Where to stay in Kagoshima?

Hello everyone.

We'll be in Kagoshima for two nights at the beginning of April 2015, and would value some advice on which part of town is most convenient to stay in.

We'll probably arrive (by shinkansen) in the evening of the first night, so it's possible that all we might do on that night is have dinner and a little walk around before bed.

We'll then have one full day in Kagoshima, before going down to the Satsuma Peninsula the next morning, and then going on to Kumamoto.

In Kagoshima city, we want to go to the garden, enjoy the views of Sakurajima (but we may not feel the need to go out to the island. We'll have the chance to get closer to a volcano later on in our trip when we'll have a day exploring the Aso area), and try some local food and drink specialities.

Part of me is tempted to stay up the hill in Shiroyama, so we can maximise the views over Sakurajima (and, if we stay at the Hotel Shiroyama, we can use the onsen and look out at the volcano from the bath - which sounds pretty good to me). It does appear that you're quite a way from the downtown area, though.

Alternatively, it seems that there's quite a lot to do (hotels, restaurants) near the shinkansen station - and of course we'd have good access to city transport from there.

On the other hand, we're only there for such a short time that I wonder whether it's not better to stay downtown.

When I look at maps of the city, it's hard to see an obvious city centre. Also, I can't really get a good idea as to whether downtown Kagoshima has a lot to offer.

I'd welcome any comments or advice from anyone who's stayed there. Especially helpful would be any comments about how long it takes to get from one place to another on public transport. Thanks very much (and Happy New Year).

It seems to me that you have already a very good idea of your choices and their advantages and disadvantages. I think the center is considered the area around Tenmonkan street with lots of dining choices. There are also dining choices around Kagoshima-Chuo Station, but it is not historically the city center.

My choice would be the Shiroyama Kanko Hotel. If you can afford the hotel, you should also be able to afford a taxi ride down into the city center.

We'll probably arrive (by shinkansen) in the evening of the first night, so it's possible that all we might do on that night is have dinner and a little walk around before bed.
We'll then have one full day in Kagoshima, before going down to the Satsuma Peninsula the next morning, and then going on to Kumamoto.

We did a similar trip Nov last year. Arrived in the evening at Shinkansen-chuo station; stayed at Toyoko inn Kagoshima-chuo eki, very clean business hotel, and very convenience just minutes walk from the station.
The next morning we left our main luggage at the hotel, just brought small pack in an overnight bag, and took Tamatebako train to Ibusuki. We explored Satsuma Peninsula as far as the cape Nagasakibana and stayed the night at Hakusuikan (http://www.hakusuikan.co.jp), very highly recommended !!
The following morning we returned to kagoshima, again travelling by Tamatebako train. Spent a few hours in downtown Kagoshima before picking up our luggage from Toyoko inn, and heading for Shin-Yamaguchi.

Earlier this week I stayed at blue wave inn. It's near tenmonkan, one of the stops of the bus going to the ferry terminal. It is near to a popular local ramen store too.

However, for the Onsen experience go to shiroyama castle hotel. The Onsen opens at 5 am so even if you aren't a staying guest you can have the view of the rising sun.

We stayed at the Shiroyama Kanko Hotel last year, the onsen offers beautiful views of the Sakurajima volcano as do the hotel rooms in the front. Quite a large hotel located on top of a hill and overlooking the city, bay and volcano.

Hi there,

Check out this link,

http://www.roomrocker.com/Place/Kagoshima.htm

Safe Travels!

Thank you all for your valuable comments. I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

Uji, as ever, your comments hit straight to the heart of the matter, and I think you've helped me confirm my initial feelings. Your comment about the cab fare also gave me a welcome laugh; it's so clear-sighted and true. Happy New Year, and many thanks.

(Any further comments welcome.)

I stayed at the Shirayama Kanko many years ago, but I'll never forget the view of the sunrise and Sakurajima from our room.

Thanks everyone. Just thought I'd let you know that we booked the Shirayama for 2 nights this April.

Happy to feedback after we've been, if it helps anyone.

Just feeding back after our trip.

The Shiroyama was a great place to stay. A HUGE hotel (which was a bit daunting as I thought it might be impersonal), but with great service, good public baths (although Sakurajima was clouded over all the time we were there).

The restaurants were also very good. We're generally unlikely to eat in a hotel restaurant, but we ended up having dinner in the French restaurant when we arrived late and tired on our first evening, and the food and service were SO good that we ate in the Japanese restaurant the following evening which was similarly good. Both were, of course, more expensive than dining in a downtown izakaya, but considering that we come from London, both meals were a steal compared to what we're used to.

The city loop buses stop right by the hotel (very easy for visiting the garden), and a cab from the aquarium back to the hotel when we were in a hurry and had just missed a bus was circa Yen 1,000 if I recall correctly (again, cheap by London standards).

Thank you for the feedback. I am very glad you enjoyed the hotel.

Glad you liked the hotel as much as we did.... we too enjoyed the French restaurant, excellent food and service and what a view!!! Also enjoyed a delicious shabu-shabu dinner in their Japanese restaurant. The location on top of the hill can't be beat, all in all an outstanding hotel!

Mt. Aso - volcano? Maybe thousands of years ago, but the photos I've seen show a large area of green grass. That's why I've never gone there and never intend to.
For a volcano, Sakurajima is about as good as it gets - anywhere.

Thanks, Uji & Anne. I really should do a trip report one day.

Dick - Mount Aso is definitely a volcano. It erupted last year, so I think we can safely call it a volcano. Pictures can be misleading, compared to actually going somewhere...

Aso remains one of Japan's most active volcanoes. It is currently closed to the public due to the danger of more eruptions. This is how it looked last November:
http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASGCT42NNGCTTIPE00K.html

Check out the non-green grass areas around the active crater:
https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Mt.%20Aso%20crater

It's been closed for quite a while so you can only get distant views of the crater. The current conditions at the crater can be found here:
http://www.aso.ne.jp/~volcano/info.html

No one has been allowed up to the edge of the crater for about the last year. The green grass area with cows grazing and horseback rides is at Kusasenri. The pull-off on the road above the volcano museum at Kusasenri gives good views of the active crater on Nakadake as well as down onto Komezuka-dake.

I remember going up to the top about 10 years ago.
VERY sulphourous smell, and amazing views from the approach to the top.
Unfortunately it was mostly cloudy when we were in the area last week.