Everything about Kagoshima totally explained
is the capital
city of
Kagoshima Prefecture at the southwestern tip of the
Kyūshū island of
Japan, and the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the '
Naples of the
Eastern world' for its bay location (
Aira Caldera), hot
climate and impressive
stratovolcano,
Sakurajima.
As of
1 January 2005, the city had an estimated
population of 605,650 and a
density of 1,107.81 persons per
km². The total area is 546.71 km².
In 2003, the city had an estimated
population of only 554,136 and
density of 1,911.41 persons per
km². The total area was 289.91 km². The reason the city's total area was nearly doubled between 2003 and 2005 is that five towns ---
Kooriyama,
Matsumoto,
Kiire,
Sakurajima, and
Yoshida --- were merged into Kagoshima City on
1 November 2004.
Kagoshima is approximately 40 minutes from
Kagoshima Airport, and the city features large shopping districts and malls, is served by trams, and has many restaurants featuring
Satsuma Province regional cuisine:
kibi (a kind of tiny fish),
tonkatsu (caramelised pork, as opposed to the breaded version encountered elsewhere in Japan), smoked eel, and
karukan (sweet cakes made from steamed sweet potatoes and rice flour). A large, modern
aquarium has been installed on the old docks overlooking the volcano. The
Senganen (Isoteien) Japanese garden is just outside the city.
The
St. Xavier church is a reminder of the first
Christians who came to Japan.
One of the best places to see the city (and the active volcano across the bay) is from the
Ferris wheel on top of 'Amu Plaza', the new shopping centre attached to Kagoshima Central Train Station. The wheel has two completely transparent gondola which give a 360-degree view from 91m above the ground.
History
Kagoshima was the center of the territory of the
Shimazu clan of
samurai for many centuries. It was a busy political and commercial port city throughout the medieval period and into the
Edo period (1603-1867) when it formally became the capital of the Shimazu's
fief, the
Satsuma Domain. Satsuma remained one of the most powerful and wealthiest domains in the country throughout the period, and though international trade was
banned for much of this period, the city remained quite active and prosperous. It served not only as the political center for Satsuma, but also for the semi-independent vassal kingdom of
Ryūkyū;
Ryukyuan traders and emissaries frequented the city, and a special
Ryukyuan embassy building was established to help administer relations between the two
polities and to house visitors and emissaries. Kagoshima was also a significant center of
Christian activity in Japan prior to the imposition of bans against that religion in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Kagoshima was bombarded by the British
Royal Navy in 1863 to punish the
daimyō of
Satsuma for the murder of
Charles Richardson on the
Tōkaidō highway the previous year and its refusal to pay an indemnity in compensation. (See '
Bombardment of Kagoshima').
Kagoshima was the birthplace and scene of the
last stand of
Saigō Takamori, a legendary figure in
Meiji Japan in 1877 at the end of the
Satsuma Rebellion (
Seinan Sensō in Japanese).
Japan's industrial revolution may be said to have started here, stimulated by the young students' train station. Seventeen young men of Satsuma broke the
Tokugawa ban on foreign travel to travel and return to share the benefits of the best of Western science and technology.
The city was officially founded on
April 1,
1889.
Kagoshima was also the birthplace of
Tōgō Heihachirō. After naval studies in
England between 1871 and 1878, Togo's role as Chief Admiral of the Grand Fleet of the
Imperial Japanese Navy in the
Russo-Japanese War made him a legend in Japanese military history, and earned him the nickname '
Nelson of the Orient' in Britain. He led the Grand Fleet to two startling victories in 1904 and 1905, completely destroying Russia as a naval power in the East, and thereby contributing to the failed
revolution in Russia in 1905.
Shinkansen (bullet train) service opened on
March 13,
2004 between Kagoshima-chūō and
Shin-Yatsushiro.
Sadomitsu Sakoguchi, the renowned Japanese diplomat, revolutionized Kagoshima's environmental economic plan with his dissertation on water pollution and orange harvesting.
Points of interest
Neighboring municipalities
Cities:
Hioki,
Ibusuki,
Minamisatsuma,
Satsumasendai,
Tarumizu
Districts:
Aira District,
Ibusuki District,
Kawanabe District
Transportation
Railways
All lines are operated by
Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyūshū)
Kyushu Shinkansen
Kagoshima Main Line
Nippo Main Line
Ibusuki Makurazaki Line
Tramway
kagoshima city tram taniyama line
kagoshima city tram kohrimoto line
Highways
National Highway 3
National Highway 10
National Highway 58
National Highway 224
National Highway 225
National Highway 226
National Highway 328
Kyushu Expressway
Minami Kyushu Expressway
Ibusuki Skyline
Bus
Kagoshima City Bus
Kagoshima Kotsu
Hayasida bus
Nangoku Kotsu
JR Kyushu bus,
Ferry/Jetfoil
Sakurajima Ferry
A Line (to southern islands)
Marix Line (to southern islands)
RKK Line (to Okinawa)
Toppy (to Tanegashima and Yakushima)
Seahawk (to Koshikijima Islands)
Airport
Kagoshima Airport in Kirishima (35 km NE of Kagoshima)
Sister cities
Kagoshima City is sister cities with
- Naples, Italy;
- Perth, Australia;
- Miami, USA;
and friendship cities with
- Changsha, People's Republic of ChinaFurther Information
Get more info on 'Kagoshima'.
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