Login

Mount Sakurajima

Hundreds of Eruptions a Year

Mount Sakurajima is an active volcano in the city of Kagoshima that was formed more than 20,000 years ago. Sakurajima volcano has two craters and has erupted on a large scale more than ten times. You can discover the charm of the volcanic island along the lava shore walkway, and visit the Yunohira Observatory to get a close look at the stunning nature.

29,000 years ago, an unprecedented eruption occurred near Kagoshima, covering southern Kyushu (九州) with volcanic ash tens of meters thick. The eruption caused the ground to sink and seawater to rush in at a depth of more than 200 meters, where it is today’s Kagoshima Bay, also known as Kinko Bay (錦江湾).

Manywhere Trivia:
Compared to this huge eruption, the strongest eruption in recent millennia was only a millionth of its strength.

When the Kagoshima Bay area erupted again 26,000 years ago, stratigraphic movement and lava formed an island protruding from the sea, the Sakurajima (桜島). Sakurajima has two craters, the north and south, about one kilometer apart, and the Yunohira Observatory (湯之平展望所) on the island is the closest viewing platform to the Sakurajima crater.

Lava formations on the shore

In the history of Sakurajima volcano, there have been 17 large-scale eruptions, the most recent being the 1471 Bunmei eruption, the 1779 Anei eruption, the 1914 Taisho eruption, and the 1946 Showa eruption. Each of these eruptions created a unique natural landscape on Sakurajima, and Sakurajima’s Lava Coastal Walk is located in the Taisho period where the lava layers were formed. A closer look at the rocks and plants here will give you a better understanding of the volcanic island’s ecology.

Even though Sakurajima is known as an active volcano, the thousands of islanders on the island are still living their lives peacefully. Like tourists, they take the Sakurajima Ferry to and from downtown Kagoshima. Sakurajima also have Sand Beaches, buses, supermarkets, shopping malls and school. Tsukiyomi Shrine is the largest shrine on the island, it was buried by volcanic ash during the Taisho eruption and later relocated to a hillside next to Sakurajima Pier.

Manywhere Trivia:
The name Tsukiyomi (Tsukuyomi 月読) also appears in the hit Anime “Naruto”.

In 2004, Kagoshima-born Japanese singer Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi (長渕剛) held a huge all-night concert in Sakurajima with 75,000 people, more than ten times the number of islanders. Akamizu Observatory Square (赤水展望広場) in Sakurajima has a statue of a shouting voice, which was built to commemorate the concert.