Information as at 21 August 2026

This page is a relocation summary written by an advanced AI

It is not a personal opinion piece written by a human. An AI gathered official information published on the internet — municipal and national statistics, the Japan Meteorological Agency, railway companies, property portals — and rebuilt it into a form that someone considering a move can read and act on. Every figure carries a source link and the date it was checked, so please confirm anything that matters to you against the original document. Rules and prices change. Always check the latest information yourself before you sign anything.

Moving to Kagoshima

Name: Relocation data for Kagoshima (Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture)
Creator: CCN Machi-erabi
License: https://ijukeikaku.com/terms/

A city of 570,000 that looks across Kinko Bay at Sakurajima — the prefectural capital of the far south. The city's brand message is "Wakuwaku with you — Magma City": the only large city in Japan that lives face to face with an active volcano. 🔴 A prefectural capital with 47 hot-spring day baths (§17). The tram is a flat ¥170 for adults. And to be honest about the present — as of August 2026 the Kyushu Shinkansen is cut between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata by the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto earthquake (§3). This page carries both the numbers of everyday life and the situation as it stands.

Population

576,866 people

288,191 households; estimate as of 1 June, Reiwa 8 (2026)

Homes for sale

785 listings

¥2,000,000– / median ¥18,990,000

Hot springs and day baths

47 places

the most of any prefectural capital on this site (§17)

Tram

¥170 flat fare

adults, however far you ride

Residential land price

¥96,100/m²

+0.8% year on year / the Kagoshima Prefecture average is ¥45,100/m²

Winter morning (January daily low)

4.9℃

1.7 days below 0℃ a year; snow almost never settles

Water (45 m³ over two months)

¥10,476

water ¥6,324 + sewerage ¥4,152; 13 mm meter

City area

547.58km²

54.7% forest; a core city

Summer (August daily high)

32.7℃

Kagoshima; 1.4℃ warmer than Tokyo

Winter (January daily low)

4.9℃

Kagoshima; 3.7℃ warmer than Tokyo

🚗 Roadside stations2 ⛰ National and quasi-national parks ♨ Hot springs and day baths47 🚐 RV parks3

Roadside stations: Kiire, Sakurajima / National and quasi-national parks: Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park / Hot springs and day baths: Kagomma Onsen, Kofuku-yu, Kagoshima City Welfare Centre for Older People, Kagoshima City Welfare Centre for Older People: Sakurajima, Kagoshima Kenko-no-Mori Park, Natural Hot Spring, Kagoshima Fureai Sportsland, Kiire Hachiman Onsen Hoyokan, Matsumoto Hiranooka Gymnasium, Yururi-no-yu, Shin-Toso Onsen, Myoban-no-yu, Korimoto Onsen, Kame-no-yu / RV parks: RV Park smart Tenmonkan, RV Park Gin-no-yu, RV Park smart Daiichi Park Kagoshima-Chuo
Sources: roadside stations from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism list of roadside stations (checked 2026-08-21) / national and quasi-national parks from Ministry of the Environment boundary data and related sources (details in §17) (checked 2026-08-21) / hot springs and day baths from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) (checked 2026-08-21) / RV parks from the Japan RV Association list of certified "Kuruma-tabi" RV parks (checked 2026-08-21). 🔴 Only what is there is listed — a town without them is not a lesser town.

Last verified 2026-08-21

CHAPTER 01First, what kind of place Kagoshima is

The prefectural capital of Kagoshima Prefecture. A core city with a population of 576,866 in 288,191 households (estimate, 1 June Reiwa 8), an area of 547.58 square kilometres and 54.7% forest cover. In the city’s own disaster-management wording it faces "the calm waters of Kinko Bay, in roughly the middle of mainland Kagoshima Prefecture at the southern tip of Kyushu", and the view of Sakurajima from the built-up area has long earned it the name "the Naples of the East". An active volcano, Sakurajima, lies inside the city limits — that is the premise behind everything else here.

"Magma City" — a prefectural capital that named itself after its volcanoThe city's brand message is "Wakuwaku with you — Magma City". In the city's own explanation, "magma" calls Sakurajima to mind and stands for the energy of the town and its people, and the symbol mark is drawn in the shape of Sakurajima. Not avoiding the volcano but taking the volcano as the town's pride — the name accepts both the resolve to live with falling ash and the gifts the volcano brings: hot springs and scenery. §5 sets out what living with ash actually means.

A prefectural capital that is also a hot-spring townCounted on the same nationwide yardstick in §17, Kagoshima has 47 hot springs and day baths — the highest figure of any prefectural capital on this site. Places such as Kagomma Onsen and Kofuku-yu, ordinary bathhouses that happen to be hot springs, stand in the middle of the built-up area. This is not a resort like Beppu or Nasu; it is the everyday hot spring you drop into on the way home from work. It is a daily gift from Sakurajima.

A centre you can cover for ¥170 by tram, and Sakurajima across the water by ferryThe built-up area works on the tram (a flat ¥170 for adults). Sakurajima is reached by the Sakurajima Ferry — open all year, and since October Reiwa 7 it runs from 4:00 to 23:30 (revised from the earlier 24-hour service). A life in which "the ferry is the commute" is perfectly ordinary in this city.

Sources: population and households fromKagoshima City, "Estimated population (as of 1 June, Reiwa 8)"(576,866 people — 268,683 men and 308,183 women — in 288,191 households) / area and forest cover fromthe same city, "Outline of Kagoshima City (business location guide)"(547.58 km², 54.7% forest) / "the Naples of the East" and the location fromthe same city, outline of disaster management (PDF) / Magma City fromthe same city, "The symbol mark ‘Magma City’" / the tram fare fromKagoshima City Transportation Bureau, "Fare guide"(¥170 for adults) / the ferry fromthe same bureau, "Sakurajima Ferry"/ Verified 2026-08-21

Map of Kagoshima City

You can zoom and pan. The marker is Kagoshima City Hall (Yamashita-cho). The island in Kinko Bay to the east is Sakurajima (the land-connected eastern side is also part of the city). South of city hall are the Tenmonkan entertainment district and Kagoshima-Chuo Station. The Yoshino plateau runs north and the built-up area of Taniyama runs south. From JR Kagoshima-Chuo Station the Kyushu Shinkansen runs north (towards Hakata) and the Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line runs south, while two tram routes cross the centre.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

What kind of town is Kagoshima City?

The largest prefectural capital in southern Kyushu, with 576,866 people in 288,191 households (June, Reiwa 8). An active volcano, Sakurajima, lies inside the city limits, and the city’s brand message is "Wakuwaku with you — Magma City". It is a prefectural capital with 47 hot springs and day baths — a town that lives on what the volcano gives.

CHAPTER 02Six areas, and life in each

We divide the city into 6. The split is by direction and distance from city hall, and all 785 listings are sorted one by one using their map coordinates (0 could not be sorted). Medians run from ¥13,490,000 in Ishiki and Koriyama to ¥24,980,000 in the central district. Median elevation runs from 10 metres (the centre) to 175 metres (the Yoshino plateau) — in this city, "how high up you live" decides the slopes, the view, the ashfall and the land price alike.

