For not that large a city, Kagoshima seems to be blessed with more than its share of art and culture. As well as its numerous historical sights there are gems of museums such as the Musee Nakamura and the Nagashima Museum; and in the center the Kagoshima City Museum of Art is a good place to enjoy a wide range of artworks, both modern and classical, by well-known international artists and locally-based ones.
It's easy to get to, on the 'Road of History and Culture' near the Prefectural Museum of Culture and the big bronze statue of Saigo Takamori. There are some statues and sculptures in the grounds in front of the building, which provide some diversion as you walk to the entrance; then when you step inside you're in a very grand atrium, with a high domed ceiling and sweeping staircase, where a red carpet and dignitaries in tuxedos and ballgowns wouldn't look out of place.
The rooms are all spacious, and the museum doesn't seem to get many visitors, so the atmosphere is suitably relaxed. The rooms given over to Japanese artists hold a good range of styles; there are traditional forms such as hanging scrolls and woodblock prints, some Western-style portraits, and a large sunset which is especially striking when viewed from across the room.
The other rooms hold works by a very impressive array of artists: Matisse, Monet, Renoir and Pisarro provide the classics; Picasso, Ernst, Dali and Kandinsky represent modernizing abstract and surrealism; while in the Pop Art corner there's a Jim Dine, one of Warhol's prints of Marilyn Monroe, and a big mad sculpture by Frank Stella, placed opposite a small, delicate Buddhist figurine in a fun collision of very different worlds.
My ticket also got me admission to a special exhibition (which made the ¥300 admission fee even better value). This was a big mix of contemporary art by painters based in Kagoshima prefecture, with portraits, landscapes and abstracts, all skilfully executed, many of them charming or interesting or both. And as well as all that, there are a handful of statues and ceramic pieces dotted around inside the museum, some glasswork here, a sculpture of a breast-feeding mother there, a decorative pot over that way.
If you're in need of a break there's a small rest area, or you can relax over a drink or snack at the Hanacafe, which also has a few craft goods for sale. There are more souvenirs available at a little stand near the entrance, among them cards, document wallets and stationery.
