Has anyone been to Chiran in Kyushu?

The village of Chiran in south western Kyushu seems fascinating with its Kamikaze museum and preserved samurai heritage. It is however, a little out of the way.

Has anyone been there? Is it worth the trouble to get to?

Mike

hi, i know chiran. i work there once a week.
however, whether it is worth going to is a matter of personal opinion....
just seeing the fish in the loooooong pond along the pathway is interesting, but they are also tame enough to touch and feed.(bring your own fish food... )there are some beautiful places to see, one of which is a park on the main road that takes you there. very easy to find...
samurai houses, the peace museum, and generally beautiful landscape. if you come by your own vehicle, its not so far from lake ikeda (unfortunately monster not included, however there is the rather comical 'worlds best eel', located next to the other 'worlds best eel')and soumen nagashi, an interesting water noodle resturant which also has still flapping-fresh sushi(literally) and healthland outdoor onsen, which has a beautiful view.....
if youre into these kind of things.

I visited Chiran during a group tour. The gardens are beautifully landscaped--if you visit in spring the azaleas should be blooming and have a more spectacular effect. Since the homes are currently occupied, we had to respect the privacy of the residents, but we were interested to see how one of the homes actually looked inside! The structures looked very well preserved.
The kamikaze peace museum was interesting, but did not have a great impact on us non-Japanese reading tourists as it might have on local residents. We were told that the prime minister was brought to tears by the sacrifices of these young men.
Personally I think it's a worthwhile trip, but it comes down to your personal preferences as the previous writer responded.

I would be brought to tears no matter who i was because of the great sacrifice of these young men.
I am always crying when I wathch documentaries on TV about them.

I'm sure you cannot begin to understand how special these people were, as well as those who sacrificed themselves for what they loved all over the world.

A book I just finished, "Blossums In The Wind" by Sheftall has a lot about the museum, as well as the Chiran Air Base.
I highly recommend the book, it contains personal stories of Tokko pilots, and their families.
The author interviewed several ladies who were schoolgirls at the time brought in to do housekeeping for the pilots at Chiran and was extremely moving.

Chiran is a beautiful laid back area. Difinitely a place to go If you're into historical aspect of the museum and the samurai houses. The whole south portion of Satsuma penninsula is a beautiful place, especially around early spring when "nano hana" is in bloom.
There are numerous places to stay along the ocean and if you're into onsen, then Ibusuki area is a must. And if you have time don't forget to climb
mt Kaimon at the southern tip of the penninsula. One can hike comfortably in 4-5 hours round trip, and the views along the way and at the top are just unforgettable.

I want to visit the museum in Chiran in April. What is the best way to go to Chiran from Kagoshima JR Station? I plan to travel there and back on the 5th, a Saturday, will that make any difference?

. . . a bus from Kagoshima city:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/tourism/en/96.html

This JNTO link (if you backtrack to the main pages) has interesting tidbits of information on a variety of areas in Japan.

It's spot on, for example, the steak restaurant at the Wine Castle in Ikeda, Hokkaido. The lunch set was 6700 yen, but I wasn't hungry at the time, but I would like to sample Ikeda beef one day.

Although I forget the number of the bus or bus-stand, it is very easy from Chuo-Eki. Ask at the tourist information desk in the station.
We did it the other day and it takes quite long, but we only went for the afternoon. The museum is up above the town, so quite a walk but if u have all day you can time the buses easily.
Makes a lovely day out so go for it!

Just returned from Japan yesterdy. We had the chance to visit Chiran and it was worth the train and bus ride.