~Recommended tourist pots where you can feel the history of Kagoshima~!

The first one is the museum of the Meiji Restoration, located approximately 50 min by car from Koshikano onsen and Kagoshima airport.

At this museum, you can learn about Bakumatsu period at the end of the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration.
There is also an exhibition that reconstructs the room of Atsuhime, and a corner where visitors can take commemorative photos wearing the clothes of Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi.

The Restoration Experience Hall on the basement floor alternates between two dramas, which explain the flow of history from Bakumatsu to the Meiji era using a variety of effects such as sound, light and life-size robots.

Next is Terukuni Shrine, a 10 min drive from the Museum of the Meiji Restoration This shrine is dedicated to Nariakira Shimazu, the 28th head of the Shimazu family, and is the largest shrine in Kagoshima, attracting many worshippers!

Lord Nariakira Shimazu was the feudal lord of the Satsuma clan, who learnt Dutch, built a reverberatory furnace for making cannons, and introduced Western culture to modernise the clan.

When he built Japan's first Western-style warship, the Shohei maru, he proposed to the Shogunate that a red circle on a white background, the Hinomaru, to be used as a distinguishing mark to distinguish between Japanese and foreign ships!

The following year, the Emperor bestowed upon Shimazu Nariakira the divine title of 'Terukuni Daimyojin ', and in the following year, the shrine was built and named Terukuni Shrine.

The grounds of the shrine also contain the Terukuni Bunko Museum, which displays films on the history of the Shimadzu family and items related to Lord Nariakira Shimadzu.
The museum is free to enter, so please visit on your way to the shrine.

Next on the list is the Kagoshima Prefectural History and Art Centre Reimeikan, a 10 min walk from Terukuni Shrine!

The Kagoshima Prefectural History and Art Centre Reimeikan was built on the site of the main castle of the Shimazu family's residence, Kagoshima Castle (Tsurumaru Castle), to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Meiji era.

The museum holds more than 150,000 items of valuable cultural heritage and has a permanent exhibition of around 3,000 items, making it a sightseeing spot well worth seeing!
If you take the time to visit the museum, it will take you several hours, so if you get tired, take a break at the CHIN JUKAN POTTERY coffee shop on the first floor of Reimeikan.

The Goromon Gate, serving as the entrance to Reimeikan, underwent a reconstruction in March 2020, marking the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration. This event was in honor of Tsurumaru Castle, which had succumbed to a devastating fire in 1873.

During the season, the moat surrounding the area boasts the exquisite beauty of blooming lotus flowers. Although the exact date of their planting remains uncertain, it is believed that these lotus flowers may have been introduced sometime between 1872 and 1903.

Notably, in close proximity to Reimeikan, you can find a bronze statue of Takamori Saigo and Terukoku Shrine, making it an excellent destination for leisurely sightseeing.

Next on the list is the Former Kagoshima Spinning Mill Engineer's Hall (Western style residences).
It is located approximately 10 min by car from the Kagoshima History and Art Centre Reimeikan.

The Foreign Engineer's residence was built in 1867 (Keio 3) as a dormitory for British engineers who provided technical guidance to Japan's first spinning factory, and is commonly referred to as 'Western style residences'.

It is thought to have been designed and supervised by Englishmen associated with the spinning mill, and as the first two-storied building Western-style, it has been preserved as a valuable heritage site showing the progress of Western-style architecture during the Bakumatsu period.

The museum has a modern and stylish atmosphere.
It also has photographs and documents that show what it was like in those days, so you can feel close to the history of the area!

Nearby are Sengan-en traditional garden, which we will introduce next, and Nakagawake and Hirataya, two long-established restaurants that serve the local Kagoshima delicacy of Janbo mochi (rice cakes), so please be sure to visit!

The last place to be introduced is Koshikano onsen, located approximately 50 min by car from the Former Kagoshima Spinning Mill Engineer's Hall (Western style residences).

Since its establishment in 1978, this hot spring has gained a reputation for the quality of its spring quality!

It is a sodium-hydrogencarbonate spring quality which removes unwanted keratin from the skin and dirt from the pores, and is therefore known as a hot spring for beautiful skin♪

Of course, the spring water is free-flowing!
It is sure to heal the fatigue of your journey♪

After a lot of tourism, why not eat delicious food?
How about relaxing in a hot spring?

When you travel to Kagoshima, be sure to stop by the tourists spots introduced and Koshikano onsen♪