because the ferry runs between Kagoshima and Sakurajima with very high frequency (every 15 minutes). You just board the ferry and pay when you disembark at Sakurajima.
The ferry is very functional and the seats are just plastic seats. I was at the top deck so that I could enjoy the view of Sakurajima. The journey took 15 minutes and every single moment was breathtaking.
Getting around Sakurajima
Most tourists went to the information center to get the Sakurajima map and learn how to get around Sakurajima. You can’t get to the peak of Sakurajima because it is an active volcano and dangerous. Many purchased the 1-day pass for the loop bus, the Sakurajima Island View Bus for ¥500. You can drop off at any of the specified stops and walk on foot and board the bus again anytime. However, the bus frequency comes every hour so if you are stuck or missed the bus, it’s going to be a long waiting time. I took the bus from Sakurajima port and alighted at Karasujima Observatory, walked to Akamizu Observatory, waited 45 minutes for the bus to Yunohira Observatory all the while busy hiding my onigiri from a hungry cat.
Ah yes, about the cat, it seemed to be a stray cat that is waiting for tourists for food. While waiting for the bus, I decided to eat the onigiri I bought from a convenient store. When I unzipped my bag, the cat started walking towards me and stopped. I was about to open the onigiri when the cat started heading for me quickly. I was scared so I stopped what I was doing and the cat stopped as well. We spent the whole time staring at each other playing mind games, to open or not to open, to move or not to move. I was saved from arriving tourists and the cat preyed on them instead. It was a right move not to feed the cat because a tourist fed the cat some snacks and the cat was a bit aggressive asking for more food.
Breathing a sigh of relief when the bus arrived. I hopped on the bus and headed for the highest safest point opened to tourists, Yunohira Observatory and the 360 degree view was pretty amazing. You get to see the active volcano with ashes spewing every few minutes, you see the land and other islands or mountains from afar at different points.
After hanging around for a bit at the observatory, I queued up for the bus that goes back to Sakurajima port. As this is the most popular spot, the bus is rather crowded heading back to the port. It was about 4+pm and I decided to hang around a little more, wanting to catch the sunset on the ferry. I walked around a little around the area, came across a shrine and later, got myself a cup of tea at the cafe at the port, waiting for the 5.15pm ferry back to Kagoshima island.
As a heliophile and limnophile, sunset and water are my thing. Seeing the sunset reflected across the water is a beautiful scenery. I chose the top deck again, chasing the sunset and the view of Sakurajima changed in color to an orangey-pink hue that looks like a blood volcano. It was eerily beautiful.
Back to Kagoshima island, the sky was dark. It took 20 minutes to walk to the shopping street of Kagoshima, Tenmonkan (天文館本通り). At that point in time, I was pretty hungry and was hoping to have kurobuta shabu shabu for dinner. Every restaurant was selling something related to kurobuta and it wasn’t cheap. As a backpacker, I was pretty conscious about the price of food, and I walked around the shopping street for another 15 minutes before walking into a random restaurant 天文館 吾愛人 本店 that serves kurobuta hot pot. I was vibing extremely well with the food in Kagoshima. I ordered a kurobuta shabu shabu and sweet potato shochu. The kurobuta was so good that it slipped down my throat easily. I couldn’t get enough of it. If only I had more budget, I would have gotten another serving of kurobuta.
After dinner, I walked around tenmonkan and realized that there was a shochu event going on. What a waste, if I had known earlier, I would have drank at the festival instead of drinking at the restaurant which was pretty expensive. Walking through the crowded shopping district, it seemed that they were getting ready for Ohara Matsuri that is happening in the next two days. Walking back to my hostel, I came across another food district and they have their own shochu event going on.
Back at the hostel, an ikemen staff helped me to check in and I asked more about the Ohara Matsuri. He is not a Kagoshima local, but kindly helped me check online for more information. After settling down, I’ve decided to stay one more night in Kagoshima since I have a flexible itinerary. It was a tough decision because most of the accommodations are booked and hotel prices are high. I booked for a hotel room for almost ¥10,000 for one night. That’s almost 3 times of the average one night hostel rate I usually go for in Japan. Nonetheless, I decided to go for it to experience the shochu event and Ohara Matsuri. At the pantry area, I met a Japanese from Kobe who is in town for the Kagoshima shochu event. We talked a bit and decided to meet up to go for the shochu event together the next evening. Back to my room, there was a little mixed up between my assigned bed and another person’s bed. We went down to the reception area to have it sorted, it seemed to be an oversight and I had no problems having my bed reassigned.
