9. Back to Japan - Kagoshima

Our return to Japanese territory didn't start well as although the ship was due to dock in Kagoshima at 10am, our allocated immigration time was 1.30pm....a waste of a day given that by the time we had been processed and been driven into town there would be less than 3 hours of daylight left. So we just ignored the appointment time, joined the immigration line at 11am and within an hour we were in the city centre. As we were now in the far south of the country, the temperature was noticeably warmer and the area around our berth was lined with palm trees.

The Kagoshima tourist office had lots of information and was well geared up for an influx of foreigners, so we caught one of the hop on hop off buses for a 75 minute ride around the city and its outskirts. The cost was just ¥190...about £1.25! This gave us a chance to familiarise ourselves with the main attractions and tourist sites as we will be returning in a few days, it being the first port of call on the second leg of our cruise.

At one point we had a change of bus drivers. The outgoing driver left his seat, bowed to all the passengers, exited the bus and then bowed to the new driver. The new driver repeated the process as he took his place at the wheel. I can't imagine that ever happening on Liberty Bus at home.

We had a quick sandwich and coffee for lunch in a very smart but smokey cafe. Hopefully the Japanese will soon tighten up on their smoking in public places laws! Then following a wander through the city centre (which was mainly a covered shopping precinct) we headed down to the waterfront where the best photo opportunities were to be found.

The city of Kagoshima is dominated by the Sakurajima volcano which forms an island just a mile or so from the port. Sakurajima is one of the world's most active volcanoes and throughout the day we could look up and see smoke, steam and ash puffing from one of the three craters at the summit. When we return on Saturday we intend catching the ferry across for a closer look. 

Continuing with the volcanic theme, our next stop was to experience the public footbath. With socks and shoes removed we joined the locals bathing tired feet in the hot spring water. There was a warning notice saying that the water would bleach clothing, but thus far my feet and calves appear to have survived unscathed despite the almost scalding temperature and mineral content.

Lastly, we paid a visit to the local aquarium, billed as Japan's largest. As aquariums go, it wasn't a bad attraction and was well stocked with all the usual tropical fish, large and small. Then, as darkness was rapidly approaching and we were making our way back to catch the return shuttle we came across a group of young teenagers returning home from school and who were more than keen to try out their English language skills on us. We tried to explain where we were from and they tried to explain who their favourite pop star heartthrobs were. Amongst all the laughter it was yet another example of just how friendly the Japanese people have been throughout the trip.