Golden Week (Part 7): Kagoshima

Friday, May 2
We woke to beautiful weather, perfect for exploring the sights of Kagoshima City. Before I begin, let me mention that the theme of today's excursions is Mr. Saigo Takamori (西郷隆盛). Learn a little about him here.

A statue outside Central Station recognizes the young men who ventured to Europe in search of knowledge at a time when travel outside the country was not permitted.

We first visited the 維新ふるさと館 (Museum of the Meiji Revolution), best known for a twenty-minute presentation on major characters in the revolution, featuring robotic versions of Saigo Takamori, Okubo Toshimichi, and Sakamoto Ryoma.

Saigo, Okubo, Leong.

We purchased day passes for a bus that runs a loop through famous Kagoshima sights.

Stop Number Two on our tour was for lunch at shopping/dining complex Dolphin Port. No dolphins in sight, but school students, recently let out on break, filled the small shops and nearby park. Chris and I found a "healthy lunch set" with an assortment of small dishes including fresh fish, goya (bittermelon), shoyu pork, and a slice of melon for dessert.

From Dolphin Port, we took the bus to 仙巌園 (Sengan-en), commissioned by the powerful Shimazu clan.

I bought Satsuma-imo (sweet potato) soft cream from an enthusiastic elderly saleswoman. "Perfect to eat while strolling through the gardens," she said. Just my kind of thinking.

The gates lead to the Shimazu family villa.

The view of Sakurajima would be far more beautiful were it not blocked by the road. Or these banners.

I was so greedy to eat this tray of freshly grilled jambo mochi that I nearly forgot to take a picture. The local treat consists of warm rice cakes, skewered on bamboo stick pairs and slathered in sweet shoyu sauce.

The fertile volcanic soil of Sakurajima is known for producing giant daikon!

From the gardens, we rode the bus to the 西郷南洲顕彰館 (Saigo Takamori Memorial Museum). The museum stands beside the quiet 南洲墓地 (Nanshu Cemetery), where we visited the grave of the local hero. Around him rest his comrades, many of whom also died in the stand on Shiroyama.

Our next stop was the popular 西郷隆盛銅像 (Statue of Saigo Takamori). This statue, with its strong, militaristic pose, contrasts strongly with the Saigo statue in Ueno Park (Tokyo), in which he looks more the friendly ojiichan, on a walk with his dog.

Me with the Ueno Saigo, back in November 2007.

Mr. Saigo's motto.

The dude, looking fierce.

Chris as usual, focused on finding the perfect shot. And me not caring.

I like the translation "Cave Where Saigo hid."

Bullet holes from a standoff remain.

A statue of Saigo's friend Okubo.

For dinner--my belated birthday meal--Chris and I were on the hunt for good Satsuma food. So of course, we went to an izakaya (pub), where in addition to beer and smoking Japanese salarymen, one can often find wonderful local cuisine. We began with two orders of kurobuta shabu shabu. (Cook the tender black pig in bubbling hot dashi, then dip in ponzu.)

We ate up an assortment of yakitori, then followed this tray with orders of our favorites, such as cheese maki (thinly sliced pork wrapped around a stick of cheese).
We also ate two orders of Satsuma-age, a local kamaboko (fish cake) stuffed with crunchy renkon and deep fried. On Jamie's recommendation, we sampled the tonkotsu--beautifully tender fall-off-the-bone fatty pork slow cooked in a sweet-savory sauce.

We shared a bowl of keihan, the local version of ochazuke--rice topped with chicken, pickles, and nori and drowned in steaming chicken broth.

I told Chris that the meal was one of the best I've eaten. Perhaps it was hunger. Or the thrill of sampling a large variety of new foods. I'm not sure. Still, it was a wonderful birthday meal.

Filled with delicious izakaya eats, we ended the evening at the shopping mall in the station. Chris went to the bookstore, and I checked out everything else.