Sakurajima is one of the most of the most active volcanoes in the world. When I have guests visiting, I like to take them here to witness this unique treasure of Japan. There is always a good chance of it erupting! Sakurajima translates as “Cherry Tree Island”. However, Sakurajima is no longer an island as a result of lava flows from an eruption in 1908 that joined the volcano to Kyushu.
Sakurajima is located on the southern end of the Aira Caldera. The Aira Caldera formed during a massive eruption about 30,000 years ago, creating the bay in Kagoshima. The volcano is about a 20 minute ferry ride from downtown Kagoshima city, and another 30 minute bus ride to get to the viewpoint. Very easy to access!
On the day of our visit, there was clearly a lot of ash being erupted. It was probably the most active I have seen it in all my visits. It was pretty cloudy as a result of the approaching Tropical Storm Lingling (which hit the next day, causing some delays in our departure), but were high enough that the ash cloud was clearly visible. We were considering visiting the next day instead, but it was lucky we chose not to do that because the storm was pretty intense.
Raised Beaches 
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