By MOOK Scenic Spots Family / Compiled Report
This is footage of the Sakurajima eruption in 2014, taken from the Sakurajima Museum of the Sea. (Photo / Everyone's Sakurajima Agreement Association)
Images of the Sakurajima ash cloud covering the sky went viral on Twitter, widely shared by Japanese netizens. (Photo / Twitter_mokomoko_0403)
The ash from Sakurajima shot up to 4,700 meters high, turning the entire sky pitch black — the scene was quite alarming. A Level 3 volcanic eruption alert was issued that day, and the local meteorological observatory warned of dangers within a 2-kilometer radius of the summit crater of Minamidake and the Showa crater. Recent travelers to the area should be especially cautious of volcanic fragments and drifting ash.