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Tarto
Wed Aug 24, 2011 10:39 pm

Sakurajima (Kagoshima-ken) [E]
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Location : Sakurajima (&#26716;&#23798;)

Prefecture : Kagoshima-ken (&#40575;&#20816;&#23798;&#30476;)

Attractions : 

Furusato Onsen (&#12405;&#12427;&#12373;&#12392;&#28201;&#27849;)
Opening hours : 8:00-22:00
Price : 1050 yen
Access : 15 minutes by ferry from the Kagoshima harbor (Sakurajima Sanbashi, be careful, there are several harbors in Kagoshima), or directly by car

Internet : 1459

Approaching the island:

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My hotel was on the south coast, with a beautiful view:

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But the real reason why I chose that hotel was its rotenburo (outside bath)...I am a real onsen lover and whenever I travel, I try to take advantage of those wonders of nature as much as possible. In that case, I only have two small complaints:
the changing room, right next to the bath, is absolutely ugly (I guess they were trying to design a bunker). But it is easy to not notice it anymore once inside the bath, as the gaze is naturally drawn to the ocean...one has to wear a yukata because the bath is actually a shrine

Those tiny little details aside, it's a wonder: the bath is spacious, the view is fantastic, the place is quiet and the shrine adds a lot to the atmosphere:

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I went to bed quite early to see the sunrise the next morning:

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I then hopped into the rotenburo, had my breakfast, left the hotel and rented a bicycle to explore the island. Due to the volcanic activity, there are no hiking trails on Sakurajima and the "exploration" mainly consists in following the coast road, stopping at the observation spots. Here is the most famous one, in the heights:
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Many lava trenches have been built to direct the lava flow to the sea in case the volcano erupts:

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As well as shelters:

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Another observation spot, at the southeast:

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source : www.tartoinjapan.com/en/blog_post-155-sakurajima.html
