Sakurajima

A better view of Sakurajima is had from the train to Ibusuki. If you a wondering if that is a cloud at the top of the mountain or if it's smoke, it's smoke. Sakurajima is one of those volcanoes that is almost continuously producing smoke and ash. Even the local weather gives ash warnings along with usual weather conditions. It is one of those volcanoes that as long as it is smoking it isn't going to do anything bad, it's a pressure release thing. You worry when it stops smoking. Sakurajima means Cherry blossom island although it is no longer an island but a peninsula jutting out into Kagoshima's Bay,as an eruption joined the island to the mainland in 1914. Incidentally Sakurajima is an active peak inside of the caldera of what was a super-volcano. The caldera is now filled with Seawater, it's Kagoshima Bay! The island of Kyushu has two such super-volcanos, the other is Mount Also in the centre of the island. While they have active peaks inside the calderas, they are very unlikely to have a full on eruption and like Yellowstone in the USA,would be a very bad day for the planet if they did.