As if spewing molton lava wasn't injury enough, volcanoes can also generate lightning strikes. In this apocalyptic image taken by Martin Rietze, we see Sakurajima Volcano doing just that — and in extremely vivid detail. Rietze's photograph is reprinted here with permission.Sakurajima is an active composite volcano located in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyūshū, Japan. Back in 1914, its lava flows caused the former island to be connected with the Osumi Penisula. In terms of the lightning, Rietze told io9 that, "In principle this is the same static discharge as with a thunderstorm, but caused only by very fast, very fine grained volcanic ash."Indeed, this is what NASA had to say about the extraordinary phenomenon:Why lightning occurs even in common thunderstorms remains a topic of research, and the cause of volcanic lightning is even less clear. Surely, lightning bolts help quench areas of opposite but separated electric charges. One hypothesis holds that catapulting magma bubbles or volcanic ash are themselves electrically charged, and by their motion create these separated areas.

Other volcanic lightning episodes may be facilitated by charge-inducing collisions in volcanic dust. aeroline backpack for saleLightning is usually occurring somewhere on Earth, typically over 40 times each second.takata backpack amazon We travelled in weekday with our children, two kids (6&2 yo) and one teenager. f stop satori exp backpackWe arrived around noon and got express standard ticket for 4 rides, time just fits to play all the rides while spending some time in the Elmo playland and wonderland. backpack for canon xf300We played during meal time of most people and took afternoon tea instead to avoid the...backpack highbanker

Plan on being here the entire day! osprey ayers backpackThis is all you need for a planned day. Got everything you need for enjoyment and making memories with friends and families. No worries about the lines, it moves... and besides, this should be your resting time in between games and rides! We visited the park on Monday, the staff at the park front hotel said, it was not too crowded comparing on weekends. But the long queue is everywhere!! The park closes at 6 o'clock, you will not have time to cover all the ride unless you buy the express pass, but it's very expensive! Japan really gets into the theme of Halloween!!! So much fun, Harry Potter world is a truly great experience (it's all spoken in Japanese though... but you still get the general jist) the wait times for rides however are crazy long... even using fastpass. Still a great time to be had. Always get the express pass else you will spend 3 hours queuing for a ride.

The only joy kicker would be the japanese speaking character and shows. We traveled as an American couple to Universal Studios Japan for New Years Eve celebration. The live performances and fireworks were great. We also enjoyed the rides and the Harry Potter section of the theme park. I will warn you that you make a reservation to see the Harry Potter in advance and come back a couple hours later to... I went here first before i went to disney sea in Tokyo. Truthfully, I have no expectation for the park from their queueing system and their attractions. But as I remember, actually Universal Studio has more cooler and more fun attractions compare to disneyland (I am not trying to be biased). And yes, the attractions in USJ is so fun,... I have lot lot of fun in Universal studios Osaka! Lot of crazy things and beautiful building for pictures and selfie! Is a must come place in Osaka!! And easy to go there too.. Go 梅田station then change to jr subway to go there! Universal studios was LIT honestly the rides were so cool buying the express pass is a must if you don't want to wait in line for 1hour+

Only down side is that the food is so dam expensive This park is suitable for all ages. The flagship of this park is Hogwards Castle made with the similarities with those in harry potter movies. 22,829 views    32 comments A question I read / hear again and again is: “Is it safe to travel to Japan?” or “Isn’t it too dangerous to go to Japan?” I’m sure that those of us who live in Japan or travel to Japan regularly are already tired of this question! However, I understand that people are still worried, especially people who haven’t had to do with Japan until now. So, what I want to discuss with you today is: Is it safe to travel to Japan or not? Well, at least if we’re talking about crime! For example, in no other country in the world it’s more unlikely that you’ll get hit by a bullet! The crime rate is extremely low compared to most other countries. Left your wallet somewhere? Don’t worry, somebody might just run after you to give it back!

I’m a female foreigner in Japan and I’ve been in Japan for quite a few years now. I’ve travelled to all Japanese prefectures and I NEVER EVER felt uncomfortable being outside alone at night (e.g. walking to my hotel). Of course Japan is not a crimeless paradise! Bad things happen even here, especially in bigger cities such as Osaka and Tokyo. Yes, some pervert men take upskirt photos or try some groping on the train. And yes, there was this beautiful British English teacher who got murdered by her Japanese private student. However, all of these things are very rare and usually don’t concern tourists! Nevertheless, I recommend not to let your guard down. Here’s a good article about “Safety in Japan for foreign girls“. There’s no doubt that Japan gets a lot of earthquakes – as well as the occasional tsunami, typhoon and volcanic eruptions. One thing that many people seem to forget, however, is that Japan is a very long country, geographically speaking.

