Kagoshima, Japan - Home of Mount Sakurajima

Kagoshima, a city on the southern end of Honshu, is dominated by Mount Sakurajima, a very active volcano located on a peninsula across the bay from the city. The Seven Seas Voyager had a day in Kagoshima, and we chose to do a tour that included Sengan-en (Iso Garden) and Mount Sakurajima.

Our day in Kagoshima was very rainy, so we did not see as much of the gardens as we would have liked. What we did see was lovely, and the formal Japanese gardens reminded me of those we had seen at Shimonoseki. Sengan-en was the summer home of the Shimadzu clan, a family that controlled Kagoshima for over 700 years, so the site also had some historical family residences and museum pieces.

The highlight of the day was the time we spent near Mount Sakurajima, a volcano that frequently spews ash and smoke over the city. Farmers grow the world's largest radishes and some of the world's smallest oranges in the area around the volcano, adding to its mystique. We didn't let the rain ruin our day in Kagoshima!