Leg 614 RJKA Amami (Japan) to RJFK Kagoshima (Japan)
RJKA - Airport Info
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ICAO code: RJKA
Airport name: Amami
Location: Amami
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Amami Info
Amami Oshima is a semi-tropical island in the Ryukyu Archipelago (also known as the Nansei Islands) in Japan. Oshima literally means big island, and it is the largest of the Amami Islands. It lies roughly halfway between the islands of Okinawa and Kyushu. Formerly part of the Ryukyu Kingdom, in 1624 it was annexed by the daimyo of Satsuma. It also spent approximately seven years under American control following World War II.
Amami Oshima is home to several rare or endangered animals, including the Amami Rabbit and the Lidth's Jay, both of which are now found only in Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima. The Amami rabbit is sometimes called a living fossil because it represents an ancient Asian lineage that has elsewhere disappeared.
The island is also home to the habu, a type of venomous snake that can be found throughout the Ryukyu Islands. Mongooses were brought in to kill some of the habu, as the bite from one can be fatal. As of today, the mongooses have bred with each other and are now becoming another problem. In fact, the increase in the mongoose population has been linked to the decline of the Amami rabbit and other endemic species.
KAGOSHIMA - Airport Info
ICAO code: KAGOSHIMA
Airport name: Kagoshima
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Kagoshima Info
Kagoshima is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture at the southwestern tip of the Kyushu island of Japan, and the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern world" for its bay location (Aira Caldera), hot climate and impressive stratovolcano, Sakurajima.
As of 1 January 2010, the city had an estimated population of 605,855 and a density of 1,107.49 persons per km˛. The total area is 546.71 km˛. In 2003, the city had an estimated population of only 554,136 and density of 1,911.41 persons per km˛. The total area was 289.91 km˛.
The city's total area nearly doubled between 2003 and 2005 as a result of five towns—the towns of Koriyama and Matsumoto, both from Hioki District, the town of Kiire, from Ibusuki District, and the towns of Sakurajima and Yoshida, both from Kagoshima District—merging into Kagoshima on November 1, 2004.
Kagoshima is approximately 40 minutes from Kagoshima Airport, and the city features large shopping districts and malls, is served by trams, and has many restaurants featuring Satsuma Province regional cuisine: kibi (a kind of tiny fish), tonkatsu (caramelized pork, as opposed to the breaded version encountered elsewhere in Japan), smoked eel, and karukan (sweet cakes made from steamed yams and rice flour). A large, modern aquarium has been installed on the old docks overlooking the volcano. The Sengan-en (Isoteien) Japanese garden is just outside the city.
The St. Xavier church is a reminder of the first Christians who came to Japan.
One of the best places to see the city (and the active volcano across the bay) is from the Amuran Ferris wheel on top of Amu Plaza Kagoshima, the shopping centre attached to the main Kagoshima-Chui Station.