Museum of the Meiji Restoration — Attraction in Kagoshima

Ishin Furusato-kan Tucked along the scenic Kotsukigawa riverside, the Ishin Furusato-kan is a fascinating stop for anyone curious about Kagoshima’s history and surprisingly fun for families, too! The museum offers a great balance of immersive exhibits and interactive displays, with some areas especially designed for children to explore and enjoy. Whether it’s hands-on learning or playful zones, younger visitors won’t feel left out.

The riverside location adds a lot to the experience. After exploring the museum indoors, you can take a relaxing stroll outside along the beautifully maintained riverside path—perfect for stretching your legs, enjoying the view of Sakurajima, or just soaking up some fresh air.

Admission: • Adults: ¥300 • Children: ¥150 • Open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (closed on certain holidays)

Getting there: It’s just a 10-minute walk from Kagoshima-Chūō Station, or a short ride on the city tram (get off at Asahidori stop). The museum is very accessible and located right by the river, making it easy to combine with a visit to the nearby historical walking paths.

Whether you’re into samurai tales or simply want a peaceful riverside stop with both indoor and outdoor appeal, this spot is definitely...

Visited in mid-July 2025

Came during a short period where the admission was free of charge. It's not only informative but also interactive experience, showcasing a lot of artifacts (or re-creation thereof) and detailed information as backdrops or contexts of the time in which the Meiji Restoration happened. It amazed me that at one time of the history, Satsuma region had leaders and elites who were the most forward-thinking throughout Japan, particularly Shimazu Nariakira and his peers.

At certain times of the day, the museum screens short movies on the Satsuma domain's pivotal role on the Meiji Restoration. During my visit, they screened the one with the first wave of young Satsuma scholars in the 1860s who were sent to the UK to study all matters related to the industrialization and modern, more forward thinking society. The movie was a bit too tacky, jingoistic, and nationalistic, but it was pretty mind-opening once one can get past through such delivery.

For history buffs who are visiting or planning to be in Kagoshima, the experience is best paired with other visits to Sengan-en (former proto-industrial zone established by the Satsuma Domain) and Reimeikan (broader, more all-encompassing history and culture...

A wonderful museum!! The displays are really well done. If you understand Japanese, you might spent 90 minutes here. ♿️👁️🦻Accessibility: Be warned the animatronic theater show has strobe lights to mimic lightning. The English narration might also be a bit hard for some people to hear, as the headphones' volume was not adjustable. 👩🏻Female Inclusion- they have some displays about women important to the time period. It's possible they were added later as most of the hard displays are about men, but at least they have them. 🌐English: 7/10: •English pamphlets. •The animatronic theater performance has an entire English narration! When you buy your ticket, they'll ask you if you want the English (I was speaking Japanese, but she said there's lots of Kagoshima Dialect in the performance, so I decided on the English; I'm happy I did). The theater has specific seats with headphones plugged into the English feed. •The interactive museum displays, although super cool, don't have much English. •There are some outdated English terms, such as "civilization," used...