🕓 2025/6/8
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About gourmet food in Kagoshima Prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southern tip of Kyushu, facing the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and is blessed with a rich natural environment, including the magnificent Sakurajima in Kinko Bay, the Kirishima Mountain Range, and remote islands such as Yakushima. The warm climate and volcanic ash soil have fostered agriculture such as sweet potatoes and tea, as well as livestock production such as black pigs and black cattle, which are famous throughout the country.
Among them, “Kurobuta pork dishes”, “Satsumaage”, and “Chicken rice” are deeply loved by Kagoshima residents as representative gourmet foods, and also captivate the taste buds of visitors. When you visit Kagoshima, be sure to enjoy these dishes and experience the delicious food culture unique to Kagoshima, which is a product of its warm climate, rich nature, and unique history.
3 carefully selected gourmet dishes in Kagoshima Prefecture
1. Kurobuta – Kagoshima’s treasure
● Charm of Kurobuta
Kagoshima Kurobuta pork is known as one of the highest quality pork in Japan. It is characterized by its fine and soft flesh, the juicy flavor that spreads the more you chew, and especially the elegant sweetness of the fat. Scientific analysis has proven that the umami component is approximately 3.7 times higher than that of white pork, and the sweet component is approximately 6.7 times higher.
The secret to its deliciousness lies in the special feed containing sweet potatoes, which has a high melting point of fat and a refreshing aftertaste. You can simply enjoy the sweetness and flavor of Kurobuta Shabu Shabu, our signature dish. The local dish “tonkotsu” is also popular.
It is a masterpiece that is highly nutritious, looks beautiful, and adds color to your travel memories. Please come and enjoy the Kurobuta pork grown in the warm nature of Kagoshima.
● Kurobutahistory of
The origins of Kagoshima Kurobuta begin about 400 years ago, when Iehisa Shimazu, the lord of the Satsuma domain, imported pigs from the Ryukyus. One theory is that it was introduced from China via Ryukyu and Amami, and there are also records of pig breeding in Kagoshima in 1546.
The Shimazu family recognized Kurobuta pork as a special product of the domain from an early stage, and there is a record that at the end of the Edo period, Nariakira Shimazu, the lord of the Satsuma domain, gave the pork as a gift and received rave reviews. There is an anecdote that was loved by Takamori Saigo.
After the Meiji era, the Berkshire breed, which is native to England, was introduced, and through repeated cross-breeding and improvement with native breeds, the foundation of the current Kagoshima Kurobuta was laid. Lineage pigs such as “Satsuma” and “New Satsuma” were developed during the Showa and Heisei eras.
Sweet potatoes were essential to improving the quality of Kurobuta pork. Sweet potatoes, which also originate from Ryukyu and were introduced to Satsuma, are ideal as feed for black pigs and have played a major role in improving meat quality. In this way, black pork and sweet potatoes became important pillars of Kagoshima’s rich food culture.
● If you want to eat black pork, this is the place! !
- Store name:Kurobuta pork dish Ajimori
- charm:
Founded in 1978, Kurobuta Ryori Ajimori is a long-established restaurant located in Tenmonkan, Kagoshima, known as the birthplace of Kurobuta shabu-shabu. The most distinctive feature is the unique style of eating Kurobuta pork soaked in a special Japanese-style soup stock and mixed with raw eggs, without using ponzu sauce or sesame sauce. This way of eating combines the strengths of sukiyaki and shabu-shabu, and is the result of years of research by the owner.
The inside of the restaurant is a calm Japanese restaurant-like space, complete with a counter, table seats, private rooms, and a banquet hall that can accommodate 70 people. We can accommodate a wide range of purposes, from entertainment to family use to large banquets.
Kurobuta pork cutlet** is also popular for lunch, and the “Kurobuta Special Mixed Cutlet Set” allows you to enjoy three types of pork loin, fillet, and pork belly at once. It has been loved by locals for many years and has been selected as one of the “100 Famous Tonkatsu Stores.” It is supported by a diverse customer base for its flexible service while preserving tradition. - Address: 13-21 Sennichicho, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture
- Access: About 5 minutes walk after getting off at “Tenmonkan-dori” tram stop
- Google Map:https://maps.app.goo.gl/dxmBtCuxB7pUgg4K7
2. Satsumaage – Kagoshima’s soul food
● The appeal of fish cakes
Satsuma-age is a soul food that is loved by the people of Kagoshima Prefecture and is called “Tsukeage.” The main ingredient is minced fish, and it is characterized by a sweet taste and a variety of textures. Double-fried at low and high temperatures, the outside is fragrant and the inside is moist. The sweetness made with sugar reflects the spirit of hospitality, and brings out the flavor of the fish along with Kagoshima’s local sake and mirin. The fish used is a blend of local fish such as stickleback sea bream, eel, horse mackerel, and mackerel depending on the season.
