Mount Sakurajima

Kris went on another research cruise on the R/V Natsushima. This time up north toward Kagoshima. It was much less wavy without an impending typhoon. We arrive in Kagoshima and found volcanic ash covering everything. That black dirt-looking stuff in the photo below is all volcanic ash. Mount Sakurajima is an active volcano, spouting out ash 3-4 times a day.



First things first, once we got all of our gear unloaded, we ate lunch at the sushi train. Oishi des! Then we did a bit of sightseeing. We took the "Cherry Queen" ferry over to Sakurajima, a 1o minute ride.



On Sakurajima, we went to the volcano park, which was full of prehistoric looking plants and volcanic rock. We saw and heard the volcano spouting ash several times. It was really impressive! It sounded a bit like a plane flying overhead, or a long hiss. If you watch the video below and listen carefully, you can hear the volcano. After a few minutes, we actually felt the ash "raining" down on us.



Later we went to dinner at a pork restaurant, hence the pig butts on the wall. Some of us got Shabu shabu, in the photo below. This is thin raw pork slices and vegetables that you cook in boiling water at the table. The rest of us got tonkatsu, fried pork cutlet. It was all delicious!



On the walk home we stopped at the crepe and ice cream machines for some dessert.



On the bus to the airport, I got a photo of the Japanese raccoon crossing sign that we missed the last time we were there. Who knew there were raccoons in Japan?