Am planning to visit Kyushu at Feb 2023, leaving two nights for Kagoshima and planning for a daytrip to Sakurajima. It’s often marketed as a very active volcano, and the only other volcano I’ve been near is Mt Hakone which I know to be far less active in comparison.
I have to admit that I am completely ignorant of how volcano eruptions works, so I have to ask some questions that I couldn’t readily find the answer to:
* What happens when Sakurajima typically erupts? From what I gather it experiences hundreds of eruptions a year so I guessing eruptions are just another day in the office, but I’m not 100% sure that I can continue hiking if it does happen. Most travel guides barely mention the eruptions aside from calling it the most active volcano.
* Will eruptions affect even the people at Kagoshima?
3 comments
The volcano is its own “island” and the eruption events are often small. Maybe some ash and a little pyroxlastic material. If you are lucky you get one of the really active events when a bit of lava spews from it.
However it is on its own “island” that is connected to Kyushu but the city is a bit away from it, across some water. Unless it’s an exceptional event life goes on as normal.
The volcano is constantly monitored. If it goes above a threat level 3, no hiking up. If you are hiking and the threat level changes, you must exit immediately.
I was lucky enough to witness a minor ash eruption about five years ago. Was hiking around the coastline when a small cloud continued growing, eventually around 1km high, by rough estimate compared to the volcano height. After about half an hour, the ash began descending in a fine mist, which prompted me to put on a mask and stow my camera away in its bag (ash and cameras don’t mix well).
Nobody panicked. There was no rumbling or trembling. Unless you see lava, or feel a quake, I’d say it’s nothing to be overly concerned about. There are solid concrete shelters dotted around the main routes, should there be a dangerous event, so it’s worth making a note of their locations, I guess.
As for the rest of Kagoshima, I can only say this: there are special marked bags for collecting ash, provided by the local government. I saw a lot of them left by the roadside in the following days. I’d guess the worst reaction, for the majority of eruptions, would be worrying if the laundry was left out on the line.