Originally Posted by
UAL250
An interesting note, I did not see any other Westerners, at least it was not obvious as I did not hear any English or see any obvious Europeans/North Americans. Client base seemed to be mostly Japanese with tourists from South Korea and China. That goes for the city/region as a whole too, virtually no other non-Korean/Chinese tourists over the few days I was there. After visiting Hiroshima and Tokyo later in the trip, it became very clear that Kagoshima and Kyushu are a bit off the main tourist road, which I actually really appreciated and enjoyed for a change of pace. I'd like to go back to the region and explore more.
I've visited Japan a few dozen times, and considering how crowded the main tourist trail of Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka-Hiroshima has become, now mostly spend my time in off-the-beaten-path locations. We had a similar experience to yours at Sheraton Kagoshima, no other Westerners. The club lounge seemed to have 95% Japanese, but the city had a fair number of Chinese and Korean visitors. The latter flock to Kyushu in huge numbers. Funny anecdote, the change machine on the tram spat out a 500 KRW coin instead of 500 JPY when I broke a 1000 JPY note. Chinese people I've encountered everywhere, even the most desolate and remote towns in Hokkaido. I highly recommend visiting these "lesser" locations -- Kuyshu is spectacularly beautiful, and Japan has so much to offer once you've checked off the main sights. A "hack" is to fly into tiny airports like KOJ, NGS, KMJ rather than KIX or HND when you're coming in from other parts of Asia like TPE or HKG. They often have only one or two international flights a day, so immigration waits are zero. This is somewhat offeset by a near 100% chance of being questioned thoruoghly by customs (including opening bags, but in a completely pointless for-show way) if you're a Westerner. Sadly, Sheraton Kagoshima is a bit of a unicorn when it comes to visiting small-town Japan -- if you're lucky, there'll be an ancient Crowne Plaza (where IHG Diamond benefits can be pretty meaningful), but often you'll find yourself in a tiny room at a local chain.