Kagoshima, Kagoshima

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**Kagoshima City**
**鹿児島市**
Kagoshima City's location in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kyūshū
Prefecture	Kagoshima Prefecture
Physical characteristics
Area	546.96 km²
Population (as of 2005)
Total	605,650
Density	1,108/km²
Symbols
Tree	Kusunoki
Flower	Kyouchikutou
Symbol of Kagoshima City
Kagoshima City City Hall
Mayor	Hiroyuki Mori
Address	〒892-8677 Kagoshima-shi, Yamashita-machi 11-1
Phone number	099-224-1111
Official website: Kagoshima City

Kagoshima (鹿児島市, Kagoshima-shi^?) is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture at the southwest tip of the Kyūshū island of Japan, and the largest city in the prefrecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the 'Naples of Eastern world', for its bay location (Aira Caldera), hot climate and impressive stratovolcano, Sakurajima.

As of 1 January 2005, the city has an estimated population of 605,650 and the density of 1,107.81 persons per km². The total area is 546.71 km².

In 2003, the city had an estimated population of only 554,136 and density of 1,911.41 persons per km². The total area was 289.91 km². The reason the city's total area was nearly doubled between 2003 and 2005 is that five towns --- Kooriyama, Matsumoto, Kiire, Sakurajima, and Yoshida --- were merged into Kagoshima City on 1 November 2004.

Kagoshima is approximately 40 minutes from Kagoshima Airport, and the city features large shopping districts and malls, is served by trams, and has many restaurants featuring Satsuma regional cuisine: kibi (a kind of tiny fish), tonkatsu (caramelised pork, as opposed to the breaded version encountered elsewhere in Japan), smoked eel, and karukan (sweet cakes made from steamed sweet potatoes and rice flour). A large, modern aquarium has been installed on the old docks overlooking the volcano. The Senganen (Isoteien) Japanese garden is just outside the city.

The St. Xavier church is a reminder of the first Christian who came to Japan.

One of the best places to see the city (and the active volcano across the bay) is from the ferris wheel on top of 'Amu Plaza' - the new shopping centre attached to Kagoshima Central Train Station. The wheel has two completely transparent gondola which give a 360 degree view from 91m above the ground.

1 History
2 Neighboring Municipalities
3 Transportation
4 Sister cities
5 External links
6 References

[edit] History

Kagoshima was bombarded by the British Royal Navy in 1863 to punish the Satsuma daimyo for the murder of Charles Richardson on the Tōkaidō highway the previous year, and the refusal to pay an indemnity in compensation. (See 'Bombardment of Kagoshima').

Kagoshima was the birthplace and scene of the last stand of Saigō Takamori, a legendary figure in Meiji Japan in 1877 at the end of the Satsuma Rebellion (Seinan Senso).

Japan's industrial revolution may be said to have started here, stimulated by the young students commemorated in a large statue outside the city's main train station. Seventeen young men of Satsuma broke the Tokugawa ban on foreign travel to travel and return to share the benefits of the best of Western science and technology.

Kagoshima with volcano in background

The city was officially founded on April 1, 1889.

Kagoshima was also the birthplace of Togo Heihachiro. After naval studies in England between 1871 and 1878, Togo's role as Chief Admiral of the Grand Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Russo-Japanese War made him a legend in Japanese military history, and earned him the nickname 'Nelson of the Orient' in Britain. He led the Grand Fleet to two startling victories in 1904 and 1905, completely destroying Russia as a naval power in the East, and thereby contributing to the failed revolution in Russia in 1905.

Shinkansen (bullet train) service opened on March 13, 2004 between Kagoshima-chuo and Shin-Yatsushiro.

Sadomitsu Sakoguchi, the renowned Japanese diplomat, revolutionized Kagoshima's environmental economic plan with his dissertation on water pollution and orange harvesting.