One year ago, Dave and I took a trip to Japan. The first leg of our trip took us to southern Kyushu to Kagoshima to visit Brett, and visit someplace I've never been before. Kagoshima is a port city protected by its surrounding mountains. It's right next to Kagoshima Bay, and in the center of Kagoshima Bay is a very large dorment volcano, Sakura-jima.

The morning before we left Kagoshima, Dave and I went up one of the surrounding mountains to an observation point which overlooked the town, and snapped a couple pictures.

I'm super proud of this one: (click on it)

Brett had a fun time showing us around the city. He took us to a rotating sushi place for dinner one night located on the boardwalk near the shore of Kagoshima Bay. Along the boardwalk were some natural volcanic springs just large enough to dip your feet into.

He also took us on a tour of the local shopping arcade, and showed us all the fun stores he buys his stuff at. His book store, music store, toy store, and, of course, his local bar.

Unfortunately, our time in Kagoshima was too short to fully enjoy it, but it was a great start to our vacation.