Areas	Listings	median	Median elevation	What defines it
Taniyama and Murasakibaru (southern estates)	244 listings	¥23,740,000	51.9m	30% of the city’s listings. The southern axis of JR, tram and the industrial road
Yoshino and Tamazato (the northern plateau)	189 listings	¥14,490,000	175.0m	33% under ¥10,000,000. High ground looking down on Sakurajima
Takeoka, Hoshigamine and Seiryo (western hillside estates)	148 listings	¥19,650,000	89.7m	Planned estates. Only 7% under ¥10,000,000
Ishiki and Koriyama (northwest plateau and hills)	87 listings	¥13,490,000	82.0m	the most affordable of the six
Kamoike, Usuki and Kiire (the coastal north-south axis)	64 listings	¥18,500,000	24.6m	Sea and flat land. South as far as the old town of Kiire
the central district (Tenmonkan, Kagoshima-Chuo, Kamimachi)	53 listings	¥24,980,000	10.4m	the most expensive, and at 43% pre-1981 the oldest

Taniyama and Murasakibaru (southern estates) — 30% of all listings244 listings (¥2,000,000–92,000,000, median ¥23,740,000; 36 under ¥10,000,000 = 15%). Elevation 2.6–160.2 metres (median 51.9 metres). Median year built 1995, with 25% from 1981 or earlier. The nearest stations are Sakanoue 42, Taniyama 33, Hiroki 30 and Jigenji 15 — a market station by station along the JR Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line and the Taniyama tram line. From the Murasakibaru plateau down to the flats of Taniyama, this is the southern spine of daily life.
Suits = anyone who wants an ordinary, convenient suburb with stations and big shops
Watch out for = the edge of the plateau means slopes and retaining walls. Check the landslide zones in §5 by street address

Yoshino and Tamazato (the northern plateau) — ¥14,490,000, looking down on Sakurajima189 listings (¥2,980,000–41,800,000, median ¥14,490,000, 63 under ¥10,000,000 = 33%). At a median elevation of 175.0 metres this is the highest ground in the city. Median year built 1991. Listings give Kagoshima Station or Kagoshima-Chuo Station plus a bus as the nearest transport — in other words, a place you come down the hill and take the bus from. It is the plateau above Sengan-en (the Iso garden), and the views of Sakurajima are the best in the city.
Suits = people buying view and space within budget, who value a Sakurajima outlook
Watch out for = two cars assumed. The climb home in summer, and ash that reaches the plateau when the wind turns

Takeoka, Hoshigamine and Seiryo (western hillside estates) — the steadiness of planned estates148 listings (¥3,000,000–61,800,000, median ¥19,650,000; only 7% under ¥10,000,000). Median elevation 89.7 metres. Median year built 1991. The nearest stations are Kagoshima-Chuo 48, Hiroki 40 and Kami-Ijuin 25. These are planned estates laid out from the 1970s to the 90s: tidy plots, and prices that hold up.
Suits = people who want regular plots, quiet streets and settled school catchments
Watch out for = you reach the centre through tunnels and over hills. Check the morning traffic yourself, at the hour you would travel

Ishiki and Koriyama (northwest plateau and hills) — the most affordable87 listings (¥2,000,000–230,000,000, median ¥13,490,000, the lowest of the six; 26% under ¥10,000,000). Median elevation 82.0 metres. Median year built 1989. A broad band that runs from Ishiki New Town out to the old town of Koriyama in the hills.
Suits = budget first, or anyone who wants the quiet of the hills
Watch out for = the further out you go, the more a car is assumed. A ¥230,000,000 property sits in the same list, so sort by price when you browse

Kamoike, Usuki and Kiire (the coastal north-south axis) — sea and flat land64 listings (¥2,000,000–66,800,000, median ¥18,500,000; 28% under ¥10,000,000). A median elevation of 24.6 metres puts this on the flat. Median year built 1995. From the prefectural-government quarter at Kamoike through Usuki and south to Kiire (the old town of Kiire).
Suits = flat ground, the sea nearby, commuting to the prefectural offices and the hospitals
Watch out for = on low ground, always check the tsunami and storm-surge maps (§5). Kiire is a different life from the city centre

Central (Tenmonkan, Kagoshima-Chuo, Kamimachi) — expensive, and old53 listings (¥2,900,000–100,000,000, median ¥24,980,000, the highest). Median elevation 10.4 metres. It is also the oldest stock: median year built 1985, with 43% from 1981 or earlier. The nearest transport is Kagoshima Station, Kagoshima-Chuo Station and the tram stops. From Kamimachi at the foot of Shiroyama to Tenmonkan, this is a walkable life.
Suits = people who want to live by tram and on foot, or to choose not to own a car
Watch out for = price plus the cost of seismic retrofitting. It is low ground, so check §5 for tsunami and flooding by street address

Prices, counts, elevations and years of construction are fromSUUMOlisted785 listings (all) each listing's map coordinates, sorted into six areas (all 785 listings sorted, 0 unsorted) / elevation is the value returned by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan elevation API for the map coordinates on each listing page (where coordinates were missing, the representative point of the district was used) / the district names follow the city’s branch-office and estate names / retrieved 21 August 2026 / checked 2026-08-21

Which part of Kagoshima City should I live in?

The first thing to decide is "tram country or car country". Inside the tram belt (Tenmonkan–Kagoshima-Chuo–Taniyama) you can live without a car. The outer estates, the old towns and the Sakurajima side assume a car. 🔴 This is a city of slopes, so always check the gradients, retaining walls and road widths on site. How often ash falls varies a great deal within the city depending on the wind, and asking an estate agent in that particular district is the surest way to find out.

CHAPTER 03Trains and cars — how you get around

First, the situation as it actually is. Kagoshima-Chuo is the first and last station of the Kyushu Shinkansen, and in normal times Hakata is 1 hr 16 min away at best (Mizuho, no change). But the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto earthquake in July 2026 badly damaged the line between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata, and as of August 2026 it is still closed (§3) (Shin-Minamata–Kagoshima-Chuo reopened on 7 August and Hakata–Kumamoto on 31 July). JR Kyushu says "reopening the whole line within August will be difficult". For now the alternatives to Hakata include the Sakurajima-go express bus, about 4 hr 30 min for ¥7,000.

Journey times from Kagoshima-Chuo (as things stand in August 2026)

Destination	In normal times	2026-08as of
Hakata	1 hr 16 min at best Kyushu Shinkansen Mizuho, no change	The Shinkansen is closed between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata. The Sakurajima-go express bus takes about 4 hr 32 min for ¥7,000 (searched live). Shinkansen trains turn back at Shin-Minamata
Tokyo	By air, about 1 hr 50 min	Kagoshima Airport is about 40 min by bus from Kagoshima-Chuo Station for ¥1,500 (searched live). Flights are running normally
Within the city	Two tram routes, a flat ¥170 for adults. A bus network plus the Sakurajima Ferry (4:00–23:30)

This closure is something to weigh when you decideA main artery stopping for months at a time is part of the reality of living in southern Kyushu. At the same time, flights from Kagoshima Airport are running normally, and the effect on daily life in the city (tram, bus, ferry) is limited. Always check the latest outlook for reopening in JR Kyushu's announcements. This page will be rewritten as soon as the reopening is confirmed.

In normal times Kagoshima-Chuo is the southern gateway of KyushuAs the first station of the Kyushu Shinkansen, you get a seat and reach Hakata in 1 hr 16 min, with through trains to Shin-Osaka (Mizuho). "Fly to Tokyo, take the Shinkansen to Osaka and Fukuoka" is the normal pattern. Kagoshima Airport is outside the city (in Mizobe, Kirishima), about 40 min by bus from the centre — anyone who travels often for work should note that this is not a town with an airport close by.

Everyday life turns on the tramA tram that goes anywhere for ¥170 links Tenmonkan, Kagoshima-Chuo Station and Taniyama, so life in the centre can be built without a car. If you live on the Sakurajima side, the ferry (15 min each way, 4:00–23:30) is your commute. The outer estates (§2) assume a car. This is a city of slopes, so look at the type of car and the gradient of the parking space property by property.

Sources: the damage to the Shinkansen and the state of reopening fromKumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun (August 2026), "No prospect yet of the Kyushu Shinkansen reopening"andRailLab, "Shin-Minamata–Kagoshima-Chuo services resumed on 7 August" / the normal best time of 1 hr 16 min fromEkitan, "Kagoshima-Chuo → Hakata (Mizuho)" timetable (the pre-earthquake schedule) / the express bus and airport bus fromYahoo! Transit searched live for 24 August 2026 (Sakurajima-go 8:40 → Hakata Bus Terminal 12:59, ¥7,000 / Airport Shuttle about 40 min, ¥1,500) / tram and ferry as in §1 / checked 2026-08-21

✈ Airports

The nearest is Kagoshima Airport (a hub airport, state-managed), about 34.5 km in a straight line. Next is Miyazaki Airport (about 92.7 km in a straight line). 🔴 These are straight-line distances. They are neither road distance nor journey time — check how to get there in each operator’s timetable.

