CUTE is an almighty sightseeing pass which brings you to every famous destination of Kagoshima

Kagoshima City has the busiest downtown in southern Kyushu and is a very rare example in the world in that the urban area where about 600,000 people live is located close to an active volcano. Kagoshima City has an advanced intermodal passenger transport system covering a broad area from the city center to Sakurajima to suburban districts. The ease of moving from one place to another using public transportation is one of the attractions for visitors. CUTE is highly recommended for travelers.  CUTE comes either in “1 Day Pass” (the fare for adults is 1,200 yen and for children 600 yen) or “2 Day Pass” (adults 1,800 yen and children 900 yen). CUTE is available at 10 spots in the city including Kagoshima Chuo Station and Kagoshima Port.
The pass saves the hassle of continually paying fares at every transfer since it is an all-in-one pass for buses, the tram and Sakurajima Ferry. It also functions as a discount coupon for the admission fees at major tourist facilities. Famous tourist spots visitors can enjoy visiting in Kagoshima using CUTE.
 

Get on Kagoshima City View sightseeing bus to visit Shiroyama to view the symbol of the city, Sakurajima.
 

●Shiroyama (Shiroyama Observatory and Shiroyama Nature Trail)

About a 24-minute ride on the bus from Kagoshima Chuo Station. It takes about 15 minutes from the busy district Tenmonkan.
The trail is one of the best spots to stroll in a lush green environment. From the Observatory, please enjoy a broad view of Sakurajima and the urban area of Kagoshima at the same time.
Another 25-minute ride on the bus leads you to the next spot.


 

●Sengan-en, a second residence of Shimadzu family, former ruling family of the Satsuma domain

One of the best gardens in Japan to have been laid out by a domain lord. It is also one of the components sites of “Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution” which is inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.
The garden is as vast as 49,500m2 in total area and uses borrowed scenery from Sakurajima as its mound and Kinko Bay as its pond. Attached to it is a museum, the former residence of the lord, restaurants and souvenir shops. The entire facility is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kagoshima. Here, visitors have an opportunity to be clad in authentic samurai armor to feel as if they were real samurais and have a photo session in the magnificent garden. Another attraction is Kagoshima’s traditional martial art Jigenryu/Yakumaru Jigenryu swordsmanship which have been passed down from generation to generation for more than 400 years. You can either watch the demonstration or try it.
 

Yakumaru Jigenryu swordsmanship is utilized as an educational method today. Children participate in the training every Saturday at Nanshu-jinja Shrine, a place related to many of the historical figures of Kagoshima.
 

February and April are the best seasons for plum and cherry blossoms respectively. Sengan-en Chrysanthemum Festival is held during November. The entire garden is decorated with 15,000 chrysanthemum flowers. Please do not forget to enjoy Kagoshima’s local cuisine “jambo mochi”. Adjacent to Sengan-en is a shop of Kagoshima’s traditional craft Shimadzu Satsuma Kiriko Cut-Glass. The shop is housed in a building registered as a national tangible cultural property. A nearby Starbucks Coffee is also registered as such property.
When you are done with Sengan-en, ride a bus for 23 minutes to Tenmonkan.
 

Kagoshima’s local cuisine Shirokuma Shaved Ice is recommended for those times when you take a rest during your shopping tour. Shirokuma Shaved Ice comes in different flavors, including an old-fashioned one which debuted 80 years ago or a recently popular one, the mango flavored “Kiguma (yellow bear)”.
 

A recommended dinner menu is Kagoshima Kurobuta Pork Shabu-Shabu or Barbeque of Kagoshima Kuroushi beef. Kagoshima Kuroushi beef ranges from reasonably priced cuts to very expensive A5 grade. Kagoshima produces not only chicken and pork but also Wagyu. Kagoshima Kuroushi beef is the highest-end Kuroge Wagyu brand and has been ranked at the top in Japan at national competitions.