Kagoshima Chuo Station, Japan: Scene of the Week, Part 1

I’ve decided to start a weekly travel photo series to highlight some of the more unexpected angles one’s camera lens might encounter. Given that I was recently in Kagoshima, Japan, I’m going to give a shout-out to Kagoshima Chuo station for having provided NoWorkAllTravel’s first scene of the week—

Why this shot?

Three reasons.

Firstly, in the foreground, we have Japan’s renowned bullet train, aka shinkansen. I had just taken that particular train from Izumi, a small city in Kagoshima prefecture, to Kagoshima Chuo station, the southernmost shinkansen terminus. Indeed, if you’re familiar with NWAT, you would know that I’m a big fan of Japanese trains.

Second, there’s a Ferris wheel peeping out from behind a building. In fact, that building is part of the Kagoshima Chuo station complex. But in Japan, a Ferris wheel sticking out of a building is just par for the course.

Finally, in the background we have the defining characteristic of Kagoshima’s urban landscape, Sakurajima.

A perpetually outgassing volcanic landmass, Sakurajima’s daily atmospheric activity might bewilder the casual tourist. But if you’re planning to visit, don’t worry…ferries between there and downtown Kagoshima city operate 24 hours a day. Take that, Tokyo public transit!

Having only visited Sakurajima once — that is, today — it made for pleasantly quiet daytrip.

But for more on that, you will have to wait until the next scene of the week….