We docked early for our second port in Japan. Kagoshima is in the lower islands of Japan and across the bay from our port was Sakurajima, an active volcano encompassing a small island with a population around 4,000.
For our excursion, we boarded a bus and headed to the ferry that would take us to Sakurajima and the observation area on the side of the volcano. The 15 minutes ride was great and gave us a fantastic view of the volcano. On the island, we saw the troughs they had built to funerary any lava flows from destroying the island population.
We arrived at the observation points and saw the volcanic lava and the sparse begotten that would grow in the lava. Black pine trees are able to survive in the lava rocks and shallow dirt and cover the volcano. While we were there, the volcano was spewing some ash, but we noticed that several people were setting up video cameras at the observation area. We finished our tour, seeing the hikers for use if the volcano erupts and several areas to take shelter in. Sharon and I laughed that there weren’t enough helmets for the visitors.
After returning from the island we made our way to see one of the older homes in the area that had brought in English engineers to help modernize Japan in the 1800s. It is a beautiful Japanese home with several gardens offering quiet places for the family. It has been kept up immaculately and really offered a glimpse into the Japanese lifestyle.
While we were visiting the grounds, Sakurajima erupted just a little over an hour after we had been on the side of the volcano at the observation points. Ten minutes before it erupted, I had been photographing a couple posing for engagement pictures with a clean background of the volcano. I had to get back to the bus, and when the eruption occurred, we weren’t able to get a clear view of the eruption as the area there was blocked by power lines and poles. Still it was an event we won’t forget.
After the tour of the home we had a Japanese lunch that offered a variety of specialties from the Kagoshima region. After lunch, we weren’t of to the boat and our next stop, Kochi.
