All about Kagoshima　-sightseeing, accommodations, shopping, gourmet, hot spring -

The new sightseeing bus will begin service from "Nishi-Oyama Station" the southernmost JR rail station in all of Japan on March 12！

The sightseeing bonnet bus "DISCOVERY IBUSUKI" begins running March 12 with service from Japan's southernmost JR rail station "Nishi-Oyama Station"!

This is a sightseeing bus designed especially for those who board the JR train from Ibusuki Station to Nishi-Oyama Station (the southernmost JR rail station in all of Japan). The bus visits various destinations in the surrounding area and offers a special ticket with park entrance and public bath entrance fees packaged.

This colorful bus with a retro design and nostalgic shape will surely catch your eyes. Guests with reservations will be given priority.

■Days of Operation
The bus runs on weekends and holidays starting March 12, 2011 (Saturday)
※The bus runs every day during spring vacation，Ｇolden Ｗeek，summer  vacation，and winter vacation.（please contact us to confirm）

　　◎Spring vacation：March 28～April 3

　　◎Ｇolden Ｗeek ：April 29～May 8

　　◎Summer vacation：August 1～August 31

　　◎Winter vacation：December 24～January 8

■Bus Course
　Nishi-Oyama Station（depart 1:45 pm）
　Cape Ryugu（arrive 1:55 pm　depart 3:00 pm）
　Snapdragon Flower Field（arrive 3:05 pm　depart 3:20 pm）
　Yamakawa Natural Steam Sandbath Sayuri（arrive 3:30 pm  depart  4:25pm）
　Nishi-Oyama Station（arrive 4:35 pm）

     Download the tour course flyer（Japanese）

■Price（regular ticket）
Adult ¥2800
Child ¥1700（free for children 3 years old or below）
※Included in the set price：bus fare, Nagasakibana Parking Garden entrance fee, natural steam sandbath entrance fee (with towel), others (hot springs boiled egg, steamed potato, hot springs cider, etc.)

■Other
There is no observed seats on the bus.
We cannot provide car seats for children 3 years of age or below. Thank you for your understanding.

■Advance Reservations
Ibusuki Station grounds "Tourism Information Desk"
TEL：0993-22-4114
Business Hours：Weekdays 9 am to 6 pm
　　　　　　7:30 am to 7:00 pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays

※　In addition to purchasing a ticket from Ibusuki Station to Nishi-Oyama Station, please be sure to buy the package ticket (kyoutsuu riyou ken) and reserve the sightseeing bus. We will take reservations until 3 pm three days before the day of your bus ride. Cancellation is available until noon the day before your scheduled bus ride. It is possible to ride the bus without an advance reservation, but please understand that you may be refused when the seats are full.

■Enquiries

　Nagasaki Parking Garden

　TEL: 0993-35-0111

A special yellow mailbox has been installed at Nishi-Ōyama Station, the southernmost JR rail station in all of Japan!

The yellow mailbox incorporates the cheerfulness of the color yellow with Ibusuki's famous yellow Nanohana flowers.

Won't you send your love to that special person from this southern railway station?

This yellow mailbox sends your important feelings with lots of joy and happiness.

Ibusuki City, at the southern tip of the Japanese mainland, is a tourist destination famous for its steam sandbaths.

From "Nishi-Ōyama Station" you can see Mount Kaimon, the pyramid shaped volcano which has recently gained popularity as a "power spot". Every January the Nanohana Marathon takes place in this area while

the Nanohana flowers are in full bloom.

At the JR Nishi-Ōyama Station Tourist Info Center, in addition to purchasing postcards and stamps, you can also get the original Ibusuki commemorative stamp. 

◆1 postcard　¥100; 8 postcard set  ¥800（with case）

"JR Japan Southernmost Station Arrival Certificates" will also be issued.

How about getting a certificate to commemorate your journey?

