Sengan-en

仙巌園

Sengan-en is an elegant home with extensive landscape gardens built in 1658 for the Shimadzu family, who once ruled this part of Kyushu. The gardens cover 12 acres, with views over Kinko Bay and Sakurajima. You can take a self-guided tour around the house, built in a mix of traditional Japanese and European styles. There is a modern Japanese restaurant, cafe and sweet shop onsite, and several craft shops. Sengan-en and the nearby Shoko Shuseikan Museum, detailing the first modern factory in Japan, were designated as a World Heritage Site in 2015.