Kagoshima Central Station

Kagoshima Central Station (鹿児島中央駅) is a major railway station in Kagoshima, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It is the main railway terminal serving Kagoshima, the southern terminus of the Kyushu Shinkansen, and is located on the Kagoshima Main Line and Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line. It is also the southernmost high-speed Shinkansen railway terminal in Japan.

Before the Kyushu Shinkansen opened in 2004, the station was called Nishi-Kagoshima Station (西鹿児島駅).

In fiscal year 2016, the station was used by an average of 19,842 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked third among the busiest JR Kyushu stations.

History
Kagoshima-Chūō initially opened on October 11, 1913 as Take Station (武駅) on the Sendai Line. On December 17, 1915, the adjacent Take Ekimae tram stop (武駅前停留所) opened.

Take Station changed its name to Nishi-Kagoshima Station (西鹿児島駅) on October 17, 1927, with the Take Ekimae tram stop being renamed Nishi-Kagoshima Ekimae tram stop (西鹿児島駅前停留所) on August 7, 1928.

On March 13, 2004, Nishi-Kagoshima Station was renamed Kagoshima-Chūō Station (鹿児島中央駅), and Kyushu Shinkansen services began between Shin-Yatsushiro and Kagoshima-Chūō. The Nishi-Kagoshima Ekimae tram stop was renamed the Kagoshima-Chuo Ekimae tram stop (鹿児島中央駅前停留所).

Lines
Kagoshima-Chūō Station is served by the following JR Kyushu lines: The Kyushu Shinkansen tracks and platforms are perpendicular to the Kagoshima Main and Ibusuki-Makurazaki tracks and platforms.
 * Kyushu Shinkansen
 * Kagoshima Main Line
 * Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line

Limited Express trains

 * Kirishima - Nippō Main Line
 * Ibusuki no Tamatebako - Ibusuki Makurazaki Line

Liner and Rapid trains

 * Nanohana - Ibusuki Makurazaki Line
 * Ocean Liner Satsuma - Kagoshima Main Line

Ekiben

 * Tonkatsu bento, a bento with tonkatsu available as ekiben, is a local specialty consisting of Kagoshima pork ribs simmered in shōchū, miso, and black sugar for over five hours.

Surrounding areas

 * Kagoshima-Chūō Ekimae tram stop
 * Amu Plaza Kagoshima and Amuran Ferris wheel
 * Kagoshima Central Post Office
 * Museum of the Meiji Restoration
 * Naples Avenue (ナポリ通り)
 * Kagoshima Prefectural Konan High School
 * Kagoshima Prefectural Tsurumaru High School