Tanegashima Island Circuit — Kagoshima's RocketCoast.
Distance
110 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
500 m
Tanegashima Island Circuit — Kagoshima's Rocket Coast.
A relaxed loop down Kagoshima's space island, reached by ferry or jetfoil from Kagoshima port. Sugarcane plains and surf beaches lead to the JAXA Tanegashima Space Center — often called the most beautiful launch site in the world — and on to the wind-blown cliffs of Cape Kadokura at the island's southern tip.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance110 km
Days1
Total climb500 m
DifficultyEasy
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The route.
Nishinoomote PortStart · Arrive by ferry or jetfoil from Kagoshima. The island's main port and town — fuel and rentals here before heading south.
NakataneScenic Point · Central sugarcane plain with Pacific surf beaches; the island narrows and the riding opens up.
MinamitaneRestaurant · Southern hub for lunch and fuel — local pork and sweet-potato shōchū; the Chikura sea-cave is nearby.
Tanegashima Space CenterScenic Point · JAXA's launch complex on a turquoise coast — free grounds, a rocket museum, and gantries above the reef.
Cape KadokuraEnd · End at the southern tip where firearms first reached Japan in 1543; Pacific cliffs and an observation plaza.
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