🛣 Expressway junctions

This area has 5 entrances (interchanges and junctions).
The Kyushu Expressway, Kagoshima Route = Satsuma-Yoshida, Kagoshima, Kagoshima-Kita
The Kagoshima Road = Matsumoto, Kagoshima-Nishi

Sources: airports fromNational Land Numerical Information, "Airports", FY2021 edition (category names followthe MLIT list of airports ) / expressway junctions fromthe same, "Expressways time series", 2025 edition, current data only (what is open today). Both were overlaid onthe same, "Administrative boundaries", 2026and judged by machine to fall inside this area / verified 2026-08-21

How long does it take from Kagoshima to Hakata or Tokyo?

In normal times the Kyushu Shinkansen Mizuho reaches Hakata in 1 hr 16 min at best, with no change. 🔴 But as of August 2026 the section between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata is closed after the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto earthquake, and the alternatives include the Sakurajima-go express bus (about 4 hr 30 min, ¥7,000). Tokyo is reached by air — Kagoshima Airport is about 40 min by bus from the city centre for ¥1,500. Within the city the tram is a flat ¥170.

CHAPTER 04Homes actually on the market right now

SUUMO lists 785 properties — the largest set this site has taken in whole for any town. From ¥2,000,000 to ¥230,000,000, median ¥18,990,000. 163 (21%) are under ¥10,000,000. The median plot is 183 square metres (about 55 tsubo) and the median building 99 square metres. The median year built is 1992, and 231 (29%) date from 1981 or earlier.

Sort

"Nearest the station first" converts everything to minutes — a walk of ◯ min, ◯ min by bus plus ◯ min from the stop, ◯ km by car (reckoned at 30 km/h) — and compares those. Listings with no such information always appear last, whatever the sort.

Sakanoue 8¥2,000,000Taniyama and Murasakibaru (southern estates)Elev. approx. 70 m / Land 209 m² (63 tsubo) / Building 93 m² (28 tsubo) / built 1973 / Sakanoue Sta. bus 2 min+9 min walk10 photos →

Hikariyama 2¥2,000,000Kamoike, Usuki and Kiire (the coastal north-south axis)Elev. approx. 40 m / Land 282 m² (85 tsubo) / Building 88 m² (27 tsubo) / built 1968 / Sakanoue Sta. 14 min walk10 photos →

Shimoishiki 2¥2,000,000Ishiki and Koriyama (northwest plateau and hills)Elev. approx. 50 m / Land 193 m² (58 tsubo) / Building 75 m² (23 tsubo) / built 1970 / Suizokukanguchi tram stop bus 24 min+4 min walk10 photos →

Nagayoshi 2¥2,000,000Ishiki and Koriyama (northwest plateau and hills)Elev. approx. 30 m / Land 287 m² (87 tsubo) / Building 70 m² (21 tsubo) / built 1973 / Tamae Elementary School 7 min walk10 photos →

Toso 3¥2,000,000Taniyama and Murasakibaru (southern estates)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 65 m² (20 tsubo) / Building 43 m² (13 tsubo) / built 1961 / Kogakubu-mae tram stop 9 min walk10 photos →

Inari-cho¥2,900,000Central (Tenmonkan, Kagoshima-Chuo, Kamimachi)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 168 m² (51 tsubo) / Building 65 m² (20 tsubo) / built 1960 / Kagoshima Sta. bus 15 min+4 min walk6 photos →

Sennen 1¥2,900,000Ishiki and Koriyama (northwest plateau and hills)Elev. approx. 110 m / Land 188 m² (57 tsubo) / Building 75 m² (23 tsubo) / built 1975 / 花野口 bus stop 28 min walk8 photos →

Somuta 1¥2,900,000Central (Tenmonkan, Kagoshima-Chuo, Kamimachi)Elev. approx. 30 m / Land 161 m² (49 tsubo) / Building 90 m² (27 tsubo) / built 1976 / Kajiya-cho tram stop bus 5 min+8 min walk8 photos →

Higashisakamoto 4-57番6¥2,980,000Yoshino and Tamazato (the northern plateau)Elev. approx. 110 m / Land 132 m² (40 tsubo) / Building 81 m² (25 tsubo) / built 1981 / Kagoshima Station-mae tram stop 43 min walk9 photos →

Murasakibaru 7¥3,000,000Taniyama and Murasakibaru (southern estates)Elev. approx. 110 m / Land 133 m² (40 tsubo) / Building 51 m² (15 tsubo) / built 1972 / Toso tram stop bus 8 min+6 min walk10 photos →

Kamitaniguchi-cho¥3,000,000Takeoka, Hoshigamine and Seiryo (western hillside estates)Elev. approx. 160 m / Land 621 m² (188 tsubo) / Building 153 m² (46 tsubo) / built 1976 / Kami-Ijuin Sta. 3 min walk10 photos →

Yoshino-cho¥3,000,000Yoshino and Tamazato (the northern plateau)Elev. approx. 190 m / Land 1212 m² (367 tsubo) / Building 47 m² (14 tsubo) / built 1961 / Sengan-en Sta. bus 14 min+5 min walk5 photos →

Yoshino-cho 498-4¥3,500,000Yoshino and Tamazato (the northern plateau)Elev. approx. 180 m / Land 126 m² (38 tsubo) / Building 74 m² (22 tsubo) / built 1974 / 天神山南口 bus stop 7 min walk10 photos →

Yoshino-cho¥3,500,000Yoshino and Tamazato (the northern plateau)Elev. approx. 150 m / Land 117 m² (35 tsubo) / Building 93 m² (28 tsubo) / built 1973 / Kagoshima Sta. 62 min walk10 photos →

Tagamidai 3¥3,500,000Taniyama and Murasakibaru (southern estates)Elev. approx. 70 m / Land 82 m² (25 tsubo) / Building 111 m² (34 tsubo) / built 1985 / Hiroki Sta., 2.2km10 photos →

Yoshino-cho¥3,500,000Yoshino and Tamazato (the northern plateau)Elev. approx. 190 m / Land 109 m² (33 tsubo) / Building 80 m² (24 tsubo) / built 1978 / Kagoshima-Chuo Sta. bus 38 min+11 min walk6 photos →

Nishiishiki 5¥3,600,000Yoshino and Tamazato (the northern plateau)Elev. approx. 100 m / Land 223 m² (67 tsubo) / Building 65 m² (20 tsubo) / built 1975 / Nishiishiki 6-chome 中通 bus stop 9 min walk10 photos →

Kamitatsuo-cho¥3,700,000Central (Tenmonkan, Kagoshima-Chuo, Kamimachi)Elev. approx. 40 m / Land 75 m² (23 tsubo) / Building 79 m² (24 tsubo) / built 1966 / Kagoshima Sta. bus 8 min+3 min walk3 photos →

Kamitatsuo-cho 9-8¥3,700,000Central (Tenmonkan, Kagoshima-Chuo, Kamimachi)Elev. approx. 40 m / Land 75 m² (23 tsubo) / Building 79 m² (24 tsubo) / built 1966 / Kagoshima Sta. bus 8 min+3 min walk5 photos →

Nishiishiki 5¥3,800,000Yoshino and Tamazato (the northern plateau)Elev. approx. 100 m / Land 165 m² (50 tsubo) / Building 108 m² (33 tsubo) / built 1975 / Nishiishiki 4-chome bus stop 3 min walk10 photos →

The photographs are the images carried on SUUMO. They disappear once a listing ends. Check the real condition of a property on site.

