The southernmost province of Japan’s main islands is now called Kagoshima, but in feudal times the region was known as Satsuma. There are a lot of local foods including light and airy mikan (Satsuma oranges in English) and especially sweet potatoes (Satsuma-imo in Japanese), which come in shades from gold through orange to purple. You can get them any which way you like: baked, fried, chips, in pie or stone-roasted and served from a street cart that bellows a tune familiar to any Japanese. The latest: chocolate dipped. These are for sale at the gourmet food stalls at Kagoshima’s central train station.
