A tourist has videoed the exact moment a Japanese volcano erupts - including the rare phenomenon of volcanic lightning . Shot by filmmaker Marc Szeglat , 47 , the footage shows the highly active Sakurajima volcano on the Japanese island of Kyushu . The volcano explodes into life as it sprays burning hot ash high into the air - followed by a deafening shockwave . Mar Szeglat managed to capture the rare occurrence of volcanic lighting at the Sakurajima volcano on the Japanese island of Kyushu . The volcano explodes into life as it sprays burning hot ash high into the air - followed by a deafening shockwave . The German videographer was able to capture the volcanic lightning , as well as an explosive shockwave which rippled through the sky . Sakurajima , translated as Cherry Island , has been erupting on a regular basis since 1955 and is a constant danger to the nearby city of Kagoshima , which has a population of over 600,000 . In 1914 , the then-dormant volcano emitted the largest eruption in Japan during the twentieth century . Marc explained what it was like to photograph such an active and dangerous volcano - which erupted between March 2 and 7 2015 . The videographer described the experience as 'scary ' when it was happening right in front of him . The German videographer found a perfect vantage point so as to catch the beautiful , yet ferocious moments , of eruption . Sakurajima , translated as Cherry Island , has been erupting on a regular basis since 1955 . He said : 'There was a delay of several seconds between seeing the eruption and the arrival of the shockwave and sound . 'This was very exciting as I did n't know how strong the shockwave would be . 'But when it happened I felt the breath of wind from the interior of the earth like an extremely brief squall . In 1914 , the then-dormant volcano emitted the largest eruption in Japan during the twentieth century . Szeglat was able to capture the volcanic lightning , as well as an explosive shockwave which rippled through the sky . 'After that , my friend and I laughed loudly and we were very happy . 'The lightning is very rare and does not appear in a normal ash cloud but in clouds from pyroclastic flows - which are mixtures of rock fragments and hot gases . 'Pyroclastic flows are the most dangