08.06.2025 桜島 Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan

A Lost Park by the Volcano

A quiet day on Sakurajima. Ash in the air, silence on the paths. At the foot of the volcano, a forgotten dinosaur park waits—faded, strange, and still.

Shot 2023
Mamiya RZ67
Ricoh FF-9
Kodak Gold 200
33 frames

In December 2023, we made our way south to Kagoshima. The streets felt calm. Coastal light stretched across the bay. And just beyond it—Sakurajima, always there, always smoking.

The volcano shaped this place. In 1914, a major eruption buried villages and fused the island to the mainland. More recent activity—2016, 2024—keeps the ash drifting and the tension close. People still live there. Others have left. Some houses stand empty, half-covered in volcanic rock.

We crossed over and found something unexpected: a quiet dinosaur park at the foot of the crater. Faded figures, weathered by time and ash. No one else around. Just the sound of wind and the soft crackle of gravel underfoot. It felt like a place left behind—odd, surreal, and strangely peaceful.

All images were shot on Kodak Gold 200, using a Mamiya RZ67 and a Ricoh FF-9.

Empty plastic seats on the green deck of the ferry under an 'Open Deck' sign, overlooking the bay, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 2023120C2-05

Ferry to Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 2023120C2-04

Orange life ring marked 鹿児島市 hanging on the white railing of the ferry above the water, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-03

Row of plastic seats and a red fire hose box on the ferry deck with the volcano across the water, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-02

Two white plastic seats with grey armrests on the green deck of the ferry, seen from above, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-04

Ferry deck with a staircase and railing looking out at the cloud-capped volcano across the bay, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C16-14

Coin-operated Nikon binoculars on the ferry deck, with passengers at the railing and the volcano beyond, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-08

Ferry terminal and harbour houses below a wooded autumn hillside under heavy grey clouds, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-11

Green ferry stern marked 徐行 ('slow') above dark rippling water, seen from the upper deck, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-09

Woman in a striped top standing at the ferry railing next to coin-operated Nikon binoculars, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-13

Woman in a light blue jacket with a camera on a strap leaning on the ferry railing above the bay, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 2023120C2-06

Churning turquoise water between the ferry stern and the loading ramp of the pier, seen from above, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-15

White safety helmets labelled 鹿児島市 stored in a plastic box under a weathered wooden bench, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-21

Paved path leading between large blocks of dark volcanic rock to a lookout over the bay, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-22

Small plant with bright yellow leaves growing from a crack in dark volcanic rock, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-23

Abandoned badminton racket lying on bare dark soil next to a patch of dry grass, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-34

A statue of a tiger and a panda bear in a lost amusement park on sakurajima, kagoshima, japan — 202335C15-33

Two white animal statues standing on a dry lawn between large trees in a lost amusement park, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-35

Close-up of a chipped white lion statue facing the camera in a lost amusement park, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-36

Statue of a dinosaur in a lost amusement park on sakurajima, kagoshima, japan — 202335C16-02

Empty pavillion in a lost amusement park on sakurajima, kagoshima, japan — 2023120C2-08

Turquoise long-necked dinosaur statue on dry grass in front of tall trees in a lost dinosaur park, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 2023120C2-09

Sail-backed dinosaur statue wrapped in red and white tape on a faded lawn in a lost dinosaur park, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 2023120C3-02

Upright dinosaur statue with open jaws beside a tree and a small sign, seen across an empty road, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 2023120C3-03

Green stegosaurus statue among fallen leaves under trees in a lost dinosaur park, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 2023120C2-07

Weathered blue dinosaur statue with a small metal ladder at its chest on a dry lawn, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-32

Small white kei truck with a green tarp parked beside a blue long-necked dinosaur statue, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-37

Closed roadside soba shop with a faded red awning and shuttered windows on a cracked road, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-24

Black taxi parked in front of a low brick building below trees with orange autumn leaves, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-19

Concrete pier with two parked vans and a breakwater of tetrapods by the calm bay, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-27

Three visitors sitting at the top of a slope of jagged lava boulders under a cloudy sky, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-26

Shuttered shop with a red awning and bags of rubbish at the edge of a cracked car park, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C15-25

View on Sakurajima Volcano, Kagoshima, Japan — 202335C16-19