The next morning, I was up early and went around to look for breakfast. My accommodation was located near a shopping arcade, but it was too early that none of the stores were opened. Ended up around the train station and had western breakfast at Seattle’s Best. My preferred choice would have been a hot bowl of soba or udon for breakfast but I realized this is not a thing in Kyushu. I took my time for breakfast, before heading back to the hostel in time for check out. I didn’t have anything planned to do in the day, so I just hung around the hostel, which was a cafe as well, redeemed my free coffee and did a bit of journal and reading to past time. Near lunch time, I left my backpack at the reception and went to the train station again for food. I wanted something different that is not ramen or hot pot, and ended up on the mall’s restaurant floor. I took a number to dine in at the restaurant called Kurobuta Shabu Shabu Ichinisan (黑豬涮涮鍋 いちにぃさん) and ordered a Katsu Mille Feuille Don. It looks like something that came out of Shokugeki no Souma. It was so good but I wasn’t that hungry to finish the whole thing. After lunch, I walked aimlessly around the mall, went to the supermarket to get soy milk and tomatoes for next morning’s breakfast.
I went back to the hostel to hang around a little longer before my check in time for the hotel. The owner, a Kagoshima local, recognized me and apologised of the inconvenience last night and gave me a slice of home baked cake. I asked more about the Ohara Matsuri and she kindly explained where it will start. When it was near 3pm, I gathered my belongings and walked to the hotel to check in. There was still some time before meeting the hostel mate I met last night for the shochu event, so I did my laundry at the hotel.
焼酎ストリート Shochu Street, Shochu Event
At about 7pm, I walked to Tenmonkan and met up with my hostel mate and she shared some of her coupons and we went around trying different kinds of shochu and buying and sharing different food there. You can purchase the coupon tickets at various designated tents with 5 cups of shochu for ¥1,000. There are 100+ different styles of shochu with various tents selling them. The event was so crowded but it was a great experience. Many Japanese from around Japan came down to Kagoshima for the shochu event and they were so friendly, chatting with me after learning that I’m not local. There was also a stage where a famous local singer, Atari Kousuke was performing.
おはら祭り Ohara Matsuri, Dance Festival at Tenmonkan
At around 9pm or so, the rehearsal for Ohara Matsuri started. The roads were barricaded and people dressed in Matsuri outfits were dancing in unison to traditional music. It was truly an amazing sight to see the locals of all ages and gender participating in the festival. My hostel mate went to the convenience store to get more snacks (karage-kun and cheetara) and drinks (chuhai) while I queued for the restroom. While queueing, I was chatting with the local old ladies who were participating in the Matsuri and learnt that they lived in the Kagoshima prefecture but away from the city, drove down and stayed in the city for a night for the festival.
My hostel mate and I were hanging outside the convenience store when another Japanese who works in Kagoshima was intrigued by our conversation decided to join us. We ended our evening with him treating us to supper and drinks at a nearby restaurant. Thank goodness I was only 3 minutes walking distance away from the hotel because I was pretty buzzed.
The next morning, I checked out from the hotel and walked around the district with my backpack to enjoy the Ohara Matsuri. Everyone was dancing in sync to the traditional music which I thought was recorded but in actual fact, sang live on the central stage. I happened to come across a ramen place, ordered one for lunch. This ramen was a bit different from all the other ramen I had tried. After lunch, I continued walking around the streets enjoying the festival while slowly making my way to the bus terminal to catch a bus to Kumamoto.
I didn’t expect I would enjoy Kagoshima so much. The food, the people, nature and by luck, the events and festivals. A 2D1N or 3D2N stay at Kagoshima would be ideal to go around Kagoshima City and Sakurajima.
Things to do
- Sakurajima (桜島)
- Tenmonkan (天文館本通り)
- Shochu Street (焼酎ストリート), 1 – 3 November every year
- Ohara Matsuri (おはら祭り), 2 November every year
Food and drinks
- Tontoro ramen, 鹿児島ラーメン豚とろ
- Katsu Mille Feuille Don, 黑豬涮涮鍋 いちにぃさん
- Kurobuta shabu shabu and sweet potato Shochu, 天文館 吾愛人 本店
Access
Getting from Miyazaki to Kagoshima
If you happened to be travelling around Kyushu, taking a bus would probably be the most convenient. Bus from Miyazaki terminal to Kagoshima Chuo station costs ¥2,830, takes about 3.5 hours with a 15 minutes stopover.
Getting from Kagoshima City to Sakurajima
Take tram No. 2 to Suizokukanguchi. The ride is about 15 minutes and costs ¥170, paid when you get down at the front of the tram. From the tram stop, it takes 7 minutes by foot to the ferry terminal.
The ferry runs between Kagoshima and Sakurajima with very high frequency (every 15 minutes). Board the ferry and pay when disembark at Sakurajima.
Getting around Sakurajima
Purchase the 1-day pass for the loop bus, the Sakurajima Island View Bus for ¥500. You can drop off at any of the specified stops and walk on foot and board the bus again anytime. Bus frequency at every hour.
Monochronos 