◆Arrival Certificate　¥100（tax included）

Nishi-Ōyama Station Tourist Info Center

○Open　8：00～17：00 every day

○Telephone:　0993-34-0132 

【JR Nishi-Ōyama Station Time Table】(as of January 2011)

●   JR Nishi-Ōyama Station (to Kagoshima Chuo Station) :

     5:45 / 7:06 / 8:30 / 9:03 / 14:18 / 16:39 / 19:20 / 20:52

●   JR Nishi-Ōyama Station (to Makurazaki Station) :

     6:26 / 7:33 / 11:56 / 13:37 / 17:16 / 18:41 / 20:08 / 21:36

☆　Ryūgū Cape Bicycle Rental　☆

JR Nishi-Ōyama Station is surrounded by wide open spaces and an expensive sky that stretches to the horizon as far as the eye can see. Nearby, the beautiful Mount Kaimon, often called "the Mount Fuji of Satsuma", can be seen facing the East China Sea.

At Nishi-Ōyama Station, you can rent a motor-assisted cycle to enjoy the surrounding area.

◆Fee:　2 hrs ¥500／4 hrs ¥1,000／more than 4 hrs ¥1,500 

A cycling map has also been provided.

MAP PDF①：nishioyama_map_omote_4kou.pdf

MAP PDF②：nishioyama_map_ura_4kou.pdf 

Next up: an introduction to the nearby sightseeing spots you can visit by bicycle.

● Nagasakibana

Nagasakibana is a cape which protrudes into the ocean from the southernmost coast of Satsuma Peninsula.

There is an old Japanese folktale about Urashima Tarō travelling on the back of a sea turtle from this cape to the Dragon King's Palace (Ryūgū Palace) at the bottom of the ocean. Ryūgū Shrine, also in the Ibusuki area, honors the Prince and Princess of the Sea. Considering the legend surrounding this place, it's appropriate that sea turtles also come to lay their eggs here in the summer. Blue sea and sky, ocean spray, a white lighthouse and the majestic peak of Mount Kaimon: the scenery here is truly picturesque.

（about 4km from JR Nishi-Ōyama Station, about 30 minutes by bicycle）

○TEL: 0993-22-2111（Ibusuki City Tourism Division）

○FAX: 0993-23-4987（Ibusuki City Tourism Division）

○Location: Ibusuki City Yamakwa-Okachogamizu-Nagasaki

● Nagasakibana Parking Garden

http://www.synapse.ne.jp/npgyamakou/

Adjacent to Nagasakibana is the Nagasakibana Parking Garden, a nature park where subtropical plants are grown and rare animals are allowed to roam freely. You can see a flamingo and parrot show and pet the grazing animals while enjoying a fun family outing.

（about 4km from JR Nishi-Ōyama Station, about 30 minutes by bicycle）

○TEL: 0993-35-0111 　

○FAX: 0993-35-0112

○Location@: Ibusuki City Yamakawa-Okachogamizu 1571-1

○Fee：Adult (16 or older)： ¥1,200; Child (4 years of age or older)： ¥600;

 3 years of age or younger： free

● Flower Park Kagoshima

http://www.fp-k.org/

Flower Park Kagoshima is Japan's largest flower theme park with a total area of 36.5 hectares. This flower park, featuring over 2,400 varieties of subtropical and tropical flowers and plants, is the perfect place to surround yourself with flowers and greenery. Bathed in sunlight and warm climate, enjoy the pleasant sea breeze of this natural paradise.

（about 3.5km from Nishi-Ōyama Station, about 25 minutes by bicycle）

○TEL:  0993-35-3333 　

○FAX: 0993-35-5555

○Location : Ibusuki City Yamakawa-Okachogamizu 1611

○Admission： Adult ¥600; Child（15 years or younger）¥300

Group rate（20 people or more）: Adult：¥480; Child：¥240

● Healthy Land Open Air Bath

http://www.seika-spc.co.jp/healthy/?page_id=337

Although there are many ocean-view open air baths in Kagoshima Prefecture, the Healthy Land Open Air Bath is especially close to the ocean and thus particularly popular. Once you slip into the bath, the bath and the ocean appear to merge into one and you can even enjoy a breathtaking view of Mount Kaimon. It's the ideal location to refresh and recharge your mind and body. Yamakawa steam sandbath is also nearby.  