There are soft types made with tofu and types that make use of the elasticity of fish meat, and the toppings include a wide variety of things, including burdock root, carrots, wood ear mushrooms, sweet potatoes, octopus, squid, and cheese. They come in a wide variety of shapes, including sticks, squares, and oval shapes, and are especially delicious when freshly fried. Vacuum packs are popular as souvenirs, and you can enjoy the taste of Kagoshima at home.
● Fish cakehistory of
There are various theories about the origin of fish cakes, but the most likely theory is that the Ryukyuan dish “chikiagi” was introduced to Satsuma. It is said that Nariakira Shimazu, the lord of the Satsuma domain, tasted this in Ryukyu and ordered it to be recreated in Satsuma.
The Kagoshima version uses shochu, local sake, mirin, and sugar to add a unique sweetness and flavor, evolving into a taste different from the original. There is also a theory that Nariakira encouraged the development of deep-fried foods with a long shelf life, and that it was born from the wisdom of common people in the port town of Ichikikushikino City, etc., in order to utilize the abundant catch of fish without wasting it.
The combination of these influences combined Ryukyuan culture, the progressiveness of the feudal lords, and the ingenuity of the common people, resulting in the birth of today’s satsuma-age. Since the Meiji era, it has spread throughout the country under the name “Satsumaage” through transportation networks and product exhibitions, and has now become Kagoshima’s signature specialty.
● If you want to eat fish cakes, this is the place! !
- Store name:Agetateya Tenmonkan store
- charm:
Agetateya’s satsuma-age is made with rind-free surimi, and has a mild sweetness and refreshing aftertaste that brings out the natural flavor of the ingredients. It is supported by many people as a masterpiece that combines traditional manufacturing methods with modern health consciousness.
The biggest attraction at the Tenmonkan store is that you can enjoy freshly fried fish cakes on the spot. The outside is fragrant, the inside is soft or chewy, and the flavor of the fish spreads through. In addition to plain, cheese, sweet potato, and corn, there is also a wide variety of seasonal items, making it extremely fun to choose from. It is located in the Tenmonkan-dori Arcade, a tourist center, and is tourist-friendly, with benches for eating while walking. This is a restaurant that combines tradition and innovation, making it a must-visit place when sightseeing in Kagoshima. - Address: 13-16 Higashisengokucho, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture
- Access: About 1 minute walk from Kagoshima City Tram “Tenmonkan-dori” tram stop
- Google Map:https://maps.app.goo.gl/gnpFVx55VdSH8nmZ8
3. Chicken rice – Amami’s heartwarming hospitality dish
● Chicken ricecharm of
Chicken rice (Keihan) is a local dish representing Amami Oshima. Warm rice is served with a colorful array of chicken, tinsel eggs, candied shiitake mushrooms, pickled papaya, and more, topped with plenty of chicken stock.
The soup, which can be called life, has a concentrated flavor from the chicken and has a light yet nutritious taste. The texture and flavor of the ingredients come together as one, allowing you to enjoy a different taste each time you eat it.
It is popular among locals as a snack, breakfast, or end dish, and it also has the appeal of an hands-on experience where diners can arrange the ingredients themselves. This cup is nutritionally balanced and warms the mind and body, and is a masterpiece filled with Amami’s nature and culture. This is one of the must-try dishes when you visit.
● Chicken ricehistory of
Chicken rice was born in the Akakina area of Amami Oshima, which was under the control of the Satsuma clan during the Edo period. This is a dish that the islanders made with limited ingredients with all their heart, in order to entertain the officials of Satsuma, despite heavy taxes and harsh lifestyles. The colorful ingredients and chicken stock are filled with a spirit of hospitality and a modest will to resist.
In 1964, Their Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince and Princess (currently the retired Emperor and his wife) enjoyed chicken rice during a visit to Amami, and the anecdote spread throughout the country.
Nowadays, it is one of Amami’s most representative local dishes, loved by locals and tourists alike, and is a special dish filled with history, culture, and the blessings of nature.
● If you want to eat chicken rice, this is the place! !
- Store name:Original chicken rice Minatoya
- charm:
“Ganso Chicken Rice Minatoya” is a famous restaurant in Amami that was founded in 1945 and is known as the birthplace of chicken rice. The clear, golden-brown chicken soup is rich in flavor without any side effects, and is well-regarded for its rich flavor, and many people come here to try this bowl.
The chicken rice set is also a fun, hands-on experience where you can arrange chicken, tinned eggs, sweetly boiled shiitake mushrooms, pickled papaya, etc. to your liking, then finish it off with piping hot soup.
There is also a well-known anecdote that Their Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince and Princess (currently the Emperor and his wife) ate it when they visited the island, and even gave it a second helping. It is easily accessible, about 10 to 15 minutes by car from Amami Airport, and is the perfect place to start or end your trip to Amami. It’s a popular restaurant that always has lines at lunchtime, but here’s a drink that’s well worth the wait. . - Address: 81 Sotokanekyu, Kasari-cho, Amami City, Kagoshima Prefecture
- Access: Approximately 10-15 minutes by car from Amami Airport
- Google Map:https://maps.app.goo.gl/PMRZEcvGVM2ewBfx5
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