Into the Volcano.

Next day we started off by buying breakfast from a convenience store and going to Xavier Park to eat it. Xavier Park is called after the Jesuit priest Francis Xavier. He came to Kagoshima as a missionary in 1549 and stayed for more than two years in Japan. Xavier had two Japanese disciples Anjiro and Bernardo. Xavier Park occupies the site of the first stone church in Kagoshima. It was built in the Meiji Period, but was largely destroyed by bombs during World War II. Part of the church still remains and there are statues of Xavier and his Japanese disciples. A modern church, which replaced the bombed out one faces onto the park nowadays. I loved the fact that even the phone box in the park was religious.

Xavier Park.

Xavier Park.

Xavier Park.

Later that day, we decided to visit Sakurajima - the volcano that dominates Kagoshima Bay.

The Aquarium, Kagoshima.

Leaving Kagoshima.

Leaving Kagoshima.

Leaving Kagoshima.

Close up of Sakurajima.

Sakurajima means cherry blossom island, because many cherry trees thrive in the rich fertile soil there. It is still a very active volcano; minor eruptions from it are frequent and every now and then there is a huge eruption. Sakurajima is located in the middle of Kagoshima Bay. It is 1117 meters high and has a circumference of 50 kilometers. At one time Sakurajima was an island, but after a huge eruption in 1914, the resulting lava flow created a land connection to the Osumi Peninsula in the east. During this eruption a huge tori or temple gate on Sakurajima got buried in lava and ash. The top part of it sticks out of the lava flow and has become a tourist attraction in its own right, but, unfortunately, we did not get the chance to see this.

We used our travel pass to take a cruise, called the Yorimichi Cruise, around Kagoshima Bay. This cruise departs from Kagoshima Ferry Terminal once a day at 11am. If you have the travel pass, you must take it to the cruise ticket office and they will issue you with tickets free of charge. The cruise passes close to Sakurajima enabling us to see it from different angles. At the end of the cruise we docked at the ferry terminal on Sakurajima. If you don't want to do the longer scenic cruise there is a frequent ferry service between Kagoshima and Sakurajima and that trip just takes fifteen minutes.

Ferries to the island.

On the ferry.

We began our explorations of Sakurajima by looking at the Tsukiyomi Shrine near the ferry pier. To get to the shrine you have to climb up some steep steps. Tsukiyomi Shrine was constructed about 1300 years ago, but it was moved from its original position after it was buried by lava during the massive eruption in 1914.

After visiting the shrine, we took the Sakurajima island view bus around the island. This was also covered by our pass. We got off twice. First at Karasujima Observatory which has excellent views towards the cone of the volcano. We then walked from there in around twenty minutes to the next viewpoint - Akamizu Observatory Square. On the way we past a dry river bed with excellent views towards the volcano. There were dried blocks of hardened lava all around.

Karasujima Observatory.

Hardened lava.

Hardened lava.

Lava flow lining the road.

The walk between Karasujima Observatory and Akamizu Observatory.

The walk between Karasujima Observatory and Akamizu Observatory.

The walk between Karasujima Observatory and Akamizu Observatory.

The walk between Karasujima Observatory and Akamizu Observatory.

At Akamizu Observatory Square there is a statue carved out of the lava. It shows a man's head surrounded by guitars and is called ‘Portrait of a scream’ . It is based on an all night rock concert by Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, a Sakarujima native. The concert took place on 21st August 2004 and attracted 75,000 people from all over Japan.

‘Portrait of a scream’ .

‘Portrait of a scream’ .

‘Portrait of a scream’ .

We also visited Yunohira Observatory, the highest point on Mt. Sakurajima which is open to the public. This has excellent views of the volcano and over the bay.

From Yunohira Observatory.

From Yunohira Observatory.

From Yunohira Observatory.

In addition to the viewpoints I was interested to pass a cemetery where all the graves had little stone roofs to protect them from rocks and ash. We passed but did not have time to visit an area with thermal foot baths. We also passed a market selling fruit and vegetables which thrive in the rich volcanic soil. if we had had more time, I would have liked to explore more of this area on foot.

When we returned to Kagoshima we were in two minds about what to do. On the one hand, I wanted to use my Kagoshima pass to go and see the cave of Saigo Takamori and Ishibashi Memorial Park with its stone bridges and cherry trees. If we had been better organized, we could have seen both on the previous day, but we are seldom organized. On the other hand, I wanted to use our Kyushu Rail Pass to go along the coast to Ibusuki and see their famous sand baths. We got on the city view bus and headed back towards Kagoshima Chuo Station.

Peter said: 'We'll go look and see if there's a train to Ibusuki soon and if there is we'll get it. If not, we'll return to the city sightseeing bus.'

We got to the information board to find a train left for Ibusuki in two minutes. To get it we'd have to go through the ticket barrier, find the platform sign and go down the stairs to the correct platform.

'We'll never make it; we'll go back for the bus,' said Peter.

However, I surprised myself by shouting 'Run!' and heading for the platform at top speed. Peter had no option but to follow and we leapt on the Ibusuki train with seconds to spare. Decision made. The train was mobbed mainly with school children. Peter got a seat but I had to stand for the first half of the journey. The total journey took around an hour and fifteen minutes. At first we were just passing through the suburbs of the city, but later we were heading down the coast and the scenery was much more interesting.

Local Train.

When we arrived at Ibusuki the first thing we did was use the wonderful foot bath just outside the station. It has a statue of a family next to it. Then we walked to the sea front. We passed several restaurants with English menus so this place must get lots of non-Japanese tourists. We were not sure what we wanted to see, but I suggested following signs for the sand baths.

Foot bath by the station.

Foot bath by the station.

Walking through the town.

Strolling along the sea front was quite pleasant and mellow. After a while we noticed that everyone was wearing matching yukatas - a sort of Japanese dressing gown. They were either heading to or coming from the sand baths. Finally, we reached the sand baths themselves. In the sand baths people are buried in hot volcanic sand with only their head uncovered. They try to stay there for around ten or fifteen minutes. I'm sure it's good for you, but I could feel my claustrophobia kicking in just watching it.

The Seafront.

The Seafront.

The Seafront.

The Seafront.

The Seafront.

The Seafront.

The Seafront.

The Seafront.

Wearing Yutakas.

Wearing Yutakas.

the Sandbaths.

After a while we wandered back to the station for our journey back to Kagoshima. I found a lost bag with money and i.d. and stuff in it and tried to hand it in at the station. I managed eventually but there were language problems. The man in the ticket office thought I was lost, but I kept on trying to tell him: 'It's not me who is lost; it's this bag.'

The train journey back was still heaving with school kids even though it was around seven-thirty in the evening by then. They all had a huge number of incredibly heavy looking bags. I felt sorry for the girls across from us they were so exhausted they fell fast asleep on the train.

Exhausted School Children.

When we eventually reached Kagoshima, we went for a meal in the station. We had pizza, garlic bread and beer. Peter was not impressed as the beer was more than double the price of the day before, but the food was good.

A tasty meal out.

A tasty meal out.

After eating, we caught the tram home. While we were waiting for it, a party tram filled with dancing people and booming music passed us by. Back in the hotel we followed our usual pattern of onsen, noodles and bed.

Yummy Noodles.