August 18^th, Mount Sakurajima began to erupt at 4:31 p.m. local time in Japan on Sunday. During today's eruption, the smoke plume reached a height of 5,000 meters (16,000 feet). It is the tallest ash plume of Mount Sakurajima since 1955 when eruptions of this volcano began to be recorded.

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Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes and a former island in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushe, Japan. This is a composite mountain with its summit is split into three peaks, Kita-dake (northern peak), Naka-dake (central peak) and Minami-dake (southern peak) that is still active now.

According to the Kagoshima Local Meteorological Observatory, after the eruption, a large amount of ash spread into populated portions of the city in Kagoshima Prefecture. Many residents nearby have to hold an umbrella or cover their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs. Due to the eruption, railway operators stopped service temporarily in order to keep safe. According to Japan media, it is the 500^th eruption this year of Mount Sakurajima.

Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu with its capital city of Kagoshima. Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers. While Kyushu has about 13 million people, there are less than 2 million in Kagoshima Prefecture.