Miss Cherry Blossom 🌸

Ever since we left Tokyo I have awakened every morning thinking, “Today can’t possibly be as good as yesterday was.” Yet each day we have found that every new place we visit has its own special charms. I will confess that while yesterday’s “Blood Pond Hell” may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the people of Beppu and the welcome they gave us will stay in my heart forever.

I had the same thoughts when we sailed into Kagoshima this morning, “There is no way today could be as good as yesterday,” but as soon as I awoke, I threw open the curtains and saw a mile-high smoking volcano staring me in the face. Mount Sakurashima dropped into our bedroom to say hello, and I knew this would be no ordinary day.

At first I thought the clouds surrounding the summit were just—well—clouds, until I realized that those clouds were going UP out of the mountain. She was venting steam and pumping out pumice ash. Suddenly I thought, “I don’t care if the mountain’s name means ‘Cherry Blossom Mountain,’ this girl is locked and loaded.” This lady could be lethal.

She was alone on her own island until 1946 when she spewed out enough lava to make a bridge to the mainland. So now, even though the locals talk about Sakurashima Island, technically it is not an island anymore.

Later in the morning as we were on the way to the Kagoshima Museum our guide told us that the local weather report gives a daily index of the volcano. Level 1 means the Lady is asleep. Level 5 means “Get the heck out of Dodge.” The guide told us that today the mountain is at level 3. He said “There will be some ash fall today. If the wind is from the west there will be no problem, but if it comes from the southeast, we will all be sweeping our walkways tonight.” In Kagoshima the residents are accustomed to living with Miss Cherry Blossom 🌸.

Despite her tantrums, however, and largely because of Miss Cherry Blossom, Kagoshima is one of the most beautiful places on earth.Read more