Kagoshima and Sakurajima
January 22, 2020
We are on the shuttle bus to go into Kagoshima where we will catch the ferry to go to Sakurajima, one of Japan’s most active volcanoes. Rising 3600 feet up out of the bay this volcanic island can be seen from almost every corner of the city. Paul is wondering who in our group is going to be the offering to the gods. Pete says he’ll throw in a nickel. We get on the Cherry Queen Ferry to go to the volcano.
Cheryl and Paul on the waterfront of Kagoshima.
In the background is the volcano island Sakurajima.
View from the ferry towards Sakurajima
Clouds and steam from the volcano.
On the Cherry Queen Ferry to Sakurajima
A little cool and foggy with some glimpses of sun today.
Since I had little advance information from the Internet, we took a tourist bus that goes around the island stopping at attractions along the way. We didn’t have a map or schedule that made sense and were playing it by ear and asking other people. The first stop was a volcano visitor center where we viewed the small building of exhibits explaining the volcanoes history. I had heard of the longest foot bath, or onsen, in Japan. We took a trail to find it, carrying our purchases of sweet oranges, a well know local treat. Taking off our shoes and rolling up our pants, we soaked our feet and soaked in the gorgeous view of the water and the volcanic coastline. If the sun had been shining and the weather warmer, you could not have convinced me to move from that place!
On our second stop, we walked up a hill to a pottery studio. We bought a tea pot and five little dishes at a beautiful little pottery below the volcano on Sakurajima. When we entered the shop we were offered tea. There was another couple from Maui, and the Diamond Princess, who we introduced ourselves to . After browsing and selecting our purchases, our hostess/shopkeeper, then wrapped the pots in foam paper, added a beautiful shredded packing material, and put them in white boxes. She then wrapped the boxes in a paper that had the name of their pottery and photos of the pots they had for sale on it. A card and brochure topped the presentation in a white handled bag. The purchase was treated with such care it was like watching a beautiful ceremony.
Another stop on the bus trip was the highest you could go by road up the volcano. The view was expansive and lovely.
At the final stop across from the Ferry Terminal was a little shrine on top of a hill. See the next blog post for the remainder of the day.
