Sakurajima Volcano Blasts Huge Ash Plume Into Sky, Stunning Man Filming From Kagoshima

Japan’s Sakurajima volcano blasted a thick plume of ash into a clear blue sky on Tuesday, October 27, catching a man filming the mountain by surprise.

X user Jesse filmed the eruption from the city across the bay, as a grey cloud of ash surged and billowed above the summit behind office buildings and a bronze statue. “The shocking moment Sakurajima erupted,” he wrote. “The clouds cleared from the summit, so I started filming, and then it began to erupt. It gave me quite a shock.”

Sakurajima is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes and erupts frequently. The Japan Meteorological Agency keeps its alert at Level 3, barring people from approaching the mountain, and warns of large flying rocks and pyroclastic flows within about 2 kilometers of the crater.