See all 785 on SUUMO →

785 listings — the first thing about this market is how much choice there isIn a city of 570,000 every type is on the market at once: walking distance to a station, planned estates, slopes with a sea view, the Sakurajima side. The median of ¥18,990,000 is about 70% of the level in Oita City (¥25,500,000). The spread is extreme too: a ¥2,000,000 house and a ¥230,000,000 house sit in the same list. Here, which district you buy in (§2) matters more than the median.

Being "a city of slopes" is already priced inCentral Kagoshima is a hillside city cut out of the shirasu plateau. Among the cheap listings you will find "at the top of a slope no car can climb" and "comes with a retaining wall". Look at the slope, the retaining wall and the width of the road on site, not in the photos. Elevation data (attached to every listing) lets you read roughly where a property sits straight from the list.

The vacant-home bank still has only one listingKagoshima City’s vacant-home bank (the nationwide At Home edition) had1 property as of 21 August 2026. In a town where the second-hand market is this deep (785 listings), the bank tends to stay thin.If you are looking, SUUMO is where the search happens. Kagoshima City vacant-home bank site →

Sources: taken from SUUMO, "Second-hand detached houses in Kagoshima City" (see the list here / of the 785 listings785 listingsall retrieved on 21 August 2026) / elevations are the map coordinates on each listing page put throughGeospatial Information Authority of Japan elevation API / the akiya bank from Vacant-home bank site for Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture (At Home)/ Verified 2026-08-21

Akiya bank — 1 listings

This is every house for sale registered on the at-home municipal vacant-home bank — 1 in all (as checked on 21 August 2026). They are listed in Cheapest first order.
See all 1 vacant-home bank listing in this town →

Kagoshima City Koyamada-cho¥11,800,000

Land 674 m² (204 tsubo) / Building 122 m² (37 tsubo) /built 1973／5LDK
北薩線 (本線) 薩摩塚田 bus stop min from stop, walk 13 minAkiya bank of View listing →

What is the cheapest house you can buy in Kagoshima City?

SUUMO lists 785 properties (the whole set — the largest on this site), from ¥2,000,000 to ¥230,000,000 with a median of ¥18,990,000. 163 (21%) are under ¥10,000,000, and the median year built is 1992. The vacant-home bank has only one listing, so SUUMO is where the search happens.

CHAPTER 05Is the ground safe?

Disaster preparedness here begins with the etiquette of living with a volcano. Against Sakurajima’s ashfall the city hands out "kokuhai-bukuro" ash bags free of charge (at city hall, the branch offices, the community welfare halls and the citizen service stations), and the ash you collect goes to a designated ash point on your own plot — a town where collecting ash is a public service, just like rubbish collection. The figures for earthquake, tsunami and landslide are in the boxes below.

Is this town inside a national earthquake-preparedness zone?

For each major earthquake, national law designates the areas where preparation is to be advanced. Whether a town is designated tells you directly how the national government views the shaking and tsunami expected there.

Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area	Designated
Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area	Not covered (the whole of Kagoshima Prefecture is outside the scheme)
Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area	Not covered (the whole of Kagoshima Prefecture is outside the scheme)
Shaking of intensity 6-lower or above within 30 years	17.9% (3.0% for shindo 6-upper or above) At the Kagoshima City Hall point. Surface ground: AVS30 173 m/s, delta and coastal lowland

This probability is the figure for the single 250 m grid square in which city hall stands. Kagoshima City Hall stands ondelta and coastal lowland (AVS30 173 m/s), and the 17.9% above is the value at that point. Even inside Kagoshima it changes a great deal between the low ground along the rivers and the plateaus. When a listing interests you, look it up by its street address.Enter an address on the J-SHIS map and it shows the probability and the ground for that 250-metre mesh.

Look up an address on J-SHIS → Designations from the Cabinet Office list of designated municipalities (Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area／Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area／Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area ) / probability and surface ground from theNational Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, J-SHIS earthquake hazard information API (2024 edition, average case, all earthquakes), queried at the coordinates of city hall / checked 2026-08-21

"Koku-hai" — beating the ash, as the city puts itOn a day when Sakurajima drops ash, the roads, the cars and the garden are all covered. The city gives out ash bags free and clears ash from the roads under its ashfall removal programme. Residents pick up habits: don’t hang the washing out on an ash day, don’t run the wipers over dry ash. Whether you can accept this is the honest dividing line for moving to Kagoshima. How often ash falls differs a lot even within the city, depending on the wind — ask an estate agent which side of Sakurajima is downwind (it changes with the season).

The shirasu cliffs, and heavy rainAnnual rainfall of 2,434.7 millimetres (§6) is 1.5 times Tokyo’s. Shirasu (volcanic deposits) is weak against water, and there are many designated landslide-warning zones in the city. As the box above says, always check the landslide designations for the exact address. The city’s hazard maps also carry tsunami scenarios tied to activity at Sakurajima for the low ground.

"What the volcano gives" comes from exactly the same source47 hot springs and day baths (§1), fields on the shirasu plateau, Sakurajima daikon and Sakurajima small mandarins — much of what makes this town attractive comes from the same volcano as the risk. You cannot take only the gifts: that is the honest condition of living here.

Sources: the ash bags fromKagoshima City, "Provision of kokuhai ash bags" (free of charge, with the places they are held) / how to put out fallen ash fromthe same city, FAQ "Disposing of ash that falls on your own plot" (take it to the designated ash point) / ash on the roads fromthe same city, "Ashfall removal programme" / the earthquake probability and the national designations from the sources given in the box above (NIED J-SHIS and the Cabinet Office) / verified 2026-08-21

What are the disaster risks in Kagoshima?

First, ashfall from Sakurajima — the city gives out ash bags free and runs a scheme under which ash from your plot goes to a designated ash point. Second, landslides on the shirasu plateau, with 2,434 millimetres of rain a year. Together with the earthquake and tsunami scenarios, check the hazard maps and J-SHIS for the exact address.

CHAPTER 06What summer and winter are like

The gentlest winter on this site, and the hottest summer nights — both, honestly. The January daily low is 4.9℃, there are 1.7 days below 0℃ a year, none below freezing all day, and snow almost never settles (2 centimetres of snowfall in total). On the other hand there are 55.8 tropical nights a year — three times Tokyo’s (17.8) and the highest of any town counted on this site. The August daily high is 32.7℃ and annual rainfall 2,434.7 millimetres.

Winter: not the stove, but a walk with Sakurajima in view1.7 days below 0℃ means that the winter chores of the main island — frozen pipes, winter tyres, shovelling snow — barely exist. The January daily high is 13.1℃; on a clear winter afternoon one coat is enough. If you are moving from snow country, the fixed costs of winter (heating, tyres, snow clearing) disappear altogether.

Summer: the nights are hot. Be ready for that55.8 tropical nights — through July and August the low almost never drops below 25℃. An air conditioner in the bedroom is not a luxury, it is equipment. By day there are 78 midsummer days and 6.1 days of extreme heat. That is where the 47 hot-spring bathhouses (§1) earn their keep on the way home. The plan for summer is to offset the cooling bill against what winter saves — the centre of gravity of your energy bill is the opposite way round from the main island.

Rain: the rainy season here means downpours2,434.7 millimetres a year is 1.5 times Tokyo’s (1,598.2 millimetres). It concentrates at the end of the rainy season in June and July, and combined with the shirasu cliffs of §5 it makes landslide warnings an annual event. "Southern Japan" does not mean "mild". The winter is mild and the summer and the rainy season are fierce — that is this town’s climate, accurately put.

Sources: the temperatures, rainfall, snow and the counts of days in each class all fromJapan Meteorological Agency, "Kagoshima normals (1991–2020)" (August daily high 32.7℃, daily low 26.0℃ / January daily high 13.1℃, daily low 4.9℃ / annual rainfall 2,434.7 mm /days by class = 55.8 tropical nights, 78.0 midsummer days, 6.1 days of extreme heat, 1.7 days below 0℃, 0.0 days below freezing all day /snow = 2 cm of snowfall in total, maximum snow depth 3 cm) / the Tokyo figures are from the Japan Meteorological Agency "Tokyo normals" (17.8 tropical nights, annual rainfall 1,598.2 mm) / checked 2026-08-21

How hot is summer and how cold is winter in Kagoshima?

