"Sake zushi" was first said to be made during the Edo period when the Shimazu clan ruled the Satsuma Domain.

Where it is made

All of Kagoshima Prefecture

Main ingredients

Rice, Dried daikon radish, Dried shiitake mushrooms, Boiled bamboo shoot, Tsuke-age/satsuma-age (=fried fishcake), Sea bream, "Akumochizake" (=sake with ash)

“Satsuma Jiru" is a miso soup with a lot of ingredients including chicken. “Satsuma” is present-day Kagoshima Prefecture.

Where it is made

The whole prefecture

Main ingredients

Chicken, dried shiitake mushrooms, konjac, burdock, carrots, radishes, taro, miso, green onions

Kagoshima Prefecture is blessed with a wide range of fishing grounds, including Kagoshima Bay, the East China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean, and is rich in seafood.

Where it is made

All of Kagoshima Prefecture

Main ingredients

Kibinago

In Kagoshima Prefecture, there is a record that since the Edo period, Satsuma Samurais actively held cockfights to raise the morale of the warriors, and the roosters that lost in such fights were…

Where it is made

All of Kagoshima prefecture

Main ingredients

Chicken

‘Tonkotsu’ is a local dish simmered roasted spare rib with ‘shochu’ distilled spirit after grilled, with konjac (yam cake), daikon radish or other vegetables, miso and brown sugar.

Where it is made

All of Kagoshima Prefecture

Main ingredients

Tonkotsu (Spare rib), Konjac(=Yam cake), Daikon radish, Gobou(=Burdock root), Shochu (Distilled Spirit), Miso, Sugar

“Keihan (Chicken rice)" is a typical local dish of the Amami region.

Where it is made

Amami area

Main ingredients

Rice, chicken, dried shiitake mushrooms, eggs, papaya miso-zuke, green onions, tangerine peels, seaweed

"Tsukeage" is called "Satsumaage", "Tempura", or "Fried kamaboko” in other prefectures.

Where it is made

The whole prefecture

Main ingredients

Surimi fish, cotton tofu, local sake, sugar, sweet potato starch

‘Buta Miso’ is a dish made with pork and miso, representative foods of Kagoshima Prefecture. Peanuts and bonito flakes are added in Amami region.

Where it is made

All of Kagoshima Prefecture, Amami Region

Main ingredients

Pork, Miso

“Akumaki” is a traditional snack eaten on “Tango no Sekku,” also known as Children’s Day, and is sometimes called “chimaki.”

Where it is made

All of Kagoshima Prefecture

Main ingredients

Glutinous rice, Lye

“Jambo mochi” is freshly pounded “mochi” (Japanese rice cake) or "dango"(dumpling) made with glutinous rice flour.

Where it is made

Kagoshima City

Main ingredients

Glutinous rice flour, Freshly pounded “mochi” (=Japanese rice cake)

“Gane" is a local dish made from sweet potatoes, a specialty of Kagoshima Prefecture. Kagoshima Prefecture is the number one producer of sweet potatoes in Japan.

Where it is made

The whole prefecture

Main ingredients

Sweet potatoes, carrots, leeks, flour

"Karaimo Gohan"(=Sweet Potato Rice) is a local dish using sweet potatoes, a specialty of Kagoshima Prefecture that is well known throughout the country.

Where it is made

All of Kagoshima Prefecture

Main ingredients

Sweet potatoes, rice

"Karaimo Netabo" is a local dish made from sweet potatoes, a specialty of Kagoshima Prefecture that is well known throughout the country. "Karaimo" means sweet potato.

Where it is made

All of Kagoshima Prifecture

Main ingredients

Sweet potato, Rice cake, Kinako(=Roasted soybean flour)

"Karukan" is a famous confectionery of Kagoshima Prefecture, made from "karukan flour", Japanese yams, and water, and is well known throughout the country.

Where it is made

All of Kagoshima Prefecture

Main ingredients

Karukan flour, Japanese yam, bean jam

"Getanha" is one of Kagoshima's local sweets, made to serve tea to people who gathered in Yokogawa Town (now Kirishima City), which used to be a rice-gathering area.

