TANEGASHIMA, Kagoshima Pref. -- Tanegashima may be the most ballistic place in Japan.
Despite its diminutive dimensions, this oblong-shaped island just a hop away from Kagoshima belies its explosive role in Japan's development.
The island's most historic bang came in 1543, when the sand on this unlikely isle became the first in Japan to crunch under Western feet. Crippled by a typhoon, a Portuguese ship landed at the island's most southern point, Cape Kadokuramisaki, and those who came ashore ushered in the nation's first known encounter with the West.