When you read about yet another earthquake in Japan, keep in mind that there are only a few regions that are prone to quakes recently. Among them are the Tohoku (North-East Japan) and the Kanto (around Tokyo) areas. Other regions in Japan do get earthquakes, but not as often. Kyushu, Chugoku and Shikoku rarely get any earthquakes. I used to live in one of those regions and in 5 years I’ve never felt even ONE! That includes the big earthquake on March 3rd in 2011! Nothing happened (at all!) where I lived. The Kansai region is also rather safe when it comes to earthquakes. However, I guess nobody can forget the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. There are tsunami alerts every now and then, but usually nothing happens. It’s not very likely that you’ll run into a huge tsunami like the one in 2011. Furthermore the tsunami alert system as well as the emergency facilities have improved a lot since then. Typhoons aren’t such a big threat compared to earthquakes.

More than about safety you should worry about your travel plan! Don’t even ask how often it happened to me that a ferry was cancelled or trains stopped running because of shitty weather! While earthquakes and tsunami can happen anytime, there’s a proper season for typhoons! August and September are the months where typhoons are most likely to hit, but the season goes from May to October. If you’re worried about them, just don’t come during that time of the year! However, recently more and more typhoons occurred outside of the regular season (I was hit by one in April and in early May in 2012). On top of that there have been tornadoes as well! Regions that are especially prone to typhoons are Okinawa, Kyushu, Shikoku, Osaka, Tokyo and Hokkaido. Japan has a lot of volcanoes. Many of them are still active. Even the most famous volcano in Japan, Mt. Fuji might erupt by 2015 according to experts. Mt. Unzen, an active volcano in Shimabara (Nagasaki Prefecture), last erupted several times between 1990 and 1995.

Parts of Shimabara were destroyed and several people died. On the other hand, volcanoes in Japan created a beautiful and interesting landscape and often have a breathtaking crater lake. A good example is Mt. Shirane in Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture. I think that’s an issue most people are worried about when they want to travel to Japan. “Is it safe to travel to Japan when we are exposed to radiation?” I’m not an expert, but radiation has a lot to do with the intensity and duration. If you’re only visiting for a short period of time, there’s really nothing you should worry about! You can check radiation maps if you want to make sure. If you feel uncomfortable, just don’t go near the evacuation zone in Fukushima, but it would be a shame to skip Tohoku. It’s a beautiful area! You could visit other parts of Japan instead that are far away from Fukushima – and also offer breathtaking landscapes, famous temples and shrines as well as awesome castles!

In that case Kyushu, Shikoku and Okinawa are good options! If you live in Japan it might be another story, but we won’t discuss this today. If we want to discuss the question “Is it safe to travel to Japan?”, then there are a few more things I feel you should know about. Japan has a few nasty insects and animals, but most of them are not dangerous! However, there are two fellows you should know about! The first one is an insect known as “Japanese killer hornet“. In Japanese people call it “suzumebachi” (スズメバチ). A sting can kill you, even if you’re not allergic. I wrote a blog post about Japanese insects, so you can find more information about them and how to protect yourself there! The other one is a snake. Japan has some pretty scary snakes. The most dangerous one you’ll only find in Okinawa, so if you don’t intend to travel there, you’re safe! It’s the “Habu snake“. The poison can kill even an adult. A few foreigners (and also Japanese people) die every year while hiking in Japan.

Please prepare accordingly when you intend to go hiking or want to climb Mt. Fuji! “Is it safe to travel to Japan?” In my opinion Japan is a comparatively safe country. Yes, there are natural disasters and nobody knows when the next big one will hit! But you know what? That can happen in so many other countries as well! If you’re afraid of these things, then just lock yourself in your house and never go out again. Maybe that was a little harsh, but what I want to say is that there’s really nothing you should be utterly worried about! Come and visit this beautiful and interesting country if you have a chance to! Please note that what you just read is my opinion based on my personal experience here in Japan. You are more than welcome to disagree or share your own opinion and experience. Feel free to also ask questions or let me know if you’re still concerned after reading this blog post! – What do you think? In order to never miss any updates and new blog posts, I recommend you subscribe to the RSS feed of my blog or sign up for my free newsletter to get fresh and instant updates via email!