Getting There

By Plane -- You can reach Kagoshima from Tokyo (flight time: 1 hr. 50 min.), Osaka (1 hr. 10 min.), and Sapporo (2 hr. 35 min.) in addition to several other cities in Japan. The regular JAL and ANA fare from Tokyo is ¥33,300 ($314), but Skymark Airlines (tel. 03/3433-7670 in Tokyo, or 099/223-2340 in Kagoshima), based in Fukuoka, offers four flights daily from Tokyo's Haneda Airport for ¥25,500 ($243). The airport is linked to Kagoshima Chuo Station in 1 hour by limousine bus, which departs every 10 to 15 minutes and costs ¥1,200 ($11).

By JR Train -- Thanks to the new Kyushu Shinkansen Tsubame, which presently links Kagoshima with Shin-Yatsushiro but will eventually stretch the whole length between Kagoshima and Fukuoka, travel time is approximately 7 1/2 hours from Tokyo (if you have a Rail Pass, travel time will be slower because you can't take the Nozomi), 5 hours from Osaka, 2 hours and 11 minutes from Fukuoka, 1 hour from Kumamoto, and 2 hours and 10 minutes from Miyazaki. Tickets from Tokyo cost ¥25,100 ($240) for an unreserved seat, ¥9,420 ($90) from Fukuoka, and ¥5,550 ($53) from Kumamoto. All trains travel to Kagoshima Chuo (Central) Station. Trains from Miyazaki also stop at Kagoshima Station.

By Bus -- Buses connect Kyushu's cities more cheaply than the train. From Fukuoka's Tenjin Station, 24 buses depart daily and cost ¥5,300 ($50) one-way for the 4-hour trip; from Miyazaki it takes almost 3 hours and costs ¥2,700 ($26).

Visitor Information

Before departing Tokyo or Narita or Kansai international airports, stop by the Tourist Information Center to pick up the leaflet called "Kagoshima and Vicinity," which includes information on Ibusuki and Chiran, or download it from JNTO's website by looking under "Regional Tourist Guides."

In Kagoshima, there's a Tourist Information Center at Kagoshima Chuo Station (tel. 099/253-2500; open daily 8:30am-7pm) near the East Exit, as well as at the airport (tel. 0995/58-2740; open daily 7am-9pm). They have good English-language maps and a hefty guide that covers everything from public transportation to recommended sightseeing itineraries.

The Kagoshima Prefectural Tourist Office is located on the third floor of the Sangyo Kaikan Building, 9-1 Meizan-cho (tel. 099/223-5771; open Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:15pm), where you can obtain information on the city as well as the prefecture, including Ibusuki and Chiran. To find the office, take the streetcar to the Asahi-Dori stop and then walk southeast (toward the bay); the Sangyo Kaikan Building is on your left in the second block. More information is available at the Kagoshima City website.

Internet Access

Comic Buster, 3-1 Chuo-cho (tel. 099/250-6369), is about a 1-minute walk to the left after exiting from Kagoshima Chuo Station's east exit, on the fourth floor next to Sunkus convenience store. Open 24 hours, it charges ¥60 (55¢) for 10 minutes.

Mail

Kagoshima's main post office (tel. 099/254-0288), where you can send letters and packages and obtain cash through ATMs, is located just north of Kagoshima Chu Station, past the Amu Plaza. Its ATMs are open Monday to Friday 7am to 11pm, Saturday 9am to 9pm, and Sunday 9am to 7pm.

Orientation & Getting Around

Downtown Kagoshima lies between Kagoshima Chuo Station and Kinko Bay, northeast of the station, with Tenmonkan-Dori (a covered shopping street) serving as the heart of the city.

You can walk from the station to downtown in about 20 minutes, but the city is also easy to get around by streetcar and bus. There are two streetcar lines (fare: ¥160/$1.50), as well as two types of buses -- City View buses and Kagoshima City buses. The Kagoshima City buses are regular buses used as commuter transportation by the people living here, while the City View buses are geared toward visiting tourists. Running every 30 minutes from 9am to 5pm daily (to 5:30pm daily mid-July through Aug), the City View buses look like old-time streetcars, have English-language announcements, and travel a 14km (9-mile) circuit through the city, beginning at Kagoshima Chuo Station (with departures on the hour and half-hour). They stop at all tourist sights, including Sengan'en, Sakurajima Ferry Terminal and Kagoshima Aquarium, and Tenmonkan covered shopping street. The fare is ¥180 ($1.70), half fare for children, and you pay when you get off.

If you think you'll be doing a lot of traveling by streetcar and bus (including City View buses), invest in a 1-day pass for ¥600 ($5.70), half fare for children, allowing unlimited travel on Kagoshima's two streetcar lines and on City View and Kagoshima City buses. Passes can be purchased at the tourist office in Kagoshima Chuo Station and aboard buses and streetcars.