（about 5.4km from Nishi-Ōyama Station, about 40 minutes by bicycle）

○TEL: 0993-27-6966

○FAX: 0993-27-6966

○Location : Ibusuki City Yamakawa-Fukumoto 3292 (Kyūyamakawa Town)

○Closed on Tuesdays（If Tuesday is a national holiday, the bath will be closed Wednesday instead）

○Admission : Adult ¥330; Child（12 years of age or younger）¥200

● Yamakawa Steam Sandbath (Sayuri)

http://www.synapse.ne.jp/npgyamakou/sayuri/

Yamakawa Steam Sandbath is a seaside steam sandbath with a view of Mount Kaimon. To enjoy this sandbath, first lay down in the spot where beach sand has been scooped out. An assistant will then pile the sand on top of you, and you can bathe your entire body in the steamy sand as the warmth of the hot spring bubbles out. After 10〜15 minutes in this "natural sauna", the sand temperature and pressure will cause sweat to seep out from within your body. The sandbath is good for arthritis, stiff shoulders, lower back pain, sensitivity to cold, etc. Rising from the sand after your "bath", you will experience the refreshing feeling of your body becoming lighter. There's nothing quite like this sandbath where you can lay on this beautiful natural beach, listen to nothing but the sound of the waves and experience the exhilarating feeling after emerging from the warm sand.

（about 5.4km from Nishi-Ōyama Station, about 40 minutes by bicycle）

○TEL: 0993-35-2669

○FAX: 0993-35-2669

○Location : Ibusuki City Yamakawa-Fukumoto 3339-3 (Kyūyamakawa Town)

○Business hours : 9:00 ～ 17:30 （October～June） 　9:00 ～ 19:00 （July～September）

○Entrance fee (yukata included）: Adult ¥800; Child (12 years or younger) ¥400; towel rental ¥100

●　Tosenkyo Flowing Noodles

http://www.ibusuki.or.jp/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=37

Tosenkyo is the birthplace of circular-type flowing noodles. It was chosen as one of "100 Famous Water Hamlets" so scooping the flowing soumen noodles out of the refreshing spring water is a real treat at any time of the year. This special meal wrapped in the fragrance of the trees and the trickling sound of the water will fill your heart and your stomach.

（about 6km from Nishi-Ōyama Station, about 45 minutes by bicycle）

○TEL: 0993-32-2143

○FAX: 0993-32-3364

○Location : Ibusuki City Kaimon-Tocho 5967

The entire line of the Kyushu Shinkansen will begin operating on Saturday, March 12^th, 2011.

Travel time between Hakata Station (Fukuoka) and Kagoshima Chuo Station will be shortened to 1 hour and 19 minutes (fastest time).

Access to Kagoshima from overseas will also become fast and convenient!

<JR Kyushu Railway Company>

Japanese：http://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/train/

English：http://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/english/index.html

Korean：http://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/korean/index.html

The "sakura" and "mizuho" trains of the N700 series were created with Japanese-style hospitality in mind. The beautiful, powerful, and dignified features are superb.

The tranquility and comfort of the genuine cherry wood armrests and tables is palpable.　The train is divided into first class seats, reserved seats, and non-reserved seats which all have different designs. 

First class seats

The friendly train attendants will greet you with a smile.

Please enjoy your trip to Kagoshima while viewing Kyushu's calm and leisurely scenery. You can even see Nagasaki Prefecture's Mount Unzen (Fugendake Peak), Kumamoto Castle, etc. along the way.

Many delicious new train lunches are being released in anticipation of the Shinkansen opening. 

You can't talk about trains without mentioning ekiben train lunches!

Please ride the Kyushu Shinkansen and come to Kagoshima!