Kagoshima, Kyushu’s southernmost major city, played a prominent role in the latter half of the 19th century when the movement to topple the Tokugawa shogunate was gaining momentum. Kagoshima was formerly called Satsuma, ruled by powerful Shimizu lords for about 200 years until the Meiji Restoration, and the most famous local samurai were Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi, both are still respected by Japanese people today. Highlights of Kagoshima is the Iso Garden, laid out in the 17th century, and a beautiful volcano, Sakurajima, which is part of the garden’s scenery.