Sunamushi Onsen (Steam Sand Bath)
Get buried in sand and steam away your troubles at Sand Bath Hall Saraku and Sand-Steamed Hot Spring Sayuri, where yukata-clad guests are covered in hot spring-heated sand. After you have been enveloped in the healing sands, shower off and relax in the waters of a traditional hot spring onsen.
Mt. Kaimon
Perhaps this looks familiar? Nicknamed the Mt. Fuji of Satsuma (the former name for Kagoshima), Mt. Kaimon bears a striking resemblance to Japan’s most famous conical mountain. A hiking trail winds its way up to the 924-meter peak, offering panoramas of the surrounding mountains, lakes, sea, and islands.
Lake Ikeda
The largest volcanic crater caldera lake in Kyushu, Lake Ikeda is 15 kilometers in circumference and 233 meters deep. Water sports rule on the lake, with kayak tours, wakeboarding, wakesurfing, and much more. Just watch out for Isshy, Lake Ikeda’s legendary monster!
Lake Unagi
Tucked into the mountains four kilometers southwest of Ibusuki City, Lake Unagi is home to a unique form of cooking: sume ryori. Sume are cooking apparatuses that harness the power of volcanic fumaroles to steam everything from potatoes to chicken and eggs.
Ibusuki Specialties
Ibusuki is a real gourmet paradise. Sample the smoky aroma and flavor of katsuo-no-tataki, seared skipjack tuna, or sip the local shochu sweet potato spirit Satsuma-style—diluted with hot water and served in kurojoka, traditional black Satsuma pottery.