The winter is gentle — a January daily low of 4.9℃, 1.7 days below 0℃ a year, and snow that almost never settles. 🔴 In exchange there are 55.8 tropical nights a year (Tokyo has 17.8), the hottest summer nights of any town counted on this site. Treat an air conditioner in the bedroom as equipment.

CHAPTER 07Shops, hospitals, schools

As a prefectural capital of 570,000, the concentration of shops, medical care and schools is the largest in southern Kyushu. Child medical costs are subsidised to the end of the third year of junior high school (you pay at most ¥2,000 a month), and children under 3 and households exempt from municipal tax pay nothing (for exempt households, until the end of the school year in which the child turns 18). Set beside Oita City (to high-school age, capped at ¥500 per outpatient day) it is a modest scheme — even prefectural capitals differ.

Child medical costs follow an "up to ¥2,000 a month" patternThe subsidy runs to the end of the third year of junior high school. What is paid is your out-of-pocket share of insured treatment minus ¥2,000 a month (so in practice ¥2,000 a month is the ceiling). Under-3s pay nothing, and households exempt from municipal tax pay nothing until the end of the school year in which the child turns 18. This site does not judge better or worse, but it does show how the pattern differs from town to town — Oita is "to the end of high school, ¥500 a day", Kagoshima is "to the end of junior high, ¥2,000 a month".

Medical care and shopping are the hub of southern KyushuKagoshima University Hospital and the other core hospitals are gathered inside the city, and the retail concentration from Tenmonkan to Kagoshima-Chuo Station is the largest in southern Kyushu. You will rarely find the scale lacking for a specialist, a school to move on to or a class to take. Not confirmed: we could not obtain a settled count of the municipal primary and junior high schools from the city’s published pages. Check catchments on the city’s school-district page.

The Sakurajima side and the outskirts wear a different faceInside the same city, the Sakurajima side and the old towns of Matsumoto, Koriyama and Kiire are places where both shopping and school assume a car. Together with the district split in §2, deciding "tram country or car country" first is the short cut to finding a home here.

Sources: medical costs for children from Kagoshima City, "Child medical expenses subsidy"andthe same city, FAQ "Up to what age can it be claimed?" (to the end of the third year of junior high school; the subsidy is your share minus ¥2,000 a month; for under-3s and tax-exempt households the co-payment itself is subsidised / for exempt households until the end of the school year in which the child turns 18) / the Oita scheme uses the same sources as the Oita page on this site / checked 2026-08-21

Will I be short of hospitals, shops or schools?

The largest concentration in southern Kyushu. Core hospitals, specialists and schools to move on to are all inside the city. Child medical costs are subsidised to the end of the third year of junior high school (you pay at most ¥2,000 a month), and children under 3 and households exempt from municipal tax pay nothing (for exempt households, until the end of the school year in which the child turns 18).

CHAPTER 08What it costs you every year after you buy

Water and sewerage in Kagoshima are read every 2 months. From the city’s ready-reckoner, a 13 mm meter using 45 cubic metres over 2 months costs ¥6,324 for water plus ¥4,152 for sewerage = ¥10,476 (including consumption tax) — among the cheapest of any town measured on this site (Oita ¥14,656, Yamagata ¥18,520; Hirosaki is read monthly and has been converted to a 2-month basis). The relocation grant for a move from the Tokyo area is ¥600,000 for a single person and ¥1,000,000 for a household, plus up to ¥1,000,000 for each child under 18.

Water charges and sewerage charges (two months, 13 mm connection, tax included)

Volume used (two months)	Water	Sewerage	Total
0 cubic metres the standing charge alone	¥1,540	¥858	¥2,398
20 cubic metres	¥2,530	¥1,760	¥4,290
45 cubic metres a guide for a household of 2 to 3	¥6,324	¥4,152	¥10,476
70 cubic metres	¥14,498	¥12,396	¥26,894

Water is cheap. Winter is cheap. The household budget leans towards summer¥10,476 for 45 cubic metres over 2 months is among the cheapest on this site. As §6 shows, heating and snow-related costs in winter are close to zero. In exchange the weight falls on cooling in summer (55.8 tropical nights) — taken over a year, most households should end up lighter than in the cold parts of the main island. * The 70 cubic metre row follows the city’s ready-reckoner table exactly. If your household is large, check on the city’s automatic calculation page.

The relocation grant is the standard national schemeIt is for people living in the 23 wards of Tokyo, or commuting into them from the Tokyo area: ¥600,000 for a single person, ¥1,000,000 for a household of two or more, plus up to ¥1,000,000 for each accompanying child under 18. There are conditions on employment, teleworking, starting a business and so on. The amount is larger than in Oita City (¥400,000 single, ¥600,000 household) — the same national scheme pays different amounts in different cities. Check the latest conditions at the city’s desk before you apply.

The cost of living with ash is timeThe ash bags are free and the city does the collecting (§5). The money cost is small; what you only learn by living here is the cost in time — the cleaning, the car washing and the laundry done twice on an ash day. The frequency differs completely between upwind and downwind, so the choice of district in §2 decides how much ash housework you do.

Sources: water and sewerage fromKagoshima City Waterworks Bureau, "Ready-reckoner for water and sewerage charges (13 mm, 2 months)" (PDF) (consumption tax 10% / 45 m³ = water ¥6,324 + sewerage ¥4,152) / the relocation grant fromthe same city, "Relocation and employment support programme (relocation grant)" (¥600,000 for a single person, ¥1,000,000 for a household, plus up to ¥1,000,000 for each child under 18) / checked 2026-08-21

Roughly what does a year cost, water and the rest?

Water and sewerage come to ¥10,476 for 45 cubic metres over 2 months (13 mm meter) — among the cheapest of any town measured on this site. Heating and snow costs in winter are all but unnecessary, and the household budget leans towards cooling in summer. The relocation grant from the Tokyo area is ¥600,000 for a single person and ¥1,000,000 for a household, plus up to ¥1,000,000 for each child under 18.

CHAPTER 09What happens when you want to sell

The prefecture is falling; the city is rising. Residential land in Kagoshima City is ¥96,100/m², +0.8% year on year — 2.1 times the Kagoshima Prefecture average (¥45,100/m², −0.4%), a clear picture of asset value inside the prefecture gathering in its capital. Commercial land is ¥307,400/m², +1.4%, and all uses together +1.1%.

What "the prefecture −0.4%, the city +0.8%" meansLand prices fall across the prefecture while only the city rises — people and assets concentrating from the prefecture into its capital is what holds the price up. Turned around, it also means the depth of the market changes the moment you step outside the city. In terms of asset value, "living in Kagoshima Prefecture" and "living in Kagoshima City" are different choices.

A market of 785 is a deep market when you sell, tooThe pool of buyers is wide, so the tram belt, flat ground and regular plots move easily. A property at the top of a slope, with a retaining wall, or down a lane no car can enter is cheap to buy and slow to sell for exactly the same reason. "Go and look at the slope" in §4 is also a point about the exit.

The link between ashfall and asset value is the windWhere Sakurajima’s ash lands changes with the seasonal wind (it is said the built-up side catches more in summer and the Osumi side in winter — the estate agents in each district know the real frequency by feel). This is a town where "how little ash falls" is part of the location, and part of the price. Do not buy on unverified hearsay. The city’s ashfall measurements, plus asking locally in that district, is the sure way.

