The shochu production season runs from late August to November, the same time as when fresh sweet potatoes are harvested. By witnessing the delicate manufacturing process and huge tanks that go into making shochu, you will deepen your respect to the brewers and your love for shochu.
Rose Garden Kanoya is Japan's largest rose garden, with 35,000 roses planted on a vast 8ha site. Rose Festivals are held in spring, late April to June and fall, late October to early December.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
at your hotel, cruise ship port or Kagoshima central station
take a Sakurajima ferry to Osumi penuinsula
include 15 minutes ferry ride
One way ferry fare for per person is 200JPY, for a car 1,330JPY.
Sakurajima observatory and lava road
stop at the Arimura observatory and drive through the lava road
Kanoya Rose Garden and Black Pork lunch at Kuton
Rose Garden Kanoya is Japan's largest rose garden, with 35,000 roses planted on a vast 8ha site. The Kanoya Rose Festival is held in spring and fall, when the roses are in full bloom. In particular, the spring flowering season takes advantage of Kagoshima's warm climate, and it is the first in the country to reach full bloom around Golden Week in May every year.
Spring rose season is from late April to late June. All the roses in the garden are in full bloom! This is the only time you can enjoy climbing roses!
Autumn rose season is from late October to early December. The colors become more vivid as the temperature drops. Feel the color and scent of each flower!
After strolling through the gardens, enjoy a lunch of specialty pork and beef at Kuton, a local restaurant with panoramic views.
shochu brewery tour
The shochu production season runs from late August to November, the same time as when fresh sweet potatoes are harvested. By witnessing the delicate manufacturing process and huge tanks that go into making shochu, you will deepen your respect to the brewers and your love for shochu.
"Tradition and Challenge" to deliver delicious shochu: by inheriting the wisdom and tradition of brewery's long history and exploring new flavors that meet modern needs, being gained the support of many customers.
take a ferry to Kagoshima city
include 40 minutes ferry ride
One way ferry fare for per person is 500JPY, for a car 1900JPY
End of the tour
Ending Point
at your hotel, cruise ship port or Kagoshima central station.
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
guide fee
Transportation : average chartered taxi fare; up to 3 for 39,000 JPY, up to 8 for 50,000 JPY.
The one-way Sakurajima ferry fare : per person 250JPY, a jumbo taxi 2,630JPY.
The one-way Tarumizu ferry fare : per peraon 550JPY, a jumbo taxi 3,000JPY.
Kanoya Rose Garden entrance fee 630 JPY per person.
Lunch about 2000 JPY (you and guide)
This tour involves some walking, make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
Tours are all open to any kind of arrangement. please feel free to let me know your preferences.
Hello! I’m Hitomi. I was born and raised in Kagoshima. After graduating from the college, I mostly lived in Tokyo and came back to my hometown 10 years ago. I love communicating with people and sharing each other’s culture and history. As I used to work for an airline company, I could travel to many foreign countries with lots of joy experiencing their unique cultures. Now, I want to help visitors from abroad enjoy Japanese unique culture, history, nature.
Julie O.
“Fabulous day in Kagoshima”
Correspondence with Hitomi prior to our tour ensured it went off seamlessly. Kagoshima was our first port in Japan so we didn't expect to clear customs so quickly. The day had a great mix of nature, excellent food and culture. Hitomi speaks excellent English and was always clear in her explanations. Hitomi ensured we remained on time during our tour. Although the original restaurant wasn't available for lunch the replacement was excellent. I would highly recommend Hitomi as a guide.
Hitomi A.
Thank you for visiting Japan and Kagoshima. I'm so glad you all enjoyed the top three attractions in Kagoshima. Even after the tour is over, I still enjoy reading your detailed travel articles posted on Facebook. Your language is beautiful and literary. I look forward to your new posts in the future. I wish you and your family all the best!
William G.
“Highlights of Kagoshima, Sakurajima and Sengan-en Garden”
Hitomi was wonderful. She was so easy to work with and made everything easy for our small group of cruisers. She is very knowledgeable and passionate about guiding through her city. I highly recommend her.
Hitomi A.
I really enjoyed showing you and your group around Kagoshima. Your sense of humor and sociable personality made our tour that much more enjoyable, even when the weather turned to rain and wind in the afternoon. I wish you all the best.
Thomas M.
“A nice day exploring Sakurajima, Sengan-en, and more”
Hitomi was fun and easy to talk to, and very knowledgable! I learned a lot about Kagoshima's history and about the places we visited. It was nice to be able to explore Sakurajima without the hassle of renting a car and driving (and note that the tourist bus doesn't make the complete loop around). We also had a nice lunch and explored Sengan-en and surrounding sites (plus a fun side adventure). Great!
Hitomi A.
Thank you for traveling around Japan while staying in Japan for months on a digital nomad visa. I was amazed at your wealth of knowledge of Japanese history. And it was a great pleasure to talk to each other about it. The spiritual and spirited places we first visited on the recommendation of your guide in Yakushima will likely be my first and last visit, as you told me, unless a visitor like you visits Kagoshima City again. The places you have visited and will visit in Japan are places we Japanese would love to visit too. Your taste in choosing the places to visit is amazing. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan and make a lot of money while you are here.
$514/ per group