Kagoshima

A city of 600,000 people on the southern island, it is famous for two things: samurai and volcano. Currently the most active volcano in Japan, Sakurajima, is found here. It belches a lot of smoke, but does not seem to do hot lava eruptions.  The other distinguishing characteristic is that the area was ruled by the same samurai family for 700 years.  The reign of the Shimadzu family ended with the elimination of the samurai in the mid-19th century.

It was this family that built and maintained over the centuries the Senganen Gardens, which we visited. This lush and immaculate garden expresses the three elements of nature found in the area: garden, water, volcano.  The site also has a cat shrine.