St Francis Xavier Brought Christianity to Japan, Kagoshima was His Landing Spot

During my recent trip to Kagoshima (in May 2024), I discovered that St Francis Xavier had brought Christianity to Japan. 

His point of landing in the Land of the Rising Sun was at Kagoshima in August 1549. Today, the Diocese of Kagoshima have named their cathedral in honour of the saint.

St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Kagoshima.

Statue of St Francis Xavier in front of the cathedral.

Like most churches in Japan, Mass is celebrated on the first floor instead of the ground floor. 

Sanctuary and altar.

There is a pipe organ in the choir loft.

A cathedral is the seat of the bishop and that is the Bishop of Kagoshima's coat of arms.

A monstrance displayed by the side of the sanctuary:

English language Mass on Sundays are celebrated at 3:00pm, here's the signage:

The English language Mass is celebrated in the chapel on the ground floor:

Mass is celebrated in this chapel.

Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the grounds of the cathedral.

Opposite the cathedral there is a park aptly named "Xavier Park" in honour of St Francis Xavier. 

Let me show you some pics of what's in the park.

Ruins of a doorway that marks the entrance to the park.

Bust head of St Francis Xavier.

Statue of St Francis Xavier on mission in Kagoshima.

At the park there's a signage displaying a chronological record of St Francis Xavier in Japan. I was delighted to see that his last port of call before sailing to Japan was good old Malacca!

It took St Francis Xavier around 2 months to sail from Malacca to Kagoshima.

There is also a St Francis Xavier Historical Trail that pilgrims and history buffs could do in Kagoshima. 

Unfortunately, I did not have time to do the trail and that is a good excuse to revisit Kagoshima.