Kagoshima , officially Kagoshima City , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyūshū, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern world" for its bay location, hot climate, and emblematic stratovolcano, Sakurajima. The city was officially founded on April 1, 1889. It merged with Taniyama City on April 29, 1967 and with Yoshida Town, Sakurajima Town, Kiire Town, Matsumoto Town and Kōriyama Town on November 1, 2004.
From top, left to right: Senga-en Garden, Saigō Takamori statue, Kagoshima Aquarium, Ohara Festival, Tenmonkan, Hirakawa Zoological Park
The city covered deep in ash after the 1914 eruption of the Sakurajima volcano which is seen in the distance across the bay
The Tarumiza district of Kagoshima burns after B-29 air raids on the city, 17 Jun 1945
The bombed out ruins of a Kagoshima residential area with Sakurajima in the background, 1 November 1945
Japanese is the principal language of the Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 120 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese diaspora worldwide.
A page from the Man'yōshū, the oldest anthology of classical Japanese poetry
A 12th-century emaki scroll of The Tale of Genji from the 11th century