Where it is made

All of Kagoshima Prefecture

Main ingredients

Cake flour, Baking soda, Brown sugar

"Kasha Mochi" is a rice cake made with "yomogi (a kind of Japanese mugwort) " produced in the Amami region.

Where it is made

Amami Area

Main ingredients

Mugwort, Baking soda, Glutinous rice flour, Sweet potato, Brown sugar, Kumatake orchid leaves

The sushi of Kagoshima Prefecture include “sake-zushi” and “satsuma sumoji”.

Where it is made

All areas of the Prefecture

Main ingredients

Rice, dried shiitake mushrooms, dried kikurage mushrooms, dried daikon radishes, burdock roots, carrost, bamboo shoots, “satsuma-age” fried fish cakes, steamed “kamaboko” fish cakes, peas, local sake

"Butajiru" is another a typical example.

Where it is made

The whole prefecture

Main ingredients

Pork, daikon radish, carrot, taro, konjac, fried tofu, miso

"Hechima Jiru" is a local dish from Kagoshima Prefecture. It consists of miso soup with luffa served in a bowl of somen noodles.

Where it is made

All areas in the prefecture

Main ingredients

hechima (luffa), somen noodles, barley miso, soup stock

Shirokuma is a frozen dessert known throughout Japan which is made by pouring condensed milk over shaved ice and topping it with various colorful toppings such as cherries, raisins, mikan…

Where it is made

Prefecture-wide

Main ingredients

Ice, condensed milk, adzuki beans, fruit

“Fukuregashi” is a local sweet made by steaming a mixture of wheat flour, baking soda, brown sugar, and other ingredients.

Where it is made

Entire Prefecture

Main ingredients

Wheat flour, baking soda, brown sugar, egg, vinegar, honey

“Aburazomen” is a local dish of stir-fried pork, vegetables, and somen noodles.

Where it is made

Amami region

Main ingredients

Pork, somen noodles, chives, dried sardines, dashi stock

When you think of Japanese New Year’s dishes, osechi or zoni may come to mind but in the Amami island region, “sangon” is eaten instead.

Where it is made

Amami Area

Main ingredients

(1st course) rice cake, shiitake mushroom, fish cake (kamaboko), and egg (2nd course) white fish sashimi (3rd course) chicken (or pork), daikon radish, and carrot

“Papaya Pickles” are made by pickling young papaya fruit in salt, followed by additional pickling in miso paste or soy sauce, and are popular as a type of pickled vegetable that can be made easily…

Where it is made

Amami Region

Main ingredients

papaya

Pork bone vegetables" is a dish made by stewing large pieces of pork, tsuwabuki (a type of Japanese radish), kombu (kelp), daikon (Japanese radish), carrots, and koshaman (a native taro) in a large…

Where it is made

Amami area

Main ingredients

Pork, Tsuwabuki, kelp, radish, carrot, koshaman

The giant cuttlefish is another name for the bluefin squid, which is a relatively large squid with a body length of 40 centimeters.

Where it is made

Amami area

Main ingredients

Mizuika (Japanese common squid), squid ink bag (mada), miso, dried bonito flakes

Miki" is a lactic acid fermented beverage made from rice, sweet potatoes and sugar, and is drunk in Okinawa Prefecture as well as in the Amami area.

Where it is made

Amami area

Main ingredients

Rice flour, white sugar, sweet potatoes, water

Brown sugar" is sugar made by cutting sugarcane into small pieces and boiling down the juice squeezed out by a press. It is known as a specialty of the Amami region and Okinawa Prefecture.

Where it is made

Amami area

Main ingredients

sugarcane

In Kagoshima Prefecture, there are some differences between regions, but in the Satsuma area, they are known for "Satsuma Shrimp Zoni," which is a dish with shrimps so big they stick out of the bowl.

Where it is made

Satsuma Peninsula

Main ingredients

Grilled shrimp or dried shrimp, carrots, dried shiitake mushrooms, rice cakes, bean sprouts, kamaboko, taro, garland chrysanthemum

Buri daikon," made with yellowtail and daikon (Japanese radish), a specialty of Kagoshima Prefecture, is a popular winter dish.

Where it is made

All over the prefecture

Main ingredients

Daikon radish, yellowtail