2024 年 4 月 13 日，我們計劃搭乘新幹線到鹿兒島中央站，然後換乘巴士和渡輪去櫻島。在坐新幹線之前，我們像往常一樣步行前往電車站。雖然每天早上都走同一條路，但我每天都能發現新鮮事物；感覺就像一層層揭開熊本的歷史面紗。
我不經意地看到了熊本市舊市政廳入口，這是一座美麗的石砌遺跡，靜靜地矗立著，彷彿在訴說著這座城市的過往。它令人動容地提醒著人們 2016 年地震的慘痛影響，以及這座城市在重建過程中展現出的堅韌不拔的精神。附近的高橋公園裡，我也注意到横井小楠和其他明治維新領袖莊嚴的銅像。站在晨曦中，我不禁想起，這些街道曾經是那些推動日本現代化的思想家的聚會場所。
On April 13, 2024, we planned to catch the Shinkansen down to Kagoshima-Chūō Station, then transfer to a bus and ferry to Sakurajima. Before heading to the Shinkansen, we took our usual walk to the tram station. Even though we followed the same path each morning, I found myself discovering something new every day; it felt like peeling back the layers of Kumamoto’s history.
I came across the Former Kumamoto City Hall Entrance, a beautiful stone remnant that stands as a quiet monument to the city's past. It serves as a poignant reminder of the 2016 earthquake’s impact and the city's resilience during its ongoing reconstruction. Nearby, in Takahashi Park, I noticed the dignified bronze statues of Yokoi Shonan and other leaders of the Meiji Restoration. Standing there in the morning sun, I was reminded that these streets were once the meeting grounds for the thinkers who helped modernize Japan.
這種歷史感一直延續到電車上。上車時，我注意到車廂地板是斑駁的深色木地板。在這個充斥著塑膠和金屬的世界裡，1950 年代風格的木地板發出的吱嘎聲和紋理顯得格外真實——與我們即將乘坐的高速新幹線形成了一種迷人的復古對比。正是這些細微之處，讓日常通勤和目的地一樣令人著迷。
This sense of history continued right onto the tram. When we boarded, I noticed the floors were made of worn, dark wood. In a world of plastic and metal, the creak and texture of those 1950s-era wooden floors felt incredibly authentic—a charming, vintage contrast to the high-speed Shinkansen we were about to board. It is these small, quiet details that made the daily commute just as interesting as the destination.
抵達鹿兒島中央站後，映入眼簾的是車站內一個巨大的購物中心，裡面擺滿了當地特產和各種商品。為了方便出行，我們使用了CUTE Pass（城市聯合交通暢遊卡）。這張卡的運作方式非常有趣：它是一張刮刮樂票，需要手動刮開年、月、日以示今日日期。啟動後，我們就可以全天無限次搭乘市內公車、電車和渡輪。
Upon stepping off the train at Kagoshima-Chūō Station, we were greeted by a massive shopping mall right inside the station, filled with local specialties and goods. To get around, we used the CUTE Pass (City United Transport Enjoy Pass). It was fascinating how the pass worked; it’s a scratch ticket where you manually scratch off the year, month, and day to show the current date. Once activated, it allowed us to hop on and off the city buses, trams, and ferries all day.
上車前，我注意到幾位政治候選人騎／推著三輪車為即將到來的選舉拉票。雖然我聽不懂他們在說什麼，但這種獨特的在地宣傳方式挺有趣的。
Before boarding our bus, I noticed several political candidates traveling on tricycles to campaign for the upcoming election. Although I couldn’t understand the speeches, it was interesting to see such a unique local way of promoting their platforms.
CUTE巴士車廂裡擠滿了人，有好奇的遊客，有忙著辦事的當地居民，還有趕上學的學生。還沒離開車站，我就看到若者薩摩之碑。紀念碑上矗立著 19 位年輕學生的雕像，他們於 1865 年違抗了出國旅行禁令。他們是 19 世紀新興日本的勇敢先驅，象徵擺脫幕府的壓迫和舊傳統的束縛。雕像中的學生們目光投向四面八方，象徵他們勇於走出國門，向科技發達的歐洲國家和美國學習。多年後，他們中的許多人回到日本，成為外交官、教育家和工業領袖。他們各有所長，興趣各異，見解不同。他們的經歷也各不相同，但都為現代日本的現代化做出了貢獻。
巴士蜿蜒穿過城市，感覺就像進行了一次移動的歷史之旅。我們經過了天文館文化通商店街入口，這裏是鹿兒島市中心最大的商業區，並且看到幾座展現這座城市自豪感的宏偉建築，例如寶山廳 (多功能文化廳館)，莊嚴的鹿兒島市中央公民館 (建於1927年，曾是一所社會教育機構。)和鶴丸城門 (它是日本最大的城門，為島津氏家族的住所而建，於 1873 年被摧毀，2020 年重建，是鹿兒島市的象徵，保留了原有的石牆，上面還留有薩摩叛亂/西南戰爭的彈痕。)。
我們甚至瞥見了隱藏在現代建築群中的菅原神社那鮮紅的建築。一個接一個地看到這些文化地標，真切地感受到鹿兒島即便作為一座繁忙的現代化港口城市，也依然對歷史充滿敬意。儘管巴士上人很多，但望著窗外，前往渡輪碼頭的路程卻轉瞬即逝。
The CUTE bus was jam-packed, a mix of curious tourists, local residents running errands, and students heading to school. Before we even left the station area, I spotted the Wakakisatsuma Monument. The statues of the 19 young students who defied the Overseas Travel Ban in 1865. They were brave young pioneers of the emerging new Japan in the nineteenth century, symbolizing freedom from the oppression and old traditions of the Shogunate. The sculpture students look out in all directions, a sculptural metaphor for venturing out into the world to learn from the technologically advanced European countries and the US. Many of them returned home years later to be diplomats, educators and industrial leaders. They all had different abilities, interests and perceptions . They all had different experiences and contributed to the modernization of present day Japan.
As the bus wound its way through the city, it felt like a moving history tour. We passed the entrance of the Tenmonkan Bunka Dori shopping street where is the largest commercial area in downtown Kagoshima. We also saw several grand buildings that showcased the city's civic pride, like the Houzan Hall (a multifunctional cultural center), the stately Kagoshima City Central Community Hall (built in 1927, serving as a social educational institution), and Goromon Gate at Kagoshima Castle (Tsurumaru Castle). (It was Japan's largest castle gate, built for the Shimazu clan's residence, destroyed in 1873, and reconstructed in 2020, symbolizing Kagoshima City, with the original stone walls remaining and showing bullet marks from the Satsuma Rebellion.)
We even caught a glimpse of the bright red structures of Tenjin Sugawara Shrine tucked away among the modern buildings. Seeing these cultural landmarks one after another really showed how much Kagoshima honors its past, even as a busy, modern port city. Despite the crowd on the bus, looking out the window made the ride to the ferry terminal go by in a flash.
穿過歷史悠久的街道後，我們抵達了鹿兒島港渡輪碼頭。我們登上渡輪，開始了橫渡海灣的短短 15 分鐘航程。旅程十分寧靜。上岸前，我觀察著雙層登船坡道如何與渡輪連接，使得汽車可以同時從上下兩層甲板行駛，非常有意思。
After we wound through historic city streets, we arrived at the Kagoshima Port Ferry Terminal. We boarded the ferry for the short, 15-minute hop across the bay. It was a peaceful ride, and I found it fascinating to watch how the double-level boarding ramps attached to the ferry, allowing cars to drive on and off from both the upper and lower decks simultaneously.
🚆 Stay tuned for more of our Kyushu, Japan adventures!
World Through My Eyes (Photographs) Posts/我鏡頭裏的世(視)界帖子
Travel/Point of Interest Posts 旅遊景點帖子
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