Gionnosu, the place where the first Christian missionary comes to Kagoshima

Next we were going to Gionnosu Park. Gion-no-su (祇園之洲) is a quiet inlet facing Kinko Bay. 

This is the place where Francis Xavier first set foot in Japan, on August 15, 1549.

When we are standing on an island, the majestic mount Sakurajima lies in front of us😀 I wonder thoughts Xavier had as he looked to the mountain when he first came to Japan.

The memorial plaque commemorating Xavier's landing, seen in the photograph, is a work by Louis Fransen that evokes the historic monument when he landed, and the people of this locality looked up to him in amazement😨  

Right next to it, a bronze statue of Xavier appears to be floating in the air, and tells us the history of Christian mission in Japan🗾

Shortly after arriving in Kagoshima, Xavier visited Shimazu Takahisa, the fifteenth head of the Shimazu samurai clan, and received permission to preach within a month. 

He went all the way across the ocean from Europe to Kagoshima in the Satsuma Province. 

Visiting Ishibashi Memorial Park, Kagoshima

On the morning of the third day, we went to a couple of sightseeing spots in Kagoshima. 

First we went to Ishibashi Memorial Park near Kagoshima Station🚃 

There were five stone bridges built over the Kotsuki River during the Edo period, but two of them were washed away in the heavy rains of August 1993😲 So, in order to preserve the three remaining bridges as a valuable cultural heritage for future generations, it was decided to move them to a safe location and is open to the public when the river was renovated. This is how this park was created😊 

The Nishidabashi Bridge. It was built in 1846 by Iwanaga Sabugoro (岩永三五郎), a well-known architect from the Higo Province, present-day Kumamoto Prefecture. 

The Nishidabashi Gate. There used to be a gate on the left bank of the Nishidabashi Bridge, where samurai and townspeople from the castle town, as well as travelers passing through the domain, would pass through after being inspected at the guardhouse next to the gate. The gate was opened only daytime, from 6am to 6pm.  

We're crossing the Inari River flows between Ishibashi Memorial Park and Gionnosu Park. The best view of Sakurajima volcano island can be seen from here. 

Here we find the Koraibashi Bridge. Compered to the above mentioned Nishidabashi Bridge, it is more simple than that. I think it is more focused on practicality. 

Oh, did I forgot something? Yeah that's right, I forgot to take a picture of Tamaebashi Bridge!😥

The museum was closed today. Sorry😭

Views from Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Kagoshima

After visiting the buried torii of Sakurajima, we headed to Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Kagoshima (ソラリア西鉄ホテル鹿児島). We just stay for one night and booked on Rakuten Travel at cheapest price, about ¥11000 per person per night with breakfast.

The hotel is located right next to the east exit of JR Kagoshima Chuo Station, and it is very convenient for public transportation such as the Kyushu Shinkansen line🚄

The entrance of a hotel. 

There are two ways to go from the train station, you can either cross the street or take the underground passage. I think the latter one is the best way to get there😁

The lobby of this hotel is very beautiful. It's pretty good I guess😀 

We stayed on the top floor with a view of Mount Sakurajima⛰ 

We reserved a double room when we book, but it was too small for us😢 So we paid 3000 yen more at the front desk and the room has changed😄

A good morning mountain view from my room.

The buried torii of Sakurajima, Kagoshima

After visiting Arimura Lava Observation Deck, we went to Kurokami Buried Torii near observatory. 

As you can see, most of the torii gate⛩ is no longer visible. The volcanic ash on January 12, 1914 that covered in the entire Sakurajima Island. As a result, the 3 meter high Shinto gate of Haragosha-jinja (腹五社神社) was filled with smoke😲

On the following day, lava began to flow and a 3 billion ton wave of fire crossed the Seto Strait, connecting the island of Sakurajima and Osumi Peninsula.  

Visiting Arimura Lava Observation deck, Kagoshima

In the afternoon, we had decided to take a drive to see the Arimura Lava Observation Deck in Kagoshima. It is such a lovely place with a scenic view of Mount Sakurajima⛰😁

We parked a car in front of stairs and go up to the top🌄

A magnificent view of the volcanic mountain in front of you😊

I found coins in the lava. Maybe someone put a 1 yen coin in wish?

A shelter provides us from volcanic ash. There are many places you'll see it on the big island😀

Visiting Aburatsu red brick house in Nichinan, Miyazaki

After visiting a beautiful botanical garden in Aoshima, we went to the Aburatsu (油津) area of Nichinan city. Aburatsu is the historic town and famous red buildings built in the 1920s. 

We parked a car in front of Horikawa Museum. It is built along the Horikawa River using local Obi cedar for building🏠

The Horikawa Canal crossing bridge made of stones. The first bridge was built in the 1600s which is made of wood🌲 But in response to the request from local residents for a permanent bridge, it turned into a stone over a period of four years😅

Going down an alley along the canal, you'll see the Aburatsu red brick house. 

It was built in 1922 as a store house for the Kono family. It is a three-story building with a tiled roof, made using approx. 220.000 bricks. The central passageway is arched, preserving the appearance of the Taisho era. 

The red brick buildings face each other, and beyond them is the old Sugimura Hardware Main Store. Built in 1932, it is a three-story wooden building with 3 floors; the first floor of a house is a shop which sells hardware, the second and third floor is a living room😄

Visiting a pretty botanical garden in Miyazaki

We went to Miyazaki and Kagoshima for 3 days on November 2 and 4. 

First I took pictures of buses🚌 in Miyazaki, and stay in a hotel for the night. 

On the second day, we had decided to take a drive to go to the Miyako botanical garden near the little island🏝

The museum is free entry, so you can watch tropical flowers that grow indoors😄

Let's take a trip to tropical flower garden.

I saw the famous merlion there😊 

After that I went to the tropical fruit greenhouse. There are lots of bananas🍌 and mangoes🥭 growing on a tree🌴