Morning breakfast at the hotel. The hotel provides complimentary breakfast for all guests. Simple Japanese / western breakfast buffet but fresh and good. You can also get free drinks from the vending machine!
Vending machine providing free drinks during breakfast from 7-830am on weekdays and 7-850am on sundays and public holidays.
Almost missed our Shinkansen! Managed to arrive at JR Hakata train station 2 minutes before the train departs. Japanese train schedules are right on the dot and the trains will depart promptly at the departure time stated. Time and tide waits for no man...
As the direct train from Fukuoka to Kagoshima was full, we took the Tsubame train to Kumamoto, and changed to the Mizuho train in Kumamoto to Kagoshima.
Japanese trains are really clean and comfortable!
Even the passageway to the toilet are speckless!
Reached Kumamoto station after 1 hr ride.
Weird vending machine which is below eye level...
Boarded the Mizuho train bound for Kagoshima... not as new as Tsubame
After another 45 minutes, we finally reached Kagoshima Chuo station!
Train service staff in their uniform leaving the train. They do look flight attendants.. well Japanese take pride in their job, regardless if it is just a train service staff.
Kagoshima is famous for their... Shochu! You can find posters, banners, even a display of the different types of shochu almost everywhere in the train station.
There is a omiyage (souvenir) street just opposite of the Kagoshima Chuo station main exit. Most of the stalls sell Kagoshima famous products, such as Satsuma age (fried fishcake), biscuits carrying the buta (pig) shape (Kagoshima is famous for their kurobuta or black pig) and of course - Shochu!
Something I must do - take a photo of the train station I have visited.
Lunch was Tonkatsu at a restaurant the travel guide recommended: Kuro Katsu Tei. It is a 10 minute walk from Kagoshima chuo station.
They serve lunch sets from 780yen onwards. We ordered a ももかつ定食 (Kurobuta pork thigh set - 980yen) and 黒かつ亭定食 (Kurobuta pork fillet and loin set - 1390yen). All sets come with rice, sliced cabbage and miso soup.
Kurobuta tonkatsu is indeed delicious!
After lunch, we took the tram to our hotel. We also bought a day pass (600yen) which can give you unlimited rides on the tram and buses. Single ride costs 160yen.
As the sky was overcast that day, and sun was also setting, we couldn't get a good view of Sakurajima.
There was also a 5 star hotel (Kagoshima Castle Park hotel) located on top of Shiroyama hill. Due to it's good scenery (there are function rooms overlooking Sakurajima, and outdoors tents for private events), it is popular for wedding receptions. There was also one going on when we visited.
There is also a Satsuma Kiriko (薩摩切子) gallery in the hotel which you can view or purchase this traditional glass handicraft, which is only made in Kagoshima. Satsuma Kiriko is expensive as you can see from the price tag (approx 60,000yen for a small glass) as the overlaying coloured glass makes it difficult to manipulate the grinder.
Some scenery along the way on the bus ride back to Kagoshima city.
We alighted near the Kinko Bay area and walked towards Dolphin Port, a 2 storey mall consisting mainly of restaurants and some specialty shops.
Passed by a supermarket. The kurobuta pork shabu is on sale at 50% off. After discount is about 500yen per tray. CHEAP! how I wish I could buy for shabu shabu.
tidbits on sale too.... Japanese tidbits are a must buy
Finally reached Tenmonkan (天文館), located at the central of Kagoshima city with shops lined along both sides of the arcade. However, shops usually close around 8pm and by 9pm, this place seems like a dead town... so much for the busiest shopping arcade in Kagoshima.
There was also a 5 star hotel (Kagoshima Castle Park hotel) located on top of Shiroyama hill. Due to it's good scenery (there are function rooms overlooking Sakurajima, and outdoors tents for private events), it is popular for wedding receptions. There was also one going on when we visited.
Dinner was ramen at one of the backstreets of Tenmonkan called 暖暮 (Danbou). According to the ramen books, it is one of the top five ranking ramen in the Kyushu Ramen ranking.
The usual practice to order a bowl of ramen in most ramen shops is to buy a ticket from the vending machine on your selection of ramen.
We ordered a ramen (600yen) and one with everything (800yen). Kyushu is famous for their tonkotsu (豚骨) or pork bone broth ramen. The soup is a milky creamy thick broth, and also my favourite variety of ramen.
After dinner, we walked along the shopping arcade and passed by this popular shop called Mujyaki. There was a white bear mascot just outside their shop, as well as an enlarged sample of their most popular dessert, the shiro-kuma (白熊) which is like an ice-kachang topped with various fruits, milk and honey.
As Tenmonkan was starting to look like a dead town with all the shops closing, we decided to make full use of our 1 day pass and took the tram back to Kagoshima Chuo station, where there was a departmental store, hoping to find some shops still open there. Tenmonkan was actually quite close to Kagoshima Chuo station, only about 6 tram stops away and a 15 minute tram ride.
There was a large purikura (short form for purinto kurabu or Print Club in English) at the arcade on the top floor of the departmental store. How sophisticated these machines have became since my secondary school years.
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