Sakurajima

During my time WWOOFing, I went to a small volcanic island off the coast called Sakurajima.  I went there twice actually.  Let's look at a map, shall we?

I was working at the farm in Kagoshima, there in red at the bottom of the island.  Right next to the city, in the inlet, there is a small bubble or something, that looks to be attached to the other side, but isn't, actually.  That's Sakurajima. 

Sakurajima is basically just a big old volcano with people living around it.  It erupts something like 400 times a year, spreading ash in whatever direction the wind happens to be blowing (occasionally toward Kagoshima so that while working in the fields I was also occasionally inhaling ash and crying from dust stinging my eyes.  I was a beautiful, beautiful farmer) and in fact was erupting the entire time I was there. 

This is a picture taken from Kagoshima during a time of non-eruption. 

Anyhoo, the first time I went there was because the boss-man at the farm said his friend owned a hotel there, and we (we meaning myself and Angelica, the Colombian girl that was also staying at the farm) could go use the outdoor onsen for free. Let's ooh and aah for a moment about how nice it was:

Can you see me?  I'm there in the background watching the volcano erupt.  The ocean is behind me and there is a shrine to the right.

And here's Angelica, eating (surprise, surprise) a donut...

Here is the indoor onsen, where I had a nap, naked, on the warm flagstones.  Nobody was there, okay?  There's a sign that has the mineral content and whatnot there to the left.  It said that back in the samurai time, people with stomach/intestinal problems would stay on the island for months drinking the water.  I drank the water.  A lot of it.  I believe the only effect I perceived was a slight bloating.

After hours and hours at the onsen, we had to take the ferry back to Kagoshima.  A man working at the hotel offered us a ride and took us the long way around the so we could see the volcano from a better view,

You can see the plumes of ash coming out of the side.  We went to the side where the eruption actually was, but by then it was way too ashy to get out of the car.  (Hmmm, did you know, the islanders individually wrap each fruit on the trees in sackcloth to keep the ash off?  It's true.  They do.  And this has been another interesting fact with Amber).

So, then we went to see this half-buried temple gate,

and then we took the ferry back to Kagoshima.

Seeing as how this post became very long, I will write about my second trip to Sakurajima when I was working at the hotel later.  Hooray for folding towels!