Seneganen Garden & Leisure

OVERVIEW

Discover the exquisite flora at Sengan-en Garden and delve in Kagoshima’s industrial history by browsing a museum with artifacts from one of Japan’s earliest machinery factories. Both attractions are so spectacular that UNESCO declared them World Heritage sites. The garden is a botanical oasis built to complement the 17th-century residence of one of Japan’s most influential feudal lords. It couldn’t be lovelier, especially with majestic Mount Sakurajima towering in the background. It surrounds the former villa of the powerful Shimazu clan. A few centuries later, a descendant of the clan built Japan’s first Western-style factory in Kagoshima to produce armaments, glass, ceramics and farm tools. You will see some of those artifacts at the Shoko Shuseikan Museum, including personal items from the Shimazu clan and fine Satsuma porcelain. Back in Kagoshima, you will enjoy leisure time in Tenmonkan, a large bustling shopping district with abundant boutiques, department stores and restaurants.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Stroll through a 17th-century botanical oasis that is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• See how the garden was built to complement the Shimazu clan’s 17th-century residence.
• Browse a museum with artifacts from a factory that a Shimazu clan descendant built.
• Spend free time shopping in Tenmonkan, the area’s largest shopping arcade.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.