There are so many amazing sights to see in Japan’s southern Kyūshū region. One among them is Sengan-en, an expansive piece of land in the Kagoshima Prefecture once owned by a powerful samurai clan. The historic site has a residence, Japanese gardens, shrines, hiking trails, restaurants, shops, and a former machine factory that contributed to Japan’s Industrial Revolution.
Thanks to the implementation of borrowed scenery, a landscaping device known as shakkei in Japanese, Kagoshima Bay and the active Sakurajima volcano in the distance provide stunning views from many angles of the property.
Sengan-en is easy to visit if you are already in Kagoshima, or you can hop on a shinkansen bullet train and enjoy a day trip here from Fukuoka City or other Kyūshū prefectures. Nature lovers and history buffs alike will enjoy a trip here, and it is worth dedicating a few hours to explore all the grounds have to offer. Here is what you can see and learn.
Table of Contents
History & Iso Residence
The Shimadzu clan (sometimes spelled as “Shimazu”) was a powerful presence in Japan. They ruled the Satsuma domain, which included present-day Kagoshima, from the samurai days of the Kamakura Period in the 1100s to the end of the feudal era in the 1800s Edo Period. Because of their location in southern Kyūshū, they were able to trade with other countries and gained access to information about other cultures and emerging technologies.
The Shimadzu clan built Sengan-en in the 1650s. The clan lived in the Iso Residence, which hosted world leaders and foreign dignitaries throughout its history. Being internationally minded, the Shimadzu clan included Japanese, Chinese, Western, and Ryūkyūan (southern Japanese) influences in the architecture of the residence as well as other structures on the property. A Japanese-language tour of the Iso Residence is available for an extra fee.
According to its website, Sengan-en was a place where Western industrial technology was introduced to Japan. The Shoko Shuseikan building, now a museum, was once a machine factory that led Japan into industrialization. The clan used it for ironmaking, cotton spinning, and glass production. Because of this, in 2015, Sengan-en and Shoko Shuseikan were named UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites related to the Meiji Industrial Revolution.
Gardens at Sengan-en
The Japanese gardens throughout the property are stunning. There are koi ponds with stone bridges and lanterns, impeccably pruned pine trees, potted bonsai plants, sago palms native to southern Japan, and bamboo groves.
The Kyokusui Garden was designed for poetry parties. At these events, a sake cup would be placed at the top of the stream, and guests at the end of the stream had to compose a poem before the cup reached them. The Kyokusui Garden in Sengan-en is the oldest of its kind in Japan.
Visible from the gardens is a massive rock carved out on the side of the mountain with Chinese lettering spelling out Senjingan, which translates to “1,000-foot crag.” This became a fixture in the 1810s, and, according to a Japan Times article, it took 3,900 workers to engrave the letters, which are 11 meters tall.
There are also remnants of a hydroelectric dam and canal near the garden paths. This was used in the past to generate power for the Iso Residence and the Shuseikan factory. It is yet another example of the Shimadzu clan’s interest in technological development.
Hiking Trails at Sengan-en
Sengan-en has beautiful hiking trails that offer spectacular views of the property and its surroundings. If you plan on hiking, make sure you wear comfortable shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Some of the pathways are covered in moss or dirt and are a bit steep and uneven at times.
It takes about 30 minutes to climb to the top of the mountain, but I took longer so I could admire the sights on the way up. The pathway was nice and shady, surrounded by tall trees that had sunlight filtering in and out of them. I felt totally immersed in nature hearing birds chirping and leaves rustling along the way.
There are so many interesting things to encounter on the climb. One such thing is a mound dedicated to writing brushes that had belonged to the members of the Iso Residence but were no longer usable. There are also moss-covered stone monuments with cleanly visible inscriptions that are hundreds of years old.
For horticulture enthusiasts, many of the trees on the path contain tags with their species name in English and Japanese. The path contains so many beautiful plants native to southern Japan as well as plants collected from other regions and countries.
There are a few different viewing platforms, each one of them offering lovely views of Sakurajima, Kagoshima Bay, Kagoshima City, or the Sengan-en gardens and buildings.
On a clear day, the reward for climbing to the top of the mountain is a gorgeous vista of the active volcano Sakurajima. You can see how massive in scope it is compared to the towns at its base that look so little. The cool air at the top of the climb feels great on your skin.
After the descent, at the base of the mountain is a tiny woodwork and ceramics shop. There were so many beautiful handmade items there.
Nekogami Jinja Cat Shrine & Cat-Themed Shop
Nature and cats are two of my favorite things, so having them together in one place was wonderful. Nekogami Jinja is a shrine where you can pray for the cats of the world.
The story behind its creation is that Shimadzu Yoshihiro took an expeditionary army to Korea and brought seven cats with him. Unfortunately, only two survived. Those two cats are enshrined in this area of Sengan-en.
Ema tablets are set up next to the shrine so people can write wishes for their cats. I love the cat illustrations on them!
Next to the shrine is a shop that sells so many cat-themed items, from tapestries to statuettes to maneki neko beckoning cats to little figurines. It is one of the cutest stores I have ever walked into.
Ōkatei Restaurant
Before braving the hiking trails, it’s a good idea to eat a hearty meal for energy. Fortunately, Sengan-en has on-site restaurants.
I ate at Ōkatei, which has floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto Kagoshima Bay and Sakurajima. You can have a great meal with a great view!
The staff generously prepared a vegetarian-friendly set lunch for me. It contained a bowl with a fire lit under it that had boiling tofu and veggies. Surrounding the large bowl were smaller bowls of rice, salad, seaweed, miso soup, and fruit. The presentation was as beautiful as the meal was delicious.
For the omnivores, Ōkatei also serves Kagoshima’s famous kurobuta pork cutlets. My friend had them and said it was his favorite meal out of everything he ate during our entire Japan excursion.
Marketplace & Shops at Sengan-en
There are several shops that serve as a marketplace for Kagoshima and Kyūshū goods. I bought some Satsuma sweet potato treats for the friends I was meeting up with later in Tokyo as part of the omiyage tradition. I also bought some skincare made from the volcanic ash of Sakurajima.
Some of the stores sell wooden crafts that are made of 1,000-year-old trees from Yakushima Island off the southern coast of Kagoshima. Yakushima was one of the inspirations for the forest depicted in Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli film Princess Mononoke. It is on my list of places to visit on future Japan trips.
There is also a lovely glass store that sells beautiful items made in the special Satsuma Kiriko style of glassmaking where colored glass is layered onto clear glass.
If you get hungry again and are in need of a snack, there’s a stall that sells shirokuma, Kagoshima’s specialty shaved ice with condensed milk and fruit. It’s a sweet and refreshing post-hike treat.
Getting There & Admission
To get to Kagoshima, you can take the Kyūshū Shinkansen bullet train. It is about an hour and a half trip one-way from Hakata Station in Fukuoka to Kagoshima-Chuo Station on the Sakura train. There are several trains offered by the Kyūshū Shinkansen that vary in speed. The second fastest, the Sakura train, is covered by the JR Pass. With a JR Pass, you can also reserve a seat in one of the train’s regular cars for no added cost. The more expensive option, which is not covered by the JR Pass, is to take the Mizuho train, the fastest of the Kyūshū Shinkansen.
From Kagoshima-Chuo Station, you can board the City View Bus that drops passengers off at various sightseeing areas in the city, including Sengan-en. It lives up to its name, and the bus does give passengers a good view of the Kagoshima City. It’s about a 30-minute drive from Kagoshima-Chuo Station to Sengan-en.
As of this writing, entrance to Sengan-en costs 1000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children 7-15 years old. A guided tour of the Iso Residence costs an additional 300 yen for adults and 150 yen for children 7-15 years old.
Final Thoughts
Since I visited Sengan-en on a day trip from Fukuoka, I had planned on spending two or three hours there and then exploring the rest of Kagoshima. But I ended up spending multiple hours there and I still didn’t see everything. I never made it to the Shoko Shuseikan Museum or the guided tour of the Iso Residence. Before I knew it, I had to head back to Kagoshima-Chuo Station to catch the shinkansen back to Fukuoka.
Walking through the grounds really felt like taking a step back in time. I could see the attention and care that went into planning out and landscaping the property, and I could see how much love was put into maintaining the grounds over the years. I got to learn a piece of Kyūshū history I didn’t know before. I was fascinated by all of the international influences that went into the landscaping and architecture as well. It seems like the Shimadzu clan was well read in world history and cultures.
As a nature lover, I really enjoyed how scenic Sengan-en was with its Japanese gardens, plant collections, hiking trails, borrowed scenery, and vistas.
If you are in Kagoshima or want to take a nice day trip from Fukuoka or another Kyūshū prefecture, add Sengan-en to your itinerary.
(All photos taken by Clara Juliette)
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Clara hopes to share her love of exploring cultures and inspire others through the power of storytelling. In addition to writing and travel, she loves psychology, nature, green tea, and cats.