2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Arabian Peninsula Trip
Day 32/105 - Kagoshima, Japan - Viking includes everything!
 |
| Looks like a bear, doesn't it? |
Today, we find ourselves at the southern tip of the Japanese island of Kyushu, in Kagoshima.
One of the main attractions here is Sakurajima, an active volcano that faces Kinko Bay. Sakurajima is one of the most active volcanos in the world, spewing ash regularly. Our guide said that the most recent eruption was four days ago. That counter reset today.
Our tour today was the included tour, Kagoshima Scenic Ride - a three-hour bus tour through the city. It included two stops. The first was at Shiroyama Park Observation Deck - an observation area that provides a sweeping view of the volcano, the city, and the bay.
We parked and walked up to the observation area to take a few photos. Sakurajima used to be an island, but after its eruption in 1914, lava created the volcano's current land connection to the Osumi Peninsula in the east.
 |
| A lovely view |
 |
| The clouds around the top are interesting |
 |
| That's a lot of odd cloud activity - almost like it is steam... |
 |
| Time for a selfie - wait - what's that coming up from the volcano? |
Almost like it was on cue, Sakurajima decided to put on a show for us and erupt. It was a minor eruption with a limited plume of gas and ash, but still, how cool was that? I don't know how Viking gets things done like this! ;-)
 |
| And just like that, it was over and ash started dissipating |
With that done, we were off and on our way to the next stop, Reimeikan - Kagoshima History Museum and Fine Arts Center. The museum, located on the grounds of Tsurumaru Castle, exhibits materials relating to the history and culture of Kagoshima Prefecture.
 |
| The museum was lined with decorative trees |
 |
| The cross in a circle crest is the family crest of the Shimadzu family and can be seen all over Kagoshima |
 |
| The rebuilt Tsurumaru Castle |
 |
| Part of the castle roof covering |
 |
| Castle decorations |
 |
| Roof decorations - designed to spout water as in other castles |
 |
| The museum entrance |
 |
| Looking upside down at the peninsula where Kagoshima exists, it resembles a baby deer's head |
 |
| An example of a thatched roof - Arlona's hand for thickness reference |
 |
| A representation of a bustling Kagoshima |
After the museum visit, we boarded the bus for the return trip to the ship.
 |
| Mickey D's has their own delivery team |
One thing we have noted during our stay here in Japan is that we did not see a dirty vehicle. Cars? Clean. Trucks? Clean. Buses? Clean. Here, we saw a few dirty vehicles that had not yet been cleaned from the ash fallout four days back. This one caught our eye as it really stood out.
We also saw at least three gas stations on the drive today with car wash stations. Every single one has a lineup of cars waiting for a wash. The Japanese take cleanliness very seriously and that extends to their vehicles.
We tossed in a load of laundry and grabbed lunch in the World Café. After lunch, we snapped a few more shots of Sakurajima, still venting steam.
We wrapped up laundry after lunch and decided to spend a little time in the hot tub. We opted to vary our process and headed to the outdoor tub on deck 7 aft on the Aquavit deck. This is a great place to soak and take in the views. Once again, almost on cue, Sakurajima obliged with a second massive ash eruption, creating an inverted cloud-like apparition hanging over Sakurajima.
 |
| It is starting |
 |
| There is goes - note the lack of cloud over the summit |
 |
| The start of the ash cloud |
 |
| Still pumping out the ash |
 |
| Winding down - it created an inverted mountain cloud overhead |
 |
| The ash spreads out and wraps up the show |
 |
| For our sendoff tonight, the port offered multiple drummers |
After time in the Explorers’ Bar, we headed to the World Café for some chow. We couldn’t find anything that struck us right so we opted for our stand-by – a custom pizza. Bacon, prosciutto, pepperoni, green pepper, mushroom, and double cheese. Yum.
 |
| Jeromie continues to take great care of us, keeping us full of Moscato. |
We had a fun evening with nice conversation. Tomorrow, we make our last stop in Japan, Nagasaki.
I am currently reading American Prometheus, the story about Robert Oppenheimer who developed the atomic bomb. Much was made about the need to use the bomb on Japan. How have your tour guides handled the “bomb”? We did our own tour in Nagasaki so we missed their view. It was very emotional.
ReplyDeleteThe guides have been mostly matter of fact about the bomb. It happened. But, especially with one guide, you could tell it was more of a sensitive subject. The biggest thing for me is the fact that positivity has come out of the rebuilding process and a desire for peace. I think that speaks volumes about the Japanese people's resolve.
Delete