Kagoshima & Sakurajima
Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
March 2024 & March 2025
We have
Our First Visit — March 2024
We sailed into Kagoshima Bay at dawn, with Sakurajima silhouetted against an orange sky and a long plume of ash streaming from the crater. It was one of those arrivals when you are very glad you got out of bed early.
Then we went for a bike ride.
Our Second Visit — March 2025
Almost exactly a year later, we arrived back in Kagoshima, this time aboard Holland America’s Noordam.
We came across several fire stations as we rode, and some had their garage doors covered with wonderful artwork drawn by local schoolchildren.
YUNOHIRA OBSERVATORY
1,224 ft / 373 m above sea level
*** 5.1km climb *** 6.4% average grade *** 14% maximum grade ***
This was where the ride became really interesting.
At Oshu Elementary School, for example, a large sign identifies the school grounds as a designated emergency evacuation area. Nearby, another sign marks an emergency water-supply location.
This time, instead of folding the bikes and taking the shuttle from the ferry terminal back to the cruise port, we decided to ride the approximately 6.6 miles back to the Noordam.
The ride
March 2024: About 6.1 miles, riding east from the Sakurajima ferry terminal along the coast and returning.
