Kanpai

Kappa No Sasoimizu

Day 18: Wandering Kagoshima CIty

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On my previous visit to Kagoshima in the summer of 2012, I had not done any sightseeing, instead just nonstop distillery tours during the day and izakaya visits at night. I managed to go three days in Kagoshima without even seeing Sakurajima, the volcano that looms over the city from across the bay. I'd already remedied that on previous days, but decided to stroll aimlessly around the city to see what it was like.

Day 10: Kyoya Shuzo, Miyazaki

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The drive was stunning along a rocky coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The distillery itself is tucked into a little town – they bottle off-site in order not to disturb the neighbors. As we pulled into the parking lot we were greeted by old ladies peeling potatoes calling out a sing song "Ohayo gozaimas!" (good morning!).

Visit the Goto Islands at Uminoie

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Uminoie (Umi No Ie - "um-ee-no-ee-ay") is one of my favorite izakayas in the city for the simple fact that it's hard to find, easy to miss, small, relaxed, and feels like home. Like most izakayas, it's situated on a street rather than an avenue. I'm guessing this is because it keeps the rents down since customers tend to linger for a long time. What makes Uminoie special is that there is almost no signage. I had to go here 4 or 5 times before I knew where on the block it was. I've walked past it more than once while looking for it. For the longest time I thought it was on 5th Street (it's on 3rd).