Cue the ominous music...
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"Sakurajima ("Cherry Blossom Island"), 4 km across the bay from Kagoshima, is an active stratovolcano, formerly an island and now a peninsula. The lava flows of the 1914 eruption connected it with the Ōsumi Peninsula. It is the most active volcano in Japan.
On September 13, 2016, a team of experts from Bristol University and the Sakurajima Volcano Research Centre in Japan suggested that the volcano could have a major eruption within 30 years; since then two significant eruptions have occurred. The summit has three peaks, Kita-dake (northern peak), Naka-dake (central peak) and Minami-dake (southern peak) which is active now.
Sakurajima has a population of a few thousand residents, formerly incorporated as Sakurajima town, with a number of schools, shrines, support services and shops on the island. Sakurajima Ferry runs 24/7 to service the town."
On September 13, 2016, a team of experts from Bristol University and the Sakurajima Volcano Research Centre in Japan suggested that the volcano could have a major eruption within 30 years; since then two significant eruptions have occurred. The summit has three peaks, Kita-dake (northern peak), Naka-dake (central peak) and Minami-dake (southern peak) which is active now.
Sakurajima has a population of a few thousand residents, formerly incorporated as Sakurajima town, with a number of schools, shrines, support services and shops on the island. Sakurajima Ferry runs 24/7 to service the town."
We board a ferry for a 20 minute ride across the bay, and will see the sights by hiking and riding a bus.
The peaks are shrouded in clouds once again.
Tsukiyomi Shrine
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Volcano Cat, Lava Kitty, or the Ghost of Eruptions Past...
This is as close as we'll get to the top, courtesy of the bus - yes, it's very active indeed.
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Nearby to the torii gate is a hardened shelter for refuge, should the next bad eruption get us now.
Time to go home...
We leave Sakurajima in our wake...
It's happy hour for someone...
 |  Yes, it was happy hour at this izakaya, with lots of interesting and tasty plates. Tim especially enjoyed the Black Port, so much so he ordered another. |  |
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If this sucker is still going to erupt before we move on, we'll have a view of it from our hotel room, and some Shochu to toast to our good luck, or bad, depending on how we feel about rocks getting flung our way.
As the volcano snores out some vapors, a hydrofoil whizzes by...
Look at my jammies!
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