Sources: land prices are the rows for Kagoshima City and Kagoshima Prefecture in the Reiwa 8 published land price survey (K2026) (Kagoshima City = residential ¥96,100/m² +0.8%, commercial ¥307,400/m² +1.4%, industrial ¥58,500/m² +2.5%, all uses ¥159,700/m² +1.1% / Kagoshima Prefecture = residential ¥45,100/m² −0.4%) / the second-hand market is the same SUUMO set of 785 as in §4 / checked 2026-08-21

Will the house I buy sell again later?

🔴 While the prefecture average falls −0.4%, residential land in Kagoshima City is ¥96,100/m², +0.8% (2.1 times the prefecture average). Concentration from the prefecture into its capital holds the price up. The tram belt, flat ground and regular plots move easily, while properties at the top of a slope or with retaining walls take time — cheap to buy and slow to sell for the same reason.

CHAPTER 10Who lives here, and how many

A population of 576,866 in 288,191 households (estimate, 1 June Reiwa 8). That breaks down as 268,683 men and 308,183 women — 40,000 more women than men. 2.0 people per household. The city’s estimated-population table shows a gentle decline over the past year (Reiwa 8.1.1 → 8.6.1).

The catchment for the population of southern KyushuPeople gathering from within Kagoshima Prefecture and southern Kyushu is the same picture as the land prices in §9 (the prefecture −0.4%, the city +0.8%). The depth of the market, of schools and of medical care is the depth of the population itself — 570,000 is the largest of any town published on this site.

40,000 more women than men268,683 men and 308,183 women. On top of the usual Japanese pattern of more women among older people, the concentration of universities, medicine and service work adds to it. The market for single-person housing and work is deep here.

Even "a big town" has begun to shrinkThe city’s monthly estimates show one month after another down on the last. As §9 says, the market holds as long as concentration within the prefecture continues, but this is no longer a growing town. Build that in to any judgement made on a ten-year view.

Source:Kagoshima City, "Estimated population (as of 1 June, Reiwa 8)" (PDF) (576,866 people — 268,683 men and 308,183 women — in 288,191 households, including the table of monthly change) / checked 2026-08-21

Share of foreign residents

0.95%national average 3.26%

Of the 587,255 people living in Kagoshima City, 5,592 are foreign residents. That is below the national average (3.26%).
Nationwide, foreign residents are 3.26% of the total population (4,031,159 out of 123,767,642). 34 municipalities are above 10%.

Source: calculated by this site from the municipality-level tables of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Population, population change and households based on the Basic Resident Register" (as of 1 January Reiwa 8, published 2026-07-29). The ministry's publication page / verified 2026-08-17

Is Kagoshima City's population falling?

576,866 people in 288,191 households (estimate, 1 June Reiwa 8). The monthly estimates show a gentle decline. 268,683 men and 308,183 women — 40,000 more women than men — is another mark of this town.

CHAPTER 11Community life and the year's events

The centre of autumn is the Ohara Festival — held on 2 and 3 November each year around Tenmonkan, it is the largest festival in southern Kyushu (since Showa 24). About 20,000 dancers parade along the tram street to "Ohara-bushi" and "Kagoshima Hanya-bushi". Troupes recruit every year, and you can take part in your first year here.

The Ohara Festival — 20,000 dancers, the town’s birthdayIt began in Showa 24 to mark 60 years of the city. Each troupe dresses alike and everyone dances together — a festival you join, not one you watch. There is an evening festival the night before. Troupes are formed by company, school and neighbourhood association, so it is also a quick way into a workplace or a district.

"We are all in it together" on an ash dayOn a day when ash falls, every house sweeps the same ash. The designated points for the ash bags are organised by district — ash creates a shared task among neighbours, a form of neighbourliness you will find nowhere else (§5).

For the neighbourhood association, ask at the branch office or the community welfare hallThe community welfare hall, which is also a pick-up point for ash bags, is the district’s window on daily life. Rubbish days, the neighbourhood association and the children’s association are best asked about directly at that district’s welfare hall or branch office before you move. Not confirmed: we could not find a settled figure for neighbourhood association membership on the city’s published pages.

Sources: the Ohara Festival fromKagoshima City Tourism Navi, "Ohara Festival" (2 and 3 November, Tenmonkan, held since Showa 24, the largest in southern Kyushu, about 20,000 dancers) andKagoshima City, "Ohara Festival — dance troupes wanted" / the ash bags and the community welfare halls as in §5 / checked 2026-08-21

What are neighbourhood ties and local events like?

The biggest event is the Ohara Festival in autumn (2 and 3 November, Tenmonkan), where about 20,000 dancers parade. Troupes recruit every year, so you can take part in your first year here. Day to day, sweeping up and putting out the ash bags after a fall of ash is a task neighbours share.

CHAPTER 12Things nearby that move land prices

Three things hold this land price up: ① the largest concentration of retail, medicine and government in southern Kyushu (Tenmonkan and Kagoshima-Chuo), ② concentration from the prefecture into its capital (§9: the prefecture −0.4% while the city is +0.8%), and ③ being the terminus of the Kyushu Shinkansen. ③ is stopped by the earthquake for now (§3). If the delay in reopening drags on, the effect of ③ will weaken for a time through the flow of tourists and business travellers. We put that down honestly.

Tenmonkan and Kagoshima-Chuo — a centre with two coresThe long-established Tenmonkan quarter, and the Kagoshima-Chuo station front that grew with the Shinkansen. The tram links the two and the commercial centre of gravity moves between them. The walking distance around either is the core of asset value.

Tourism rests on three pillars: Sakurajima, hot springs and the RestorationSakurajima (15 min by ferry), the 47 hot-spring bathhouses in the city, and the sites connected with Saigo Takamori. The 27 museums and galleries counted in §17 are among the most on this site — tourism and culture together underpin retail in the centre.

The reopening of the Shinkansen is the next variableAs §3 says, Kumamoto–Shin-Minamata is closed. If it reopens, "Hakata in 1 hr 16 min, the southern gateway" comes back. If it drags on, dependence on air and sea routes continues. Anyone weighing the timing of a purchase or a sale should follow JR Kyushu’s announcements.

Sources: land prices as in §9, facility counts as in §17, the Shinkansen as in §3 / checked 2026-08-21

What holds up asset value in Kagoshima?

Three things: ① the largest concentration in southern Kyushu at Tenmonkan and Kagoshima-Chuo, ② concentration from the prefecture into its capital (the prefecture −0.4% while the city is +0.8%), and ③ being the terminus of the Kyushu Shinkansen. 🔴 ③ is closed as of August 2026 after the Kumamoto earthquake. If it reopens, "Hakata in 1 hr 16 min" comes back.

CHAPTER 13What this place makes

What a place earns its living from shows up both at your dinner table and in your work once you live there. The amount raised through the hometown tax scheme is a rough measure of how many products a place has that people all over Japan choose.

¥2,545,180,000

Furusato tax donations received in fiscal Reiwa 7 (179,714 gifts).
104th of the 1,788 municipalities in Japan, and 5th within Kagoshima Prefecture

What this town names as its own products

The city’s "Local specialities of Kagoshima" page and its Sakurajima farming page list: Sakurajima daikon (the world’s largest radish, Guinness-certified at 31.1 kg), Sakurajima small mandarins (the world’s smallest mandarin, late November to late December), satsuma-age fish cakes, shochu, tea, Kagoshima Kuroushi beef, Kagoshima Kurobuta pork, free-range chicken, miso and soy sauce, pickles, local sweets, Hon-ba Oshima Tsumugi silk (a nationally designated traditional craft), Satsuma ware, Satsuma Kiriko cut glass, Satsuma pewter and bamboo work.

Source:Kagoshima City, "Local specialities of Kagoshima"／the same city, "Sakurajima daikon" (the world’s largest; Guinness record 31.1 kg)／the same city, "Sakurajima small mandarin"/ Verified 2026-08-21

You can support a town without living there

Even if a move is still some way off, you can be involved from today through the hometown tax scheme. Your donation goes straight to the municipality, and you choose what it is spent on. A way to give something back to a place you got to know here.

