Karakara

Top choice in Kagoshima


On the 3rd floor of a generic bar building next to a 7-Eleven, a low door leads to another dimension. Enthusiastic owner Hiroshi-san has crammed every square millimetre with 30,000 (!) Shōwa-era toys, memorabilia and furniture, including some of questionable taste and refinement. Drinks are just as whimsical; the Garigari-kun highball plunks a popsicle into Japanese whisky.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kagoshima attractions

1. St Francis Xavier Church

0.38 MILES

This landmark church, originally built in 1908 but rebuilt in 1999, honors the first Christian missionary to visit Japan.

2. Nishi Hongan-ji Kagoshima Betsuin

0.41 MILES

The current building of this large Buddhist temple near Tenmonkan dates from 1982 and was renovated in 2013. Inside, it's unlike most temples you may have…

3. Museum of the Meiji Restoration

0.49 MILES

This museum offers insights into the unique social system of education, samurai loyalty and sword techniques that made Satsuma one of Japan's leading…

4. Saigō Takamori Statue

0.52 MILES

Kagoshima's most famous historical figure, Saigō Takamori has been called the 'last samurai' and was known as both a loyalist and a rebel. His statue is…

5. Terukuni-jinja

0.54 MILES

This famous shrine is in memory of Shimazu Nariakira (1809–58), celebrated 11th leader of the Satsuma clan in the late Edo period. He is credited with…

6. Statue of Ōkubo Toshimichi

0.55 MILES

This monument honours the Kagoshima samurai turned statesman (1830–78) who helped overthrow the feudal regime and pave the way for the modernisation of…

7. Kagoshima City Museum of Art

0.56 MILES

The Kagoshima City Museum of Art has a small permanent collection of works by modern-day Kagoshima painters, as well as some 16th-century porcelains and…

8. Kagoshima City Hall

0.62 MILES

Kagoshima's large city hall, in a tan brick building, is a handy landmark.