Satsumasendai (薩摩川内) is a city of 89,332 people (2025) in Kagoshima prefecture.
| Satsumasendai | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Understand
[edit]
History
[edit]The history of Satsumasendai City begins from ancient times. It has been a center since ancient times, and you can see that the Kokubunji was a major facility in Satsumasendai. The main sites of Satsumasendai during the ancient Nara period include the Kokubunji, the Kokubu ruins, and the Nita Hachimangu. Later, in the Edo period, the capital city was handed over to the city of Kagoshima. It is still the center of northwestern Kagoshima. The modern city of Satsumasendai was established in 2004 from the merger of the city of Sendai, the towns of Hiwaki, Iriki, Kedōin and Tōgō, and the Koshikijima Islands (which consisted of the villages of Kamikoshiki, Kashima, Sato and Shimokoshiki, all from Satsuma District).
The city is home to Kagoshima Immaculate Heart University (鹿児島純心大学 Kagoshima Junshin Daigaku), founded in 1994, which has a small population of foreign students.
A major employer is the Sendai nuclear power station.
Climate
[edit]Although Satsumasendai City belongs to a subtropical climate that is mild throughout the year, it is characterized by extreme differences in precipitation from season to season. During the rainy season in June, heavy rain with an average monthly precipitation of more than 470 mm is concentrated, leading to heavy rain until July. Summer is hot and humid because the average maximum temperature reaches 31.6°C and the temperature does not drop well at night. On the other hand, winter is mild with an average minimum temperature of around 2.0°C, and it is relatively dry with the least precipitation of the year. From late summer to autumn, it may be affected by typhoons.
Tourist information
[edit]The city government and local tourist associations has a joint multilingual guide site[dead link].
Get in
[edit]By plane
There is no airport in Satsumasendai. So it is closest to using the airport bus from Kagoshima Airport to Satsumasendai. The fare is ¥1,700 as of 2025.
By train
The city has regular Shinkansen services from Kagoshima City and Yatsushiro.
As of Sep 2025, ordinary trains except Shinkansen are Satsumasendai can't come from Fukuoka by regular train.
By car
You can arrive on the Minamikyushu Expressway from Kagoshima City or Yatsushiro.
Get around
[edit]
Satsumasendai is the center of northwest Kagoshima Prefecture and is large. For public transportation, you can take the subway and bus, and you need to take a ferry to get to the Kosikijima Islands. If necessary, you can also travel by car.
See
[edit]- 1 Sendai Nuclear Power Plant Museum (九州電力（株） 川内原子力発電所展示館), 1758-1 Gumizakicho, ☏ +81 996-27-3506. 09:00-17:00. It is a museum on nuclear power generation run by Kyushu Electric Power Co. free.
- 2 Sendai History Museum (薩摩川内市川内歴史資料館), 2 Chome-2-6 Chugo, ☏ +81 996-20-2344. Tu-Su 09:00-16:40. It is a museum that informs the history of Satsumasendai City, and you can see the history from about 20,000 years ago to the present. 200¥.
- 3 Iriki-Fumoto Samurai Residences (入来麓武家屋敷群（薩摩川内市入来麓 重要伝統的建造物群保存地区）), 130 Irikicho Uranomyo, ☏ +81 996-44-5200. 09:00-17:00. It is a village where the places where samurai lived during the Satsuma period were preserved. free.
- 4 Imutaike Prefectural Nature Park (藺牟田池県立自然公園), Kedoincho Imuta, ☏ +81 99-286-2613. 24 hr. Imutaike Lake Park is a crater lake created by volcanic activity about 400,000 years ago. It was listed as a ramsar wetland in 2005. free.
- 5 Sendai Space Hall (薩摩川内市せんだい宇宙館), 2133-6 Nagatoshicho, ☏ +81 996-31-4477. Tu-Su 10:00-21:00. Sendai Space Museum is an observatory and science museum located at the top of the Terayama Prefectural Natural Park in Satsumasendai City. 500¥.
Do
[edit]
- Sendai Otsunahiki Festival
- Sendai River Fireworks Festival（starts at middle August)
- Koshiki Island: The way to get to the Kosikijima Islands is by boat at Sendai Port. You cannot load a car. Another way is to get on a boat at Kushikino Port in Ichikikikushinoshi, which is to load a car.
Buy
[edit]Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- 1 Toyoko In Satsumasendai Eki Higashi-guchi (東横INN薩摩川内駅東口), 1 Chome-15 Hirasa, ☏ +81 996-22-1045. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 10:00. The hotel is in front of the east exit of Sendai Station where Shinkansen goes. 10000¥.
Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]| Routes through Satsumasendai |
| Hakata ← Izumi ← | N  S
|
→ → Kagoshima |
| Kumamoto ← Yatsushiro← become Higo Orange Line ← | N  S
|
→ → Kagoshima |
| Kitakyushu ← Yatsushiro ← | N  S
|
→ → Kagoshima |