Support Kagoshima City through furusato tax →

Source:Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Survey on the state of the hometown tax scheme (conducted FY Reiwa 8)", the table of amounts and numbers received (provisional FY Reiwa 7 settlement), tallied by this site. The rank is out of all 1,788 municipalities in that table / verified 2026-08-14

What does Kagoshima City earn its living from?

Being the administrative, commercial and medical centre of southern Kyushu is the first industry. In farming, the volcanic soil gives Sakurajima daikon and Sakurajima small mandarins, and tourism rests on three pillars: Sakurajima, hot springs and the Restoration sites. For furusato tax receipts and items, see the list in the text.

CHAPTER 14A message from Kagoshima City

The city presents itself this way: "Wakuwaku with you — Magma City". The symbol mark, in the city’s words, is "drawn in the shape of Sakurajima to express the wish that the people of Kagoshima and those from outside will weave an exciting future together as they meet". For newcomers it runs a dedicated portal, "Kagoshima Iju Life".

The resolve, and the invitation, of a city that calls itself MagmaPutting the volcano at the centre of the city’s identity means saying that the ashfall too is "our town". The ash-bag scheme in §5 is the practical backing for that word. A local authority that shows you both "the Naples of the East" for visitors and "the ash bag" for residents is, I (an AI) think, one you can trust as a place to move to.

The relocation portal and the grant deskThe city’s relocation portal"Kagoshima Iju Life" brings together work, housing and grants (§8). The grant has detailed conditions, sobefore you move in,check with the Employment Promotion Division. Kagoshima Iju Life →

Where this page standsThis site gathers the city’s official information with its sources; it does not speak for the city. Schemes, prices and service conditions (especially the Shinkansen in §3) change. Before you sign anything or move, always check the originals and the latest information.

Source:Kagoshima City, "The symbol mark ‘Magma City’"／the same city, "Kagoshima Iju Life"/ Verified 2026-08-21

What kind of town is Kagoshima building?

The city calls itself "Wakuwaku with you — Magma City" and holds its volcano up as a point of pride. For newcomers it provides a dedicated portal, "Kagoshima Iju Life", and a grant (§8). To ashfall it answers with free ash bags and an ashfall removal programme — a local authority that shows both the face it turns to visitors and the practical business of daily life.

CHAPTER 15A year in Kagoshima

You want to call it a year without winter, but more precisely it is a year in which "winter is short and summer is long". Sakurajima erupts and falls quiet all year round — the wind that carries the ash is the marker of the seasons.

Season	What there is
Winter (December to February)	1.7 days below 0℃ a year. A walk in one coat, and steam from the hot-spring bathhouses. This is the season when Sakurajima’s ash tends to drift to the Osumi side
Spring	The season when the green of Sakurajima deepens. For a move into a new life, winter to spring, when there is less ash, is often recommended
Rainy season (June to July)	The main act in the 2,434 millimetres of rain a year. Watching the shirasu cliffs is an annual event (§5)
Summer (July to September)	55.8 tropical nights. Evening showers, and thunderheads over Sakurajima. This is the season when the wind turns towards the built-up side
Autumn (November)	The Ohara Festival (2 and 3 November) — 20,000 dancers parade through Tenmonkan in the town’s biggest festival (§11)

Sources: the climate as in §6 (Japan Meteorological Agency normals), the Ohara Festival as in §11, ashfall as in §5 / the seasonality of the wind includes hearsay, as noted in §9, so check what actually happens district by district on the ground / checked 2026-08-21

The information on this site is gathered by an AI that visits primary sources — municipalities, the Japan Meteorological Agency, national statistics — on a regular cycle, and it is updated with a source and a date of verification attached.

What is there to enjoy through the year in Kagoshima?

Winter is a walk in one coat and the hot-spring bathhouse; the rainy season is the main act in the 2,434 millimetres of rain a year; summer is 55.8 tropical nights and thunderheads over Sakurajima; and then the Ohara Festival on 2 and 3 November — 20,000 people dancing, the town’s biggest festival. A year lived with a volcano, in which the wind that carries the ash marks the seasons.

CHAPTER 16The people who run this city

When you are thinking of moving, who is steering this town, and where to is something the future resident wants to know even more than the present one. This chapter sets out, with sources, only what Kagoshima City publishes itself. 🔴 As of 22 August 2026, following the official site, I (an AI) could find 6 of the 6 below. The mayor of Kagoshima City is Shimozuru Takao (confirmed on the city’s introduction page).

What is published	Published	What you can read
About the mayor	General Affairs Bureau, Mayor’s Office, Public Relations Division	Name, career, greeting
Policy address	The mayor’s policy address	What they say they will do this year
List of council members	By party group	Who the members are, and their groupings
Council broadcasts and recordings	Council live coverage	Whether you can watch the council in session
Searchable minutes	City council minutes search	Whether you can search past debates by wording
Master plan	The Sixth Comprehensive Plan	How many years ahead this town has decided

The mayor of Kagoshima CityShimozuru Takao. The page carrying that name was last updated2025-11-21. Date of birth from Showa 55 (1980), 4/4 .
🔴 Age and gender have not been guessed from the name.Only what is published is reproduced here, as published.Kagoshima City introduction page →

How much of the council can you see?A list of members, live or recorded broadcasts of full sessions, and searchable minutes — where these three are published, you can read a town's debates for yourself before you ever move there.
🔴 The names, photographs and social media of individual council members are not carried on this site. We point you to where you can read them.
Once you have moved, when your own turn to decide comes round is something those three will tell you.

How many years ahead has been decidedIn Kagoshima City,the Sixth Comprehensive Plan. A master plan usually sets outwhat the town has decided to do and by whenand ,where it intends to halt its population decline. 🔴 The period and the population target are not copied out on this site — plans get revised, and a misreading changes the meaning.Please check the official text from the link below.The Sixth Comprehensive Plan →

🔴 What I will not do in this chapter1. I will not guess gender or age from a name. Only what is published appears here. 2. I will not write that anything is good or bad. Only what is being put forward, and where it comes from. 3. I will not compare election candidates.
🔴 And mayors change. This site always records the date it checked (2026-08-22), and reopens the original page each time to confirm by machine that the name is still there. If you notice something has nonetheless gone out of date, please let us know.

Source: allofficial site (Kagoshima City ), followed on 2026-08-22. What this site counted wasonly whether something is published or not ; the content has not been judged / verified 2026-08-22

What I (an AI) was able to find on this town's official site

This site reads the official sites of every area it covers against the same 30 items, out of 100, and measures how quickly someone thinking of moving can reach the information they need. What was measured is the official site of Kagoshima City, and the total came to 72.3 (measured 21 August 2026).

"Not found" does not mean "there is none." It means I followed the official site and could not find it. Tell us the published page and the next measurement will reflect it.

Area	Score	What was found
Getting started with a move	14 / 20	Has a relocation and settlement page, has a dedicated relocation site, has an enquiry desk (department, telephone, opening hours), and 1 more
Housing	15 / 15	Has an akiya bank, listings carry photo, price, year built and floor area, sold listings are cleared away, and 1 more
The money side of living here	9 / 15	Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table; child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope; there are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax; and 1 more
Disaster information	15.3 / 20	Hazard maps are published by district; flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered; they are machine-readable (a map system or text PDF); and 1 more
Industry and local produce	8 / 10	A list of local speciality products is on the official site; hometown tax results are published year by year; there are support schemes for businesses and industry
Transport	4 / 10	There is a community bus timetable
Can an AI read it?	7 / 10	Every page carries an updated date; there is a sitemap.xml; statistics are published as Excel or CSV; and 1 more

See all 30 items and the pages used to judge them

3 / 3　There is a relocation and settlement page
moving　Go and see → 3 / 3　There is a dedicated relocation site
Kagoshima City relocation portal, "Kagoshima Iju Life"　Go and see → 3 / 3　A contact point (department, telephone, opening hours)
3 of department, telephone and opening hours were stated　Go and see → 5 / 5　Support schemes state amounts and conditions
Both amounts and conditions　Go and see → 0 / 3　There is trial housing or a trial-stay scheme
Not found 0 / 3　Vacancies in trial housing are published
Not found 4 / 4　There is an akiya bank
Kagoshima City Akiya bank　Go and see → 4 / 4　Listings carry photographs, price, year built and floor area
1 of 1 (100%) has all 4 items　Go and see → 4 / 4　Completed deals are organised
No completed deals appear in the list　Go and see → 3 / 3　The conditions of use are stated
　Go and see → 1 / 5　Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table
There is a water and sewerage page　Go and see → 5 / 5　Child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope
The scope of free and subsidised care is stated down to the age　Go and see → 1 / 3　There are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax
There is a tax page　Go and see → 2 / 2　Tie-ups with banks for mortgages and the like
　Go and see → 5 / 5　Hazard maps are published by district
45 documents by district　Go and see → 3.3 / 5　Flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered
Flood / landslide　Go and see → 0 / 3　The year the assumptions were last reviewed is stated
Not found　Go and see → 4 / 4　Is it machine-readable (a map system or a text PDF)?
Viewable in a map system　Go and see → 3 / 3　Disasters are announced through more than one channel
Disaster email / social media / disaster radio / TV and radio　Go and see → 5 / 5　A list of local speciality products is on the official site
16 items (the city’s official site)　Go and see → 1 / 3　Hometown tax results are published year by year
Not found　Go and see → 2 / 2　There are support schemes for businesses and industry
Commerce and industry　Go and see → 4 / 4　There is a community bus timetable
　Go and see → 0 / 3　Fares are stated
Not found　Go and see → 0 / 3　The date of the last revision is given
Not found　Go and see → 3 / 3　Every page carries an updated date
18 of the 20 pages read　Go and see → 2 / 2　There is a sitemap.xml
　Go and see → 0 / 2　Site search runs on the server side
It was a Google custom search　Go and see → 1 / 2　Statistics are published as Excel or CSV
There is a statistics page　Go and see → 1 / 1　Open data is published
　Go and see →

Compare with other towns → 　For municipalities and local organisations (get in touch here) →

Measured by this site. The URL of each official site is taken from the municipal information published by Furusato Choice. The score is a score for publishing information, not a score for how good a place is to live / verified 2026-08-21

Who runs Kagoshima City now?

The mayor of Kagoshima City is Shimozuru Takao (confirmed on the city’s introduction page on 22 August 2026). What this site looks at is six things: the introduction to the head of the authority, the policy address, the list of council members, live coverage of the council, a search of the minutes, and the comprehensive plan. 🔴 No judgement of good or bad is made. Only whether it is published or not.

CHAPTER 17Where to go on a day off

Days off never appear in the numbers you use to find a house, yet they bear directly on how satisfied you are once you live there. This chapter counts, on the same yardstick used for every area, the places you can go on a day off in Kagoshima and the places family and friends can stay when they visit. This is a town with Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park. The area currently has 47 hot springs and day baths, 2 amusement parks, zoos and aquariums, and 2 roadside stations. 🔴 Every figure is the number registered in the map data (OpenStreetMap) — in reality there may well be more.

What	Number counted, and names
⛰ National and quasi-national parks	Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park
♨ Hot springs and day baths	Kagomma Onsen, Kofuku-yu, Kagoshima City Welfare Centre for Older People / Higashi-Sakurajima, Kagoshima City Welfare Centre for Older People: Sakurajima, Kagoshima Kenko-no-Mori Park, Natural Hot Spring / Yunoyama, Kagoshima Fureai Sportsland, Kiire Hachiman Onsen Hoyokan and 47 in all
🏯 Castles and castle sites	Chijiwa Castle ruins
🎡 Amusement parks, zoos and aquariums	Kagoshima City Hirakawa Zoological Park and Kagoshima Aquarium (2)
🖼 Museums, galleries and memorial halls	Sengan-en (the Iso garden), Shoko Shuseikan, Yozan Museum of Art, the archaeology museum of the International University of Kagoshima museum-practice facility, the Kagoshima University Museum, the Space Information Centre, the Kagoshima City Museum of the Meiji Restoration, the Jigen-ryu Hyohosho Museum and 27 in all
⛩ Shrines and temples	Shrines 102, temples 61. Those with a Wikipedia entry are Fudan-koin, Okuninushi Shrine, Arata Hachimangu Kitazuijin, the Take branch of Nishi Honganji Kagoshima Betsuin, Kozen-ji, Kagoshima Shrine, Inishiki Shrine and Tsurugane Shrine
🚗 Roadside stations	Kiire, Sakurajima (2 Sta.)
🐕 Dog runs	Not found in the map data
🛣 Expressway service and parking areas	No expressway service or parking area was found in this area

Somewhere to stay — for family and friends, and for your own travels

What	Number counted
🏨 Hotels and ryokan	70
🏠 Guesthouses and hostels	6
⛺ Campsites and auto-campsites	Not found in the map data
🏕 Glamping	Not found among the campsite or hotel names
🚐 RV parks (overnight in your vehicle)	RV Park smart Tenmonkan, RV Park Gin-no-yu, RV Park smart Daiichi Park Kagoshima-Chuo

This table is the result of me (an AI) putting the same question to the map data for every area (areas are retrieved in batches, so the verification date on some pages is a day apart). Facilities not registered on the map are not counted. "Not found" does not mean "there are none" — nor that the town is any the lesser for it.

Sources: the counts and names of facilities fromOpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) / RV parks fromJapan RV Association, list of certified "Kuruma-tabi" RV parks / roadside stations fromMinistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, list of "michi-no-eki" roadside stations / national parks judged from the overlap of the Ministry of the Environment Biodiversity Center boundary data with the National Land Numerical Information administrative boundaries (for quasi-national parks the municipalities concerned were confirmed on the page the park name links to) / checked 21 August 2026

Counted the same way, you can compare with other towns.hot springs, castles, shrines and temples, museums, amusement parks, campsites, roadside stations, RV parks, national parks and more12 kinds are counted by putting the same question to every area.

Find a place to move by sights and leisure →

Are there places to go on a day off, and places to stay?

A town with Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park. Counted from the map data (OpenStreetMap) and the lists of the Japan RV Association and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, there are 47 hot springs and day baths, 2 amusement parks, zoos and aquariums, 2 roadside stations and 70 hotels and inns. Facilities not on the map are not counted, so in reality there may be more (details in §17).

Compare with other areas

Every page has the same 17 chapters in the same order. Move between them and you can compare the same line.

Areas in Kyushu and Okinawa

Beppu (the hot spring town with the most sources and the greatest flow in Japan)Beppu City, Oitalistings132 listings / ¥1,500,000–Miyazaki (10 min to the airport by rail, a town of sunshine and clear skies)Miyazaki City, Miyazakilistings679 listings / ¥1,500,000–Kirishima (the town with Kagoshima Airport, the Kirishima range and Kinko Bay)Kirishima City, Kagoshimalistings103 listings / ¥1,500,000–Saga (37 min to Hakata by limited express; a town on the plain)Saga City, Sagalistings97 listings / ¥2,500,000–

Places you could look at for a similar price

Akita (the Kanto festival and the port, on the Sea of Japan side of Tohoku)Akita City, Akitalistings259 listings / ¥2,000,000–Hatsukaichi (Miyajima, a World Heritage site; 23 minutes to Hiroshima)Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshimalistings227 listings / ¥2,000,000–Takarazuka (revue and hot springs, 28 min to Osaka)Takarazuka City, Hyogolistings507 listings / ¥1,990,000–Gifu (26 min to Nagoya, Mt. Kinka and the Nagara River)Gifu City, Gifulistings339 listings / ¥1,980,000–

Compare areas by budget and region →

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