Osaka to Kagoshima City – Public Travel

I dismantled and bagged my bike up on the 17th (The night before I left) and realised that it would not fit, without any other options I decided to MAKE it fit, and the result was a half bag half bike thing.

I set my alarm for 6 am the following morning. So naturally, I lazily woke up around 10am. I got dressed and packed the things I could remember I needed and headed out. I had a bad nights sleep because I had caught a cold a couple of days before. I carried my bikebagthing and my backpack to the train station, and they were sooooo heavy. People on the train platform were hating me, and in return due to this early hour (11am) I was hating everything and everyone. I boarded my first hate filled train at 12 am. I decided to cheer up as I got on the shinkansen, and I started zooming through prefectures at about 186 mph. I looked at the window at the endless forests, mountains and paddy fields. It looked impossible to navigate so I decided to stop looking out the window.

I arrived in Kagoshima city after about 7 hours of train journeys, my cold had taken a bad turn and I had a raging headache. I checked into my hotel about 7:30, 4 hours later than planned. I had dinner from a convenience shop and headed back to my room to build my bike. I fell asleep without even touching my bike. I woke up several times in the night, sweating but shivering with fever. I managed to fall asleep again untill I was woken by a phone call. The woman at reception told me that I had to checkout in 10 minutes.

I decided to stay here for an extra day, as camping like this would probably kill me. I took more of my japanese medicine. Japanese medicine is not made with foreigners in mind obviously so its about as effective as a polo mint, but gives me all the nasty side effects like drowsiness.

I felt a little better about 11am, so I thought I may as well as try to see something while im here so　I walked around Kagoshima City.

　Kagoshima City seems to me to be a forgotten City. It’s true, it held no interest for me, it was just a built up place that i needed to pass through. My thoughts however changed as I walked around. I didn’t see a single teenager or young person while wondering the streets, I even passed outside the school and it seemed dead, as though the young people had escaped the city, as to not be forgotten with it. The city is surrounded by mountains, but the mountain on the east side is the most interesting.

Kagoshima City is shadowed by the huge volcano Sakurajima. This volcano is still active and seems to blurt smoke out of the top and rumble every now and then. This is the first time I have ever seen an active volcano. I just hoped it would stay THIS active as i slept in my hotel just across the bay tonight. I sat in a coffee shop and looked out onto the volcano. Do these people not know what a volcano can do? Is there not anywhere else they could have built a city? Sakurajima nearly erupted last year, it ejected ash 2 km into the air and when it does erupt, they think the tidal wave will destroy all that is around it. I would have taken that as a warning. I just hope they have insurance. Still,the people of the city seem to me to be the least work orientated people of japan I have met so far. They are also very friendly. I suppose it comes from living life at natures will, every minute here is given by nature, and it can be taken away…but once again, hopefully not tonight!