Kirishima Onsen

Kirishima Onsen sits on the lower slopes of the Kirishima Mountains, a national park shared between Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures, with views over Kagoshima Bay and the active volcano Sakurajima. The area figures in Japanese mythology through the Kojiki, which describes it as the legendary landing place of Ninigi-no-Mikoto, grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu. It is also known as the destination of samurai Sakamoto Ryoma and his wife Oryo in 1866, an event locals describe as Japan's first honeymoon. The resort area comprises more than a dozen separate sulfuric hot springs spread across individual ryokan and bathhouses.