Charcoal does not sound like a monument, but at Terayama it was part of a project to modernise a whole domain. The Shimazu lords of Satsuma needed fuel for the furnaces at Shuseikan, and charcoal was made in kilns on the wooded hills north of Kagoshima, then carried down to the factory by cart. The remains of a kiln here, part of the Meiji industrial heritage listing, show how a traditional craft was bent to the service of the new age.
The setting is the point. You are in the hills about ten kilometres from the city, in woods of cedar, oak and camphor, where the air smells of damp earth and leaf mould. The kiln is a stone-lined structure half dug into the slope, and you can see how the charcoal was baked slowly in the absence of air. Tucked in the trees, it feels like a place rarely visited, though a signboard explains its role. The rest of the heritage is down on the coast, so this is the quiet, rural counterpoint.
The road is narrow and winding, partly shaded, with mossy stretches that can be slippery after rain. The ash from Sakurajima settles across this whole area, and the roadsides are dusted grey after a big eruption. There is little traffic, and the farms and tea plantations are charming. Weather changes quickly in the hills, with morning mist and sudden showers in the rainy season. In autumn the air is clear and the leaves turn.
Services are in Kagoshima, with fuel stations along the main roads, not up in the hills, so fill up before leaving the city. Take water. A picnic lunch bought from a bakery or convenience store works well, since there is nowhere to eat nearby. The pleasure of a visit lies in the stillness and in the feeling of finding a small piece of history away from the crowd.