Ibusuki is famous for ‘Sunamushi onsen,’ the steam sand hot springs. Visitors can enjoy this worldwide unique steam bath experience by being buried from toe to neck in warm sand whilst listening to the rolling of the tide, which is a truly blissful moment indeed. In the meantime you will start pouring sweat and then feel totally refreshed. Not only wearing off your daily fatigue, it also helps remove waste substances of your body and improve your skin and body conditions. Records show that sunamushi had already been used for therapeutic purposes at the end of Edo era. People in the past too seems recovered from their fatigue lying in the warm sand like we do today. There are various inns and facilities that provide sunamushi along with beauty-treatment or fancy cuisine, so you should check that out ahead of time.

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Ibusuki City ,Kagoshima Prefecture
☎+81-993(22)3252(Ibusuki City Tourism Association)

Sengan-en, the Shimazu family’s garden built in 1658, is a great scale of Japanese garden borrowing the spectacular view of Sakurajima volcano and Kinko-gulf as ‘tsukiyama,’ an artificial hill, and a pond. Inside this historic garden, there are various must-see places, one of which is the foundations of a reverberating furnace, registered as World Cultural Heritage Site in July 2015 as part of the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution. When Nariakira Shimazu ordered to build this furnace for manufacturing iron cannons, a Dutch book was the only reference available for the construction. The palace called ‘Goten,’ where VIP guests used to stay, and the hydro power plant dam relics are also recommended to visit. Another popular location Tsurumine shrine is considered to be a spiritual power spot which gives those who visit or worship there beauty. Sengan-en also has restaurants and souvenir shops. Enjoying the view of Sakurajima over Kagoshima cuisine is another shining quality.

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Yoshino Town, 9700-1, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture
☎+81-99(247)1551
Open daily 8:30 am – 5:30 pm

Located in the northwest in Kagoshima prefecture, Akune is a town where beautiful nature and people live together. The city has a lot of different aspects that entertains visitors throughout the year, such as a satoyama village with its fireflies, Akune’s fish port with its plentiful landings, and fresh farm produce utilizing the warm weather. The Kuronoseto Strait, widely known as one of Japan’s three great rapid tides, is a scenic place mentioned in the ancient Manyoshu poetry and is also perfect as a fishing spot. Depending on the time of day, you may be able to see a tidal whirlpool. Situated in the middle of beautiful nature, the 500-meter length of the Kuronoseto Bridge connecting Akune city and Nagashima-cho offers a scenic view of the area.

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Akune city, Kagoshima Prefecture
☎+81-996(72)3646
(Akune City Tourism Association “Akune-machi-no-eki”)