Japan: Kagoshima

Thursday, June 15, 2023, Kagoshima, Japan

The ship got into Kagoshima at 7 am and it was raining. It was supposed to clear up, and did before we caught a shuttle bus into town at 9 am. Having to be back onboard by 2:30 pm made it hard to do much on our own; we mostly focused on getting to the Sengan-en Gardens. 

The shuttle was full, including fold-down seats in the middle aisle.

Wedding kimono on display in the port building

Once in the middle of town, we converted US dollars to yen on the 4th floor of the Kagoshima Bank, a couple of blocks away. The copious paperwork involved could have been avoided had I not lost my ATM card in Namibia. Also if I had known the pin to my VISA card. Charlie didn’t know the pins on any of his cards.

Me (blue shirt/grey pants) on the way to the Kagoshima Bank

Downtown Kagoshima

Yen in hand, we crossed the street and looked for the Kagoshima City View bus stop. We bought a City View all-day ticket (about $4 each) from a bus driver. He tried to explain where the nearest City View bus stop was.  This is where we experienced the famous Japanese helpfulness. A gentleman on the street, who spoke no English, led us to the closest stop (stop 4), which was several blocks away. Part way there, we saw a couple of ship mates who were looking for the same stop and followed along with us.

We had close to a half hour to kill before the next City View bus came. There was a small park to relax in. Across the street, I spotted a statue of Saigo Takamori, the last samurai, who was born in Kagoshima. I had time to cross the street and photograph it. Japanese cities are quiet. Most of the cars and buses are electric, and it makes a huge difference.

Statue of Saigo Takamori, the last samurai, born in Kagoshima

A group of school children on a field trip

The bus was 1 minute late, and was extremely crowded. We had to stand the entire 8 stops to the Sengan-en Gardens—a UNESCO world heritage site. An interesting aside about the bus: In Japan you enter through the back door, and leave through the front door, at which point you pay (or in our case show an all-day pass).

Finally on the City View bus (SRO)

Interesting architecture on the way to the gardens

At the gardens we bought tickets and first explored hiking trails that looped around through the woods. Gorgeous, and cooler on this hot day. Next the formal gardens. Also gorgeous, but getting hotter. We ran into several people on a ship tour. We saved hundred of dollars doing it on our own, and experienced more interaction with locals at the bank, and on the streets and buses.

The Jumping Lion lantern built in 1884

Stone steps showing their age but still walkable

Trying to keep track of time, we had to run for the bus to avoid taking a taxi. Charlie was ahead of me, of course, but there was also a small (3-year-old?) Japanese girl in a kimono who made a break from her family and was also running ahead of me. It must have looked pretty funny. I could barely keep up with her. She was fast, and her parents were in hot pursuit.

Fortunately the bus driver was waiting for a light to change and let us on. Not as crowded this time, we rode several stops until we were near our shuttle bus. There were a lot of shipmates on the bus by the time we arrived at our stop, just a block from the shuttle pickup. We could see the shuttle. No need to run this time.

Our ship was considerably delayed because all the elevators on the ship stopped working! We still didn’t leave after they started working.There was trouble with the engines also. We left 3 hours late! 

Lots of town people waving goodbye when we left.

The sun set over the Sakurajima volcano as we left port