Kagoshima is the Kyushu’s southernmost prefecture. Comprised of the mainland and 605 outlying islands, although jointly given the name “Kagoshima,” the prefecture in fact is a mixture of a diverse variety of cultures. To your average Japanese person, Kagoshima means shochu liquor, kurobuta pork, shirokuma shave ice, and sweet potatoes – in other words, a smorgasbord of delicious food and drink. The food culture born of the area’s temperate weather and the people who live there are both laid back. Drinking delicious shochu and laughing heartily. That is the image of Kagoshima.

One example that conveys this relaxed attitude is the Kagoshima expression “tegetege,” meaning something along the lines of “only to the extent necessary.” “Tegetege de yoka” – “You only need to do it to the extent necessary.” A phrase befitting the carefree locals of Kagoshima, who are little interested in business or profit. Conversely, the man who led the Meiji Restoration and guided Japan into the modern age was a feudal warrior of the ancient Satsuma Domain who made his base in Kagoshima. As such, the people of Kagoshima may appear placid on the outside, but they hide a passionate heart. Like the volcano of Sakurajima, one of the prefecture’s symbols, Kagoshima also has a hot side.