Life on Japan's Volcanoes

Overview

Each autumn Shinto priest Hirose climbs Unzen on Kyushu to bring down the deity for the festival and appease the volcano. Unzen - once deadly - now lies within a national park, feared and admired. Photographer Takehito Miyatake drives ten hours monthly to capture Sakurajima’s constant ash eruptions. Farmers exploit fertile volcanic slopes for rice; noodle makers and hot springs create local delicacies. Fisherman Michihiro Harada harvests mudskippers in the ash‑rich Ariake Sea. Mudskippers, crabs and monkeys have adapted to life in the volcanoes’ shadow.