We are very excited for today! We are visiting another new site to us; Kagoshima. The view from our balcony is of Sakurajima, an active volcano across Kagoshima bay.

We are touring on our own, visiting Sengan-en, a beautiful botanical garden. It is cool in the fresh morning, and we grab our jackets and head for the disembarkation line. We are off the ship in just a few minutes, and onto the taxi stand.

After a drive along the coast, we arrive at the gardens, which appear busy, but because of their 12 acre size, there is still a sense of solitude and quiet. The gardens and a traditional Japanese home were built in 1658 by Mitsuhia Shimadzu.

If ever there is a word to describe the gardens, and the care with which they have been maintained, it would have to be pristine. There is no trash or any leaf out of place, the walkways are easy and meandering. It is an adjective lovers delight to write about the energy and appearance of the garden.

As we pass through the garden gates and stroll down the path, we find the Jambo Mochi Shop where we order some mochi and tea. The matcha tea with flower petals was the most delicate, delicious tea we have ever tasted, and combined with the mochi dipped in kokuto caramel glaze, a delectable treat.

You will notice there are 2 sticks for holding the mochi. This is said to represent the two swords carried by samurai. Historically it is said Samurai traveling north into the mountains would stop at Sengen-en and enjoy the Jamba mochi.

We relax by the large picture windows of the shop, sipping our tea and savoring our mochi. We watch fellow visitors walk by and pause to admire tents filled with pots of kiku, or chrysanthemums. Kiku is the floral emblem of Japan’s imperial family, which is the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world. The lineage of the imperial family dates to the sixth century BC. These chrysanthemum blooms are 6-7″ round, certainly larger than any I have ever seen.

As I edited my photos of the flowers, I first thought I had something on my lens or sensor causing tiny black specks all over the photo. As I looked closer, the black specks are only on the flower. and only on the exposed petals. With Sakurajima just across the bay, I am guessing this is volcanic ash, as the volcano is still active.

We finish the last drops of tea and return to our exploration. The sun is bright and just the perfect balance of warmth with the coolness of the air.

I have always admired the appearance of these types of trees, very common throughout Japan. They are called Niwaki , meaning “garden tree”. They are pruned in a method called cloud pruning, shaping and training tree growth to resemble clouds. The style is said to depict the distilled essence of the tree. The contrast of the Niwaki with the brilliant blue sky gives us an appreciation of how pruning the trees this way brings harmony between sky and tree.

The garden paths take us through gates, and around small and larger ponds, with streams and waterfalls.

This is called the Jumping Lion Lantern. On top of the lantern is a lion kicking its back feet into the air. Built in 1884, it is the largest lantern in Sengan-en.

As we climbed a hill in the garden, views of Sakurajima across Kinko Bay came into view. There were several spots to capture the beauty of the gardens with the majesty of the volcano.

The paths move up and down hills, and along the base of a mountain.

We began our hike up the mountain and were met with bamboo forests and views of the gardens below.

The mountain trail curves and snakes down towards the coast. Each turn of the trail brought something peaceful and interesting. We come upon a shrine with a natural spring.

As we walk along, we meet many other visitors. Everyone, EVERYONE that we pass shares a greeting, smiles, and we acknowledge the natural beauty we are experiencing together.

As we leave the mountain and return to the garden level, we catch a view of the rooftops of the buildings below. The detail of the roofs are striking in closeup.

On our return walk through the garden we capture new perspectives, and the growing shadows add to the ambiance.

We pass another spring trickling into a fountain filled with fresh flowers and autumn leaves. The serenity and simplicity of this single moment is refreshing, and we linger a bit to study the ripples and falling water. We are discovering that Sengagen-en is a practice of communicating without the need for words. Words seem particularly unnecessary at the moment.

We finish, rather reluctantly our time at the gardens, and take a taxi back to the ship. Once on board, we prepare for departure, and went down a few decks to see if Kagoshima would say goodbye.

We are delighted to find we are farewelled with a drum performance! We hope you enjoy these video clips of the drummers as much as we did!

In this first clip, we are seriously impressed with how they can drum in a crunch position! AMAZING!

As the drumming performance concluded, there were waves goodbye, and a sea of orange flags waved to us from the pier as a traditional dance called Ohara Bushi was performed. While all this was happening, some impressive smoke rose from the volcano, and soon a Japanese Coast Guard helicopter flew into port and hovered nearby until we sailed away.

As the lines were released and Millennium pulled away from the dock, the drumming resumed, and we experienced what we can only describe as a most heartfelt, authentic farewell. Again, we were showered with kindness from the people we met in Kagoshima, as we have been in all our previous ports in Japan.

This photo, our fading view of everyone bidding us farewell and yelling “Thank you!” touched us deeply.

This quote from Leo Tolstoy speaks to our time here in Kagoshima.

“All the diversity, all the charm, and all the beauty of life are made up of light and shade.”
― Leo Tolstoy

Through our photos created by balancing the energy of light and shade, we captured the natural beauty of the gardens, the volcano, and the kindness of a community. In equal if not greater measure, Art and I were fully charmed by the people and beauty of life in Kagoshima.