Japan Guide
Kyūshū
Sakurajima
Just 4km from Kagoshima, the volcanic cone of Sakurajima grumbles away, pouring a column of dense black ash into the air. This is one of the world's most active volcanoes and major eruptions have been recorded from the early eighth century till as recently as 1947, though the most violent in living memory was that of 1914. After a period of increased activity in the early 1990s, the volcano is now fairly quiet and makes an enjoyable half-day excursion from Kagoshima. A single road (40km) circles Sakurajima at sea level, past lava fields, onsen baths and a couple of observation points, plus the obligatory souvenir shops where you can buy Sakurajima-yaki, pottery glazed with volcanic ash, as well as other local produce.
Ferries from Kagoshima (15min; ¥150) dock at a small pier on Sakurajima's west coast. The service operates 24 hours a day, with hourly sailings between 10.30pm and 5.30am, and increasing to every ten to fifteen minutes during peak hours (7am–8pm); you pay at the Sakurajima end.
A handy sightseeing bus departs twice daily (9.40am & 2.20pm; ¥1700) from Kagoshima Central Station (9am & 1.40pm; ¥2200 including return ferry tickets). The bus kicks off its tour of the island with a tortuous route up the volcano's west flank to the Yunohira Observatory (373m). This is the closest you can get to the deeply creviced summit, which in fact comprises three cones, from the highest, northerly Kita-dake (1117m) to Minami-dake (1040m), the most active, in the south. Weather permitting, you'll also be treated to sweeping views of Kagoshima Bay.
Sakurajima's brooding presence becomes more apparent as you see the still-barren 1914 lava fields around the Arimura Observatory. During this particularly violent explosion, enough lava spilled down the southeast slopes to fill the four-hundred-metre-wide channel that previously separated Sakurajima from the mainland.