Page 254 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Japan

252  JAP AN REGION B Y REGION

of independence. Center of
the feudal domain of Satsu ma,
Kagoshima’s Shimazu clan ruled
Okinawa for eight centuries,
absorbing much of the culture
of China and Southeast Asia
trans mitted through the islands.
The legacy of that con tact is
evident today in a cui sine that
relies on sweet po tatoes rather
than rice, and in its typically
Okinawan preference for
pork dishes.
Shochu, Kagoshima’s favorite
liquor made from sweet
Udo Jingu, a cave shrine on the Nichinan Coast dedicated to fertility po tatoes, is believed to have
i Nichinan Coast o Kirishima passed through Okinawa from
China or Korea. There are over
Nichinan Coast National Park 120 shochu distilleries in
Kagoshima alone. Local craft
Karishima National Park
Miyazaki prefecture. £ Nichinan line traditions, particularly Satsuma
from Miyazaki. Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures.
£ Kobayashi or Ebino Iino stn (JR ceramics and fine silk brocades,
The Nichinan coastal land scape Nippo line), then Miyazaki Kotsu bus. reflect an aes thetic of Asian
is known in Japanese as Onino provenance. Kagoshima’s
Sentakuita, the “devil’s This region, identified with sultry climate is apparent at
washboard,” an apt description Japanese foundation myths, Sengan-en, where semitropical
for the eroded, rippled effect centers on the volcanic plants grow along side plum
presented by the rock shelves. plateau of Ebino-Kogen trees and bamboo groves. The
The gateway to the coast (Shrimp Meadow), which is garden’s centerpiece is a pond
is Aoshima Island, barely a surrounded by volcanoes, and small waterfall.
mile in circumference and crater lakes, and hot springs. On an artificial
connected to the mainland The Ebino-Kogen Nature Trail island in the harbor is the
by a walkway. An attractive is the best of several hiking Kagoshima Aquari um,
vermilion shrine stands at the routes, going past three with species from local
center of this densely forested ponds, two of which waters and the coral
islet, which can get crowded are cobalt blue. The reefs around the
in summertime. Miyazaki city, climb up to the peak Nansei islands,
to the north, is known for its of Mount Karakunidake southwest of Kyushu.
year-round flowers. is popular in summer. Roof detail from Iso Also worth seeing is
Udo Jingu, another vermilion- There are many hot Garden, Kagoshima the City Museum of
colored shrine about 30 km springs in the area, Art, with its displays
(20 miles) south of Aoshima, including Iodani onsen, Arayu of Satsuma ceramics.
stands in a cave beside the onsen, Hayashida onsen, and Japan first came into contact
ocean. The shrine is dedi cated to Sakura onsen. with Christianity at Kagoshima, in
Emperor Jimmu’s father, who is 1549, in the person of the Spanish
believed to have been washed missionary Francis Xavier. The
there at birth, and serves as a p Kagoshima 20th-century St. Xavier’s Church,
catalyst for propitious marriages Kagoshimaor Kagoshima Cathedral,
and fertility. The water dripping commemorates this event. The
from breast-shaped rocks is Kagoshima prefecture. * 610,000. city is also associated with Saigo
k £ g from Osaka and Nagasaki.
compared to mother’s milk, n at stn (099) 253-2500. _ Soga- Takamori (1827–77), who led
and milk candies are sold at don no Kasayaki (4th Sat in Jul). the ill-fated Satsuma Rebellion.
the shrine shop. North of Udo
Jingu is Sun-Messe Nichinan, With one of the most stun ning
where perfectly reproduced settings of any city in Japan,
statues of Moai, officially Kagoshima looks out across
approved by Easter Island, are the broad sweep of a bay
displayed. One stop far ther on to the brooding silhouette of
the Nichinan line lies Obi, an Sakurajima, an active volcano
old castle town, where the that sometimes showers the city
ruins of the castle and samurai in a gray blanket of volcanic ash.
houses may be visited. Farther Historically, this semitropical
south, Ishinami Beach is a city, far from the old capital of Fish in one of the tanks of Kagoshima’s
stretch of fine white sand. Edo, enjoyed an unusual de gree City Aquarium
For hotels and restaurants see p306 and pp334–6

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