Kagoshima, Japan (June 15)
Kagoshima, nicknamed the “Naples of the East” for its bay and temperate climate, is located at the southwestern tip of Kyushu Island about 600 miles southwest of Tokyo. Studded with parks and surrounded by mountains, it’s home to active volcanoes: Mt. Sakurajima, sitting in the bay and accessible by a short ferry ride, continues to bubble and spew ash. The Japanese industrial revolution is said to have started here when 19 students broke the ban on foreign travel in the late 1860s, went to England to study, and brought back western medicine, science and technology.
One of the 19 men who came to the West ended up in Santa Rosa, and was the only one that never returned to Japan, Kasae Nagasawa. He became a famous vintner here! There is an exchange program in his honor sponsored by Rotary International between our two cities; Daniel participated and then we hosted Japanese students the following year. Have lost contact with them. Note, I would have a certain level of anxiety about living close to an active volcano; I believe the weather report predicts how much ash fall is expected daily.
ReplyDeleteOr you could just stay south of Canadian fires instead….lol
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