Sengan-en

Sengan-en is a Japanese style stately home and landscape garden along the coast north of downtown Kagoshima. Sengan-en was built in 1658 as one of the residences of the powerful Shimadzu clan. One of the garden's most striking features is its use of active volcano Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay as borrowed scenery. The gardens cover 50,000 square meters and include calming ponds, bubbling streams, mysterious shrines, a bamboo grove, and a mountain hiking trail. Visit Tsurugane Shrine and pray to become more beautiful, or the unusual Cat Shrine and pray for the health and longevity of your feline friend! The expansive house provides a glimpse into the lifestyle of one of Japan’s most influential feudal lords, and hosted Edward VIII of the UK and Nicholas II of Russia among others. See the rooms that the lord spent his daily life in and enjoy the view of the gardens and scenery beyond as only a samurai lord could.