Kagoshima, 2012

On my first trip I did not quite have enough time to make it to Kagoshima. On my second trip I made sure I got there. I left Osaka in the morning and was in Kagoshima by early afternoon. The shinkansen now runs all the way to Kagoshima making the trip much faster than it was in 2008. I planned to take the ferry across to Yakushima Island first thing in the morning, so I had an afternoon in the city.

Since I was staying near the port I decided to have a look at the aquarium. The Kurishio Tank is the centerpiece of this aquarium and named for the warm current which sweeps along the coast in this part of Japan. It is responsible for the incredible diversity and quantity of marine life.

When I returned from Yakushima to Kagoshima a few days later as the storm was winding down, I found strong storm winds had coated the city in layer of gray volcanic ash from Saurajima, the volcano in the harbor. Many wore masks; and the breeze blew visible clouds of grit down the broad boulevards.

Resources:

Saurajima Volcano : http://www.photovolcanica.com/VolcanoInfo/Sakurajima/Sakurajima.html

Wikipedia says : 'The Kuroshio; Japanese 黒潮 "Black Tide") is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and is part of the North Pacific ocean gyre. Like the Gulf stream, it is a strong western boundary current.' (ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuroshio_Current )