In my last installment of Hyatt’s Highlights I dealt with some of the history
and features of Sakura-jima. I’d like to go on and point out some sights and
then teach you the origins of the name of Kagoshima’s great volcano.
As I mentioned in Part 1, you can reach Sakura-jima by ferry from the city in
15 minutes. It can also be reached from the Osumi peninsula by land, but
few if any city residents take this route due to its impracticability.
Rainbow Sakura-jima can also offer you a very nice, reasonably priced room
if you’d like to stay over. They offer both western and Japanese style rooms to
suit all guests. The hotel’s spa is excellent! The water seems to bubble
directly from the heart of the volcano. Naturally it is quite hot, but uniquely
it is reddish brown in color due its abundance of minerals. This water is very
good for the skin but I don’t recommend drinking it. It has a slightly brackish
flavor.
After a hot bath, nothing hits the spot like a cool drink and some good food.
The hotel also has a very good restaurant. It serves a variety of dishes at
each meal, highlighting local cuisine. After dinner you can take a stroll in the
lava rock garden and enjoy the view of the bay, which is lovely at all hours.
Furusato spa is best known for its proximity to the ocean and its lovely
Shinto shrine. The spa where guests bathe is right at the edge of the bay,
basically at the same level, separated only by lava rocks. This spa permits
men and women to bathe together. Guests bathe while wearing white robes,
just thick enough for modesty. The water here is fresh and you are
encouraged to sip it with your tasting cup to partake of its mineral benefits.
Remember to visit the cooling down area where you can recline in a shallow
pool before heading in for a meal.
But perhaps you want to have some fun before you hit the spa. I recommend
taking in Sakura-jima by car. A new road affords visitors easy access around
the entire peninsula. If you don’t have a car, you can use public
transportation or be adventurous and bring a bike.
For those truly adventurous types who wish to do some hiking, please keep
in mind that the top 2/3rds of the volcano are off limits to visitors. But you
can still take in the view at the Yunohira Observatory. From this safe
vantage point you can get a great view of the volcano and its rural
community. You can also see the massive lava channels built to direct heavy
lava flows out into the ocean.
The big eruption of 1914 not only joined the former island to the Osumi
peninsula, it also created another of Sakura-jima’s sights, “The Buried Torii”.
This gate formed the entrance to a shrine, but became almost completely
buried by ash and pumice along with much of the local community. The gate
once stood over 3 meters in height, but now only the top peeks above the
volcanic soil. It was left in this condition to remind everyone of the power of
Sakura-jima and in memory of the people and community he reclaimed.
If you come with children or if you’re just young at heart, I suggest a visit to
Sakura-jima’s Dinosaur Park. Set on a hill with a good view of the volcano,
he Dinosaur Park is spacious with many playground rides to entertain
everyone. Some of these include lifelike dinosaurs which you can climb into
and play on. Many of the trees in the park are cherry trees, so it is an
excellent place to go in spring for “hanami” (cherry blossom viewing parties).
Before leaving Sakura-jima, be sure to try some of its own special foods.
There is plenty of fresh fish from the bay, but the most unique are the giant
radishes and mini oranges. You can get pre-sliced and pickled giant radish at
most shops. Enjoy it later with rice or just take it home and amaze your
friends and family. The mini oranges are best eaten on the spot after
purchasing them from one of the many local farm shops.
“Cherry Blossom Island”
As I always enjoy doing, I’d like to tell you some of the reasons people believe
lead to the name “Sakura-jima”. As you know “sakura” is “cherry blossom”
and “jima” (or the standard “shima”) is “island”. You might be interested to
know, that according to the stories, the presence of cherry blossoms has
nothing to do with the naming. In fact, very few cherry blossoms were on the
“island” until quite recently. Now of course, the island part of the name is
easy to explain. As you may have read in Part 1, Sakura-jima was an island
until the 1914 eruption created a land bridge to the Osumi side of
Kagoshima. Anyway let me introduce four stories, each of which claim have
lead to the island being named Sakura-jima. You should also know that it
wasn’t officially known as only Sakura-jima until the year 1698. Before that
it also was known as “Mukai-jima” (or Mukou-jima).
1.The first story, though fanciful, is quite typical of many naming myths. It
is said that long, long ago a single cherry blossom drifted down from the
sky and came to rest in the middle of the bay. Quite suddenly, the volcano
burst forth from beneath the waves; called into being by a single perfect
blossom.
2.Another story speaks of a princess. Whether she truly lived or not is open
for dispute, but it would seem unlikely because it was said that her
father was a god. Her name was Sakuya-hime, and a shrine was built to
house her spirit on the island which would become known as
Sakura-jima. In time, the shrine became so synonymous with the island
that people called it “Sakuya-jima” (Sakuya’s island). Over time the
name evolved from “Sakuya-jima” into “Sakura-jima”.
3.There once was a great samurai lord named Sakura-jima Tadanobu. He
was lord of Osumi and was renowned for his strength and love of the
island. In his memory, people began ascribing his name to the island.
Perhaps they felt that Tadanobu (his first name) didn’t cut it, so they
went with his second name (one of many) Sakura-jima.
4.Less out of legend or out of memory, some people claim that the island
got its name from a very simple observation. It seemed to many people
that the eruptions of the volcano created certain effect which reminded
them of cherry blossoms. For one, the dancing sparks of the fiery pumice
and magma looked like cherry blossoms playing in the wind. And the ash
which accompanied it gave the effect of the “sakura fubuki” (cherry
blossom petal storm) which is the name of the effect which comes when
the cherry blossoms fall from the trees and seem to snow or rain down.
Well, take these stories as you will. Honestly, I’m not sure which is correct
and neither are the Japanese. Perhaps they’re all correct, or perhaps none.
Everyone has their favorite. But I just enjoy the search, not the discovery.
Until next time……
