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Senganen Garden

Senganen Garden also known as Isoteien is a Japanese style landscape garden along the coast north of downtown Kagoshima. One of the garden's most striking feature is its use of Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay as borrowed scenery. The garden also includes small ponds, streams, shrines and a bamboo grove.
Senganen was constructed in 1658 by the wealthy Shimazu Clan, one of the most powerful feudal clans during the Edo Period (1603-1867). The Shimazu ruled the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima) for almost 700 years until the end of the feudal age in 1868. They continued to be influential into the modern era as some of the earliest adopters of Western science and technology.

Shiroyama Park

Shiroyama Park is a park in downtown Kagoshima that extends over Mount Shiroyama. With an elevation of 107 meters, the mountain formerly served as the site of a castle fortification, which led to its name. Shiroyama literally means "castle mountain" in Japanese. The castle's former grounds at the base of the mountain now serve as the site of the Reimeikan Museum.
The park is most famous for its Shiroyama Observatory with spectacular views over downtown Kagoshima, Kagoshima Bay and Sakurajima and - if visibility is good - as far as the Kirishima Mountains. The night view is also nice, particularly if a clear sky and bright moon allow Sakurajima to remain visible. Nice views can also be enjoyed from the Satsuma no Yu outdoor hot spring bath at the nearby Castle Park Hotel, which is also open to non-staying guests.

Reimeikan Museum

The Reimeikan Museum is dedicated to local history and culture. On three spacious floors it presents a wide variety of exhibits that cover the span of Kagoshima's history from ancient to modern times. There are a few interesting models, such as a large diorama of downtown Kagoshima at the beginning of the Showa Period (1926-1989) and a small scale model of a village from the middle ages.
The museum was built on the former site of the local castle, known as Kagoshima or Tsurumaru Castle, and is surrounded by parts of the former moat and stone walls. The museum and castle ruins are located at the base of Mount Shiroyama, which literally means "castle mountain" in Japanese.

Kagoshima Aquarium

Kagoshima Aquarium is located along the water beside Kagoshima Port, just beside the Sakurajima ferry terminal. The aquarium was opened in 1997 and has a total of seven floors. There is an emphasis on local marine life, including the chain of islands to the south that are also part of Kagoshima Prefecture.
The aquarium's most impressive attraction is its massive Kuroshio Tank, which holds fish of all sizes. There are schools of tiny fish, rays and even a giant whale shark. Other exhibition areas include sea otters, giant crabs, coral reefs, electric eels and mangroves. There is a Dolphin Pool that has three dolphins shows per day. Occasionally the dolphins are allowed to swim freely in the canals outside the aquarium where they also perform tricks.
 

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