The name 'Observatory' is misleading, as there's no building here. The site is a shaded picnic area with some lava escape tunnels and walking trails that let you get up close to recent lava, much of it covered now with small pine trees. Smoky Minami-dake, the southernmost peak of Sakurajima, smoulders above you.
Arimura Lava Observatory
Kyūshū
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Near Sakurajima's east coast, the top of a once-3m-high torii (shrine gate) emerges from the volcanic ash at Kurokami; the rest of it was buried in the…
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A drive along the tranquil north coast and then inland will lead you to Yunohira Lookout, offering views of the mountain and back across the bay to…
3. Karasujima Observation Point
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South of the visitor centre is this observation point, where the 1914 lava flow engulfed a small island that had once been 500m offshore. There's now an…
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Kagoshima's large city hall, in a tan brick building, is a handy landmark.
7. Nishi Hongan-ji Kagoshima Betsuin
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The current building of this large Buddhist temple near Tenmonkan dates from 1982 and was renovated in 2013. Inside, it's unlike most temples you may have…
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Kagoshima's most famous historical figure, Saigō Takamori has been called the 'last samurai' and was known as both a loyalist and a rebel. His statue is…