Reimeikan - Kagoshima History Museum and Fine Arts Center — Attraction in Kagoshima

When my family arrived at the museum at around 4.20pm, we nearly had the museum to ourselves. The staff there were very pleasant and polite (as seems to be the norm everywhere you go in lovely Japan). Because my family had purchased all day transport passes, this meant we were eligible for a discount on the entrance fee into the museum. We were given English language booklets to supplement our walk through the museum. You will find that Korean, Chinese and English translations for each major museum section has been added, but details about each individual artefact are still only in Japanese.

While the museum may not be as modern as museums you may find elsewhere, everything is kept immaculately and it's large and spacious. This museum is built on the foundation that used to make up the Kagoshima Castle, but all that remains is the outerwall and moat remains. When I went today part of the museum's exterior is under construction and restoration, but the museum is still open to visitors. If you're coming to the museum down from the Shiroyama observatory deck, it is easy to miss the side entrance to get into the museum, so keep your eyes peeled for the ramp leading towards the museum grounds!

There is a little cafe inside the museum where you can enjoy a selection of food off a menu, but note that this cafe...

Visited in mid-July 2025

The largest museum of Kagoshima, built on the former ground of the Tsurumaru Castle. Compared to thematic museums in the city such as the Ishin Furusato (Meiji Restoration) and Shuseikan (Sengan-en), it is more all-encompassing. Although of course there is more emphasis on the period just prior and during the Meiji Restoration, other eras are also well-represented - this includes the geological history and the advent of neolithic civilization in the Kinko Bay area. Another notable point is that the exposition on the Meiji Restoration is presented more carefully, objectively (although to some may feel a bit dry), and more or less free of jingoism compared to that in the Ishin Furusato museum.

The second floor section, although smaller, is no less interesting. This section is dedicated to folklores and the very traditional way of life of people inhabiting the Satsuma and Kinko Bay areas. One of the most interesting exhibition is the replica of mock mythical creature that is operated by multiple persons like lion dance, but in this case it is a mix of cow,...

The other exhibitions might be ok but just visited the dinosaur exhibit (大恐竜展) which was small, very overpriced at (1400 yen) and a terrible concept: not enough information for adults and not enough hands on exhibits for kids. Despite lots of posters advertising different dinosaurs in CGI there is only one small video of a T Rex on loop. The whole thing feels just like a way to fleece money from parents. They were selling toy dinosaurs for up to 5000 yen or more but had nothing for sale of interest to adults. There was also no information in English (except for dinosaur Latin names) and a no return policy should you leave one of the two rooms which seems extremely harsh considering the exhibit seems aimed at kids but I didn't see any toilets in there.

Almost all of the few dinosaurs in the exhibit were constructed with fur and brightly coloured. I'm not sure this is in line with Western ideas or not but looked too gaudy to be anywhere close to natural.

In case you want to visit this museum and the price seems high, I recommend to avoid it and spend your...