The charm of Sakurajima and Kinko Bay where you can learn, know and feel from two experts

Sakurajima is a symbol of Kagoshima Island, an active volcano that spews smoke every day. The Sakurajima Museum, based along the coast at the foot of Sakurajima, is a non-profit organization that regards Sakurajima, one of the world's most active volcanoes, as a "museum without a roof.
The director of the museum, Mr. Daisuke Fukushima, is a volcano research specialist with a doctorate of science in volcanic geology. After working as a researcher at the Sakurajima Observatory of Kyoto University, he established the NPO Sakurajima Museum in 2005. He is known as a "Sakurajima lover" who loves Sakurajima, the symbol of Kagoshima, where he was born and raised.

The Sakurajima Museum contributes to tourism, environmental education, and regional development through a variety of activities, including the collection and preservation of volcanic-related materials, research, education, and the management and operation of the Sakurajima Visitor Center. The concepts are "Sakurajima for Everyone," "Sakurajima as a Whole Museum," and "Connecting, Creating, and Nurturing People, Things, and Objects. Our goal is to make everyone who lives on Sakurajima and everyone who visits Sakurajima happy by helping them learn about the island's charms and falling in love with it.

Sakurajima, which erupts in a plume of smoke every day. Surprisingly, its history dates back 68 years.

Mr. Fukushima's calm and gentle smile and his storytelling ability help us to relax in the presence of a volcano research specialist. Just by talking to him for a few minutes, we could feel his love for Sakurajima. What is the charm of Sakurajima that he wants to share with us?

The most attractive thing about Sakurajima is that it is an active volcano. People live at the foot of a volcano that erupts so frequently, and the city of Kagoshima is right on the other side of the volcano. You can't find that anywhere else. Sakurajima is still erupting today, isn't it? It did yesterday, last week, last month, and will continue to do so tomorrow and beyond. However, not many people know that the history of the volcano's daily plumes of smoke and ash is surprisingly short.

It is a deeply meaningful phrase that says, "The history of how Sakurajima became what it is today is surprisingly short." The interest in Sakurajima will be aroused.

About 29,000 years ago, a gigantic eruption occurred in the northern part of what is now Kinko Bay, forming a caldera and the Shirasu Plateau. Then, about 26,000 years ago, Sakurajima was born at the southern end of the caldera. The 17th eruption, the Taisho Eruption of 1914, caused a massive outpouring of lava that connected Sakurajima to the Osumi Peninsula. After the Showa eruption in 1946, which was the last eruption that flowed lava, small-scale eruptive activity began in 1955, with repeated eruptions of volcanic ash, and has continued to the present day. In other words, Sakurajima's history of routine eruptive activity dates back only 68 years. I think that looking at Sakurajima as it has changed over time, such as by separating the before and after periods, is a great way to learn more about the island."

The history and true face of Sakurajima, which you may think you know but actually did not. Listening to Mr. Fukushima's story, I was filled with curiosity to know more about Sakurajima. As if seeing through my curiosity, Mr. Fukushima began to talk about Sakurajima from a new angle.

Sakurajima used to be called 'Treasure Island. In the Kagoshima Obara-bushi folk song, it is sung, "The wind that blows from Sakurajima smells like blue tangerines," and "If you get a wife from Sakurajima, biwa and mandarin oranges will never die. This was before the volcanic activity of the present day. In the mid-1960s (1965-1974), the area was the top farmer in Kagoshima Prefecture in terms of income per household. However, the area's specialty products, such as Sakurajima tangerines, the world's smallest tangerine, and Sakurajima daikon radish, the world's largest radish, are still alive and well.

Camellia oil is another of Sakurajima's specialties. Even though crops were severely damaged after the eruption of the Showa Era, the camellia tree grew strong and healthy and bore fruit. The camellia oil obtained from the fruits is of high quality, but it is not well known and is not sold in the market. The Sakurajima Museum has been working since 2008 to brand the camellia oil produced in Sakurajima. We buy the seeds from farmers, press them, and sell them as "SAKURAJIMA TSUBAKI". We are committed to ensuring that Sakurajima will continue to be a "Treasure Island" in the future.

There are other reasons why Sakurajima is a "treasure island," Mr. Fukushima says.

Every time Sakurajima erupted, lava flowed over the island, destroying the vegetation and transforming it into a rocky terrain. However, plants such as grasses and trees resurrect robustly after a long period of time to form forests. Incidentally, it takes at least 200 years for plants to grow back from the bare lava terrain to form a forest. We humans need 200 years to observe this transition. But since Sakurajima has lava landforms from various eras, you can see several hundred years' worth of vegetation transition in a single day when you circle the island. It shows us the story of plant regeneration in the great flow of nature, which is of a different dimension from what humans do, such as afforestation."

Mr. Fukushima says that the best way to experience Sakurajima, the "treasure island," firsthand is to tour it with a guide.

“As for the fields of history and culture, if you are interested, I think you can get into it and understand it. But when it comes to volcanology and geology, it is quite difficult without a professional guide. I think it is definitely more enjoyable to look at the scenery of Sakurajima, with its billowing smoke and bare lava formations, and not just look at them and think, 'Wow, that's amazing. It is very difficult to find out by yourself, so please take advantage of our guides and enjoy the experience. "Please contact us and we will introduce you to a plan that meets your needs.”

After leaving Sakurajima, the next destination is Shigetomi Coast, which stretches to the northwest of Kinko Bay. We visited the Shigetomi Kaigan Nature Experience Museum (Nagisa Museum), which stands in a corner of a beautiful pine forest. We were greeted by Mr. Baku Hamamoto, the president of Kusunoki Shizenkan, a non-profit organization that operates the Nagisa Museum, and a specialist researcher. As a marine ecologist and an evangelist of the Shigetomi Coast, he is promoting the charm of Shigetomi Coast and Kinko Bay through research on tidal flats and activities to preserve the natural environment.

“I was born and raised in Kagoshima, where the sea is close at hand, and the sea has been my playground since I was a child. Until I was in junior high school, I only had a vague idea that I would like to have a job related to living creatures in the future. But when I entered high school, I got stuck in mathematics and gave up on the idea of becoming a veterinarian. Then, in my third year of high school, when I and others around me were beginning to seriously consider our career paths, I learned that my classmates were leaving Kagoshima to pursue higher education or to find jobs. The reason was, "There is nothing in Kagoshima. I was shocked and frustrated. Kagoshima is such a good place with full of charm... This led me to strongly think that I not only love Kagoshima but also want to tell people how wonderful it is. I thought that in order to tell people about it, the first thing I needed to do was research, so I majored in marine ecology at university. After a valuable encounter with my mentor, I am now living my life facing the ocean and nature."

Mr. Hamamoto became a researcher in order to convey the splendor of Kagoshima. He says that a question posed to him by his former teacher at university prompted him to seriously confront the ocean.

He says, "My teacher asked me, 'Have you ever thought about what the fish you eat in your everyday life are eating? He asked me, "Have you ever thought about what the fish you eat are eating? In other words, how much do you know about the marine environment and the diversity of organisms that live there? I felt as if I had been punched in the head. I love sea creatures, but I am indifferent... to the sea in which they live. The Shigetomi Beach, which I loved so much, is covered with garbage, and the mudflats and shallows are in disrepair...

From there, I realized the importance of tidal flats and shallows and studied them thoroughly." Later, I aimed to become a teacher or a researcher, but I gave up because I felt the limitations of being able to correctly communicate and spread the message. I decided to start with what I could do, so I joined Kusunoki Shizenkan, a non-profit environmental education organization, as a new graduate. Kusunoki Shizenkan's philosophy is "not a campaign against, but a campaign for. Kusunoki Shizenkan conducts activities to convey the unique nature of Kagoshima in a fun and easy-to-understand way so that everyone will want to preserve it. I am currently working on various activities as its third representative director.

Through various experiences and turning points, Hamamoto san has come face to face with the sea and nature of Kagoshima, especially his beloved Shigetomi Coast. As a specialist, what do you find attractive and unique about Kinko Bay and Shigetomi Coast? Let him tell us about its origins and characteristics.

"Kinko Bay is a caldera sea created by the Sakurajima eruption. A caldera is a depression in the ground caused by a volcanic eruption that spewed out a large amount of magma underground, creating a cavity. Water accumulated there and formed a bay. Although it is an inner bay, the deepest part of the bay is 237 meters deep, and deep-sea fish can be found here. The complex topography and the warm Kuroshio Current flowing into the bay make it a habitat for a wide variety of creatures.”

"Shigetomi Coast, located in the northwest of Kinko Bay, has tidal flats that were formed by sedimentation over 20,000 years after the eruption. The area is 53 hectares, the largest at the back of Kinko Bay. There were other tidal flats and shoals, but they have been reclaimed for salt field development and other purposes, and this is the only tidal flat of this size remaining in Kinko Bay. The tidal flat sea is a paradise for about 300 species of living creatures. Gobies, crabs, rays, gobies, shellfish, and even dolphins and sea turtles can be found a little further offshore. It is also a treasure house of wild birds such as herons, kingfishers, snipes, and ducks. The scenery is also spectacular, with each of the four seasons presenting a different look. Early in the morning in winter when it is cold, air storms occur, creating a fantastic scene with Sakurajima in the background."

The Kinko Bay, created by a volcano, is a precious tidal flat that nurtures sea creatures. Mr. Hamamoto's love for the Shigetomi Coast has steadily produced results, leading to its designation as a national park in 2012 and as a Geopark/Geosite in 2021.

“When I started my activities, I hated to hear people say, 'The old days were good... We started by picking up trash anyway. As we not only picked up trash, but also recorded trends such as the type and amount of trash at different times of the year, and kept statistics as we went along, the neighbors began to see it as their own thing. Eventually, the beaches, which had been in a state of disrepair, were gradually cleaned up, and the number of visitors gradually increased. The graph clearly shows that since 2009, the numbers of trash and beachgoers have reversed, and the trend has continued.”

Now, what started as a trash pickup has expanded into a wide range of activities, and we are spreading the word about the beauty of Shigetomi Beach through a variety of programs.

“One of the features of our activities is that we specialize in environmental education. We currently offer 12 programs, many of which are attended by tourists. We observe the creatures of the mudflats, walk in the shallows wearing long underwear, search for microplastics, and so on. What we emphasize in these activities is that we do not give one-sided explanations or ask questions that lead to predetermined answers, but rather let the participants notice, discover, think about, and answer the questions for themselves. This is because we want each participant to play a leading role in the activities. We want you to think of Shigetomi Coast as your hometown, not just a destination. We dream of expanding the circle of people who feel this way and making Shigetomi Coast a Mecca for sustainable and responsible travel.”

Mr. Fukushima and Mr. Hamamoto gave us a deep insight into the charms of Sakurajima, Kinko Bay, and the Shigetomi Coast. Since we are here, we would like to introduce Sakurajima-yaki, a specialty of Sakurajima that you should definitely know about.

It takes less than five minutes to drive from the Sakurajima Port ferry terminal. You will arrive at the Sakurajima Pottery Ougaku Togei, located on a hill spreading out to the southwest of Sakurajima.

Sakurajima-yaki is pottery made from soil mixed with volcanic ash and hot spring water. The pottery is impressive for its simple yet powerful texture and unique colors that are both beautiful and austere. The silver color, which is not uniform and has a complex luster, is called ginsai, and is a characteristic of this pottery.

Ms. Midori Hashino, a second generation potter with 47 years of pottery experience, is the master of Sakurajima-yaki, the pottery she invented and continues to make together with her daughter. She and her daughter continue to make Sakurajima-yaki, which she invented herself.

“Originally, I mainly made white Satsuma-yaki pottery," she says. But when the volcanic ash from Sakurajima fell, it got mixed in with the clay, and I couldn't make it at all. ...... I tried all kinds of countermeasures, but nothing worked, and I was in trouble. So I changed my mind and thought, "Why don't I try to incorporate the volcanic ash instead of fighting against it? Yes, at the time, the water supply had been cut off due to volcanic activity, and when I dug a well, hot spring water came out. I mixed the volcanic ash and hot spring water into the clay and glaze and fired it, and that was the beginning of Sakurajima-yaki.”

Ms. Hashino tells us the story of the birth of Sakurajima-yaki with a friendly smile and a story like a funny story. It was a long and difficult road before she was satisfied with the finished product, but she seems to be enjoying the hardship of it all.

“The amount of ash that falls on different days varies, so we have to change the amount of ash we mix... First of all, mixing ash and hot spring water takes more time and effort than usual. But you see, the ash and hot spring water are the blessings of Sakurajima. As a potter born and raised here, I have to think of them as precious assets. Speaking of assets, there are customers who come all the way from far away to visit us. I am grateful every day for the connection that Sakurajima has made with me.”