We booked a tour with Eiji, labelled as Kagoshima Highlights, and slightly modified it to remove items of little interest. Eiji was ready and waiting for us by the information desk in the cruise terminal, and after introductions, we were on the move to visit Sengan-en, a historic Japanese garden and former residence of the Shimazu clan. The drive took around 40 minutes, and we easily beat all the ship's tours, so it was relatively empty when we arrived. It was a really nice place to visit with its beautiful gardens and house, complete with a spectacular view of Sakurajima. The house dates back to the 1700s and, with the gardens, is now a UNESCO Heritage site. Once we had finished our tour, it was back in the car for a quick photo stop at Shiroyama Park observatory, which provided a great panorama of Kagoshima town and Sakurajima. It was then back to Kagoshima for a spot of lunch, which was in a little vegan cafe called Cafe Indigo and run by a lady single-handedly. It's a set meal which started with soup, then followed by a platter of vegan Japanese bites. It was really tasty, and Nicole was chuffed to bits with it. She even had a Soy Chai tea for the first time, and Eiji, who has a keen interest in food, accepted our invitation to join us, seemed to be impressed with the offerings. From there, it was a 10-minute walk to the ferry, where we enjoyed the 15-minute ride to Sakurajima. On arrival, we took a nice walk along part of the Nagisa Lava Trail and experienced some more great panoramas of Kagoshima and the volcano. On the return leg, Nicole took the opportunity to take the foot bath in Sakurajima Yogan Nagisa Park afterwards. Before taking the ferry back, we took a look around the visitor's centre, which was a short walk from the ferry terminal. Eiji then brought us back to the ship, where we thanked him for the day and said our goodbyes. We can thoroughly recommend Eiji, he is great company and was able to provide us with a memorable day in Kagoshima

Eiji K.

Thank you for coming to my tour, Mike. Very happy to hear that you enjoyed the day a lot. It was so much fun to me too, sharing our time under the autumn cozy sun and having the nice meal together. Hope you will be back to Japan near future! Arigato!! Eiji

Alice M.

5 / 5

Dec 7, 2025

Kagoshima Private Tour for Alice

Dec 7, 2025

Kagoshima

6 hours 30 mins

Customized

“Amazing day tour of Kagoshima with Eiji!”

My husband and I had such a lovely visit in Kagoshima, and it was largely due to our tour with Eiji. He took us to awesome spots he knew we would like, and was a great driver and articulate tour guide. He's also super cool to hang out with! It was like hanging out with a friend. It was so much fun, and we'd book a tour with him again in a heartbeat. Highly recommend a tour of the Mars whisky distillery! Thanks, Eiji!

Eiji K.

Thank you for coming to my tour in Kagoshima, Alice. Very happy to hear that you enjoyed the day a lot. I also enjoyed sharing our time together, chatting about a lot of things. You are such a nice & easy, laid back couple, I found. Hope you will be back to Japan and have fun together again :) Arigato! Eiji

Edith M.

5 / 5

Nov 20, 2025

Kagoshima half day tour 鹿兒島半日遊（Japanese garden & Shiroyama Observatory）

Nov 20, 2025

Kagoshima

4 hours 30 mins

“Kagoshima Half Day”

Our guide,Sini was spectacular. She was incredibly knowledgeable about the local history and culture, making every stop come to life. For our first time in Kagoshima she made the history so interesting and explained everything in great detail but yet not over the top and we came away with so much information. She was very helpful answering our questions carefully. English was very good. She provided exactly the sites we wnated to see. She helped me shop for the souveirs I wanted. She was ablsolutely delightful

Sini T.

Thank you so much for your review. I am really appreciate for your coming and you satisfied with my tour in Kagoshima. Wish you and your family peace all year round~! Sini