Sakurajima
Active stratovolcano that has erupted hundreds of times since 1955, often dusting Kagoshima City in ash; accessible by 15-minute ferry from downtown.
Open in Maps ↗Prefecture profile · 都道府県
Kagoshima 鹿児島県
Home of Sakurajima — one of the world's most active volcanoes — and the former Satsuma domain that, with Chōshū, overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate. Today Kagoshima is Japan's #1 shōchū producer, #1 kurobuta pork producer, and the country's primary rocket-launch base on Tanegashima.
Capital
Kagoshima City
Population
1.55 million
Area
9,187 km²
Region
Kyūshū
History
Satsuma domain (Shimazu clan) was the southern wing of the alliance that toppled the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868. Saigō Takamori — the 'last samurai' — and Ōkubo Toshimichi, two of the three Great Nobles of the Restoration, were both Kagoshima natives. The Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, Saigō's last stand, ended in Kagoshima.
In 1543, Portuguese traders shipwrecked on Tanegashima introduced firearms to Japan — within decades, the Tanegashima matchlock was being mass-produced and reshaping warfare nationally. The same island today hosts JAXA's Tanegashima Space Center, Japan's primary rocket-launch facility.
Yakushima — a small mountainous island off Kagoshima — contains some of the oldest living trees on Earth; the Jōmon Sugi cedar is conservatively estimated at 2,170 years old and may be over 7,000 years old by some studies. UNESCO World Heritage 1993.
Economy & business
Kagoshima's prefectural GDP is around ¥5.7 trillion (US$39 billion). Agriculture-and-livestock dominates: Japan's #1 producer of shōchū, Berkshire (kurobuta) pork, kuroge wagyū (Kagoshima-gyū), tea (Chiran-cha, second only to Shizuoka), sweet potatoes, and bonito. Kyocera (whose founder Kazuo Inamori was from Kagoshima) has its Kokubu plant here; Honda has its Kagoshima propulsion R&D; JAXA's Tanegashima and Uchinoura spaceports are here.
Key industries
Livestock & meat
Japan's #1 producer of kurobuta Berkshire pork and #1 producer of kuroge wagyū beef by head; Kagoshima-gyū has won All-Japan Wagyū Olympics championships including consecutive titles in 2017 and 2022.
Shōchū & spirits
Japan's #1 shōchū producer by volume — sweet-potato imo-shōchū is the regional style. Mt. Sakurajima ash and volcanic groundwater are credited with the smoothness.
Tea & specialty crops
Chiran-cha and Kirishima-cha; Kagoshima passed Shizuoka in 2022 as Japan's #1 green-tea producer by volume.
Aerospace (Tanegashima & Uchinoura)
JAXA's Tanegashima Space Center is Japan's primary orbital-launch facility — H-IIA and H3 rockets launch from here. Uchinoura is the sounding-rocket and small-satellite pad.
Semiconductors & precision
Kyocera's Kokubu and Sendai factories (image sensors, ceramic packages); Sony Semiconductor has a Kagoshima fab as well.
Notable companies
Kyocera (Kokubu plant)Sony Semiconductor KagoshimaHonda Kagoshima R&DNansei Sekiyu (refining)Kagoshima BankHombo Shuzō (shōchū)JAXA Tanegashima Space Center
Trade partners
ChinaSouth KoreaUnited StatesTaiwanHong Kong
Tourism highlights
Yakushima
UNESCO sub-tropical island with ancient cedar forests including the 2,170+ year-old Jōmon Sugi. The misty forest landscape inspired 'Princess Mononoke.'
Open in Maps ↗Ibusuki sand baths
Buried up to the neck in volcanically heated black-sand baths on the beach — a wholly Kagoshima experience.
Open in Maps ↗Tanegashima Space Center
JAXA's largest launch facility — public observation decks and a visitor centre on the southern tip of Tanegashima island.
Open in Maps ↗Chiran samurai district
Edo-period samurai gardens preserved in the small tea-growing town of Chiran — and the wartime memorial to the kamikaze pilots who flew their final sorties from Chiran airfield in 1945.
Open in Maps ↗Amami archipelago (Amami-Ōshima)
Sub-tropical UNESCO Natural Heritage island (2021) — endemic Amami black rabbit, primordial forests, white-sand beaches.
Open in Maps ↗Did you know
Sakurajima erupted again over 200 times in 2023 alone; ash from the volcano routinely falls on Kagoshima City, and the local weather forecast publishes a daily ash-direction prediction the way other cities publish pollen counts.
The Jōmon Sugi cedar on Yakushima is conservatively dated at over 2,170 years old, with some methods producing estimates beyond 7,000 years — possibly one of the oldest non-clonal trees on Earth.
Firearms entered Japan through Tanegashima in 1543 when Portuguese traders were shipwrecked there; within ~30 years, Japanese-made matchlocks (called 'tanegashima') were being mass-produced and used in the Sengoku-period civil wars.
About Kagoshima — Frequently asked
What is the capital of Kagoshima?
The capital of Kagoshima is Kagoshima City.
What region of Japan is Kagoshima in?
Kagoshima is part of the Kyūshū region of Japan.
What are Kagoshima's main industries?
Kagoshima's key industries include Livestock & meat, Shōchū & spirits, Tea & specialty crops, Aerospace (Tanegashima & Uchinoura).
What are the top tourist attractions in Kagoshima?
Top attractions in Kagoshima include Sakurajima, Yakushima, Ibusuki sand baths, Tanegashima Space Center.
What major companies are based in Kagoshima?
Notable companies headquartered in Kagoshima include Kyocera (Kokubu plant), Sony Semiconductor Kagoshima, Honda Kagoshima R&D, Nansei Sekiyu (refining), Kagoshima Bank.
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