Xavier Park is located across the street from the Kagoshima Cathedral Xavier Church. In 1549, guided by a Japanese called Yajiro, Jesuit missionary Francisco Xavier landed on Kagoshima. With the permission of Takahisa Shimadzu, Xavier took the first step in Christian propagation in Japan in Kagoshima. A Japanese with baptismal name Bernardo whom Xavier took to Kyoto in order to obtain permission of the missionary work from the emperor, later reportedly was the first Japanese to attend an audience with the Pope when he traveled to Europe.