Japan Guide
Kyūshū
Getting around
Moving around central Kagoshima is simplified by a highly efficient tramsystem that has been in operation since 1912 – some of the original cars are still used. There are only two lines, both of which start in the east at Kagoshima Station and run down the main street, Izuro-dōri, past the City Hall, or Shiyakusho-mae, and Tenmonkan before splitting at Takamibaba, just past the Washington Hotel. Trams on Line 2 then continue southwest past Kagoshima Central Station, while Line 1 turns southwards. There's a flat fare of ¥160, which you pay on exit; trams run roughly every eight minutes from 6.30am to 10.30pm.
The local bus system is a lot more complicated, with services run by five different companies. However, easily recognizable, retro-style City View tourist buses depart every half-hour (9am–5pm) on a circuit of the main sights from Kagoshima Central Station (stand #9) via the Museum of the Meiji Restoration, Reimeikan and Shiroyama observatory to Sengan-en, before returning via Dolphin Port and Tenmonkan. You can buy individual tickets (¥180) or a one-day pass (¥600), which also covers the trams; it's available at the tourist information centres, or on board the buses and trams, and entitles you to discount tickets to various sights.
Local ferries to Sakurajima depart from a pier to the east of the city centre. The nearby Minami-Futō (South Pier) is used by services to Yakushima and Ibusuki, while those to Okinawa currently operate out of the quite separate and even more southerly Shin-kō, though it's possible they may move to Kita-Futō (North Pier), which lies between Minami-Futō and the Sakurajima pier.