Mount Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan (with Map & Photos)

Mount Sakurajima (桜島), also spelled Sakura-jima, is an active stratovolcano and former (currently united) island of Japan, located in the Aira caldera, in the south of the island of Kyūshū, in Kagoshima Prefecture. Until 1914, Sakurajima was an island, but due to a large eruption, the huge amount of lava it released solidified and joined the island with the Ōsumi Peninsula.

Mount Sakurajima
Mount Sakurajima

It is a composite volcano. Its summit is divided into three peaks and several parasitic domes: North Peak (Kitadake), Central Peak (Nakadake) and South Peak (Minamidake). Its highest point is the Pico del Norte, which is 1,117 meters above sea level. The surface of the volcanic peninsula is about 77 km2. Mount Sakurajima is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Kagoshima, city ​​with a population of half a million is located 10 km west of the Sakurajima volcano. Thus, Sakurajima has also been called the Vesuvius of the East. Sakurajima is part of the Kirishima-Yaku National Park, and its lava flows are a major tourist attraction. The area around Sakurajima contains several hot spring resorts.

Mount Sakurajima Map