Getting to Kagoshima is easy, especially with a JR Pass, since it's just a quick 1.5hr Shinkansen trip away.
Upon arrival at Kagoshima-Chuo JR station, I hadn't even left the ticket gates yet and already I saw this:
Yes, that's right. Unless you haven't been paying attention to all her comments and TV shows (or her DOCUMENTARY OF AKB48 segment) about her hometown, Kagoshima is where Yukirin's (Yuki Kashiwagi - AKB48) from. And, true to form, the tourism agencies have been pumping her out front-and-center as the "face" of Kagoshima. In fact, I did a quick "count" of how many (separate) "promotional tourism ads" I saw of her throughout town compared to Sasshi back in Oita. Five for Yukirin, compared to two for Sasshi. Oh, and none for Sakura (Miyawaki - HKT48), despite her also hailing from Kagoshima.
AKB48-group connections aside, Kagoshima has a rich history. It was the birthplace of quite a number of significant figures in Japanese history, including Saigo Takamori (the "last samurai" from the Tokugawa shogunate and leader of the rebellion against the Meiji government) and Okubo Toshimichi (one of the leaders during the Meiji Restoration and considered one of the "founders of modern Japanese civilisation"). Admittedly, I haven't studied much Japanese history, but indeed, their statues and legacies are littered everywhere around Kagoshima.
You can also pass by the memorial stone where Iwao Oyama (one of the founders of the Japanese Imperial Army) was born.
As you continue down towards Kagoshima's city center, there's also a cultural walk(/road)way where, apart from the flower garden, has a giant statue of Saigo Takamori and a bullet-ridden castle wall from the battles during the Satsuma Rebellion. Oh, and a history museum, but it was closed (and it was raining too).
Like Nagasaki, Kagoshima also has a fairly well-developed tram system, with fares costing around the same as its Nagasaki counterpart. I like how the tracks are lined with grass - it has a very natural feel to it.
Because it was raining, I decided to head to Tenmokan, the major shopping arcade area, for lunch. After walking around for a bit, I wanted to try some local Kagoshima cuisine, so I headed for a restaurant specialising in it.
First, I ordered some satsuma-age, which is just fried fish cakes but made with a few Japanese-specific ingredients added to the fish paste.
Had to order some kurobuta (Berkshire pork), so I went for the katsu don. Great stuff - the pork was nice and juicy.
Lastly, I also had dessert, which was shirokuma. A giant shaved ice dessert flavoured with condensed milk, with some fruits added on.
By that time, as you would've guessed by now, I ended up pretty full. Luckily, I was going to walk to Kagoshima Port to take the ferry to Sakurajima Island (itself, an active volcano) and even better, the weather started to clear up.
I didn't have a car (nor would it have been possible for me to rent one anyway), so I couldn't properly explore Sakurajima. Upon arrival, I walked to the nearest viewing point at Karasushima, which was around 2km away from the ferry terminal. As it was still cloudy however, Sakurajima was covered, either because of the weather or from the volcanic smoke/ash clouds. You could still make it out however, just that it wasn't going to be a clear view.
Along the walkways, even throughout Kagoshima town proper, you can see a lot of volcanic ash from Sakurajima having fallen onto the ground.
Now that I think about it, having been to Kagoshima, I can sort of gain a better appreciation of Yukirin's backstory, character and her feelings as reflected in her song, Kazanbai. Kagoshima, a small and relaxing town in the southern tip of Kyushu with an active volcano spitting out ash clouds in the background, feels like a world away from the hustle and bustle of big-city Tokyo. A country bumpkin wishing to become big in the big city. Definitely gives some weightier meaning to 地方組 (although strictly speaking, Yukirin's not technically part of that "group").
After seeing (an albeit covered with smoke and cloud) Sakurajima, I decided to head back to Kagoshima so I boarded the next ferry and then, seeing as there wouldn't be much left to visit in Kagoshima, ended up going back to Fukuoka. Unfortunately, I got back to Fukuoka a bit later than expected and I wanted to visit the HKT48 Theater before I leave Kyushu the next day. So after arriving in Hakata JR, I decided to go to Hawks Town Mall. Little did I realise getting there would be a bit of a stretch for my already tired legs - after leaving the subway station closest to Hawks Town Mall, the side residential streets that I walked through were red herrings as they didn't link up with the main road, meaning I had to go back a couple of blocks to take an alternative route to get there. Should've taken the bus direct instead. Nevertheless, I managed to arrive at the theater.
Of course, given that there weren't any shows on that evening, it was closed. But at least I've been there, if only the outside of it.
I also wanted to visit the local AKB48 Cafe & Shop in Hakata too, before it closed for the day, so I quickly boarded the next available bus and headed straight into Tenjin, where it was. Given the time of day, there weren't any other customers inside, not even in the cafe area, besides myself. As for size, it's a bit more reminiscent of the Namba store, rather than the "giant cafe are, cramped shop space" of Akihabara. There were a few Hakata-specific goods on sale, namely the recently released A4 posters. Otherwise, the stock was fairly standard AKB48 Shop fare.
Dinner was at Coco Ichibanya (again), since I knew that there was a Kyushu-specific HKT48 x Coco Ichibanya campaign. What I conveniently forgot was when the campaign actually commenced: April 20th (i.e. a few days from now). By then, I would've left Kyushu. So I ended up having curry with no HKT48 in sight. Silly me.
I wished I could stay a little longer in Fukuoka though: Tenjin looks like a lively place, especially at night, filled with shops of all sizes and catering to varying income levels. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time this trip to explore Tenjin, so the least I could do was take in the pretty lights.
Breakfast: Pon de Ring (regular) from Mister Donut
Canned coffee of the day: Wonda Coffee Cafe au Lait (Mayu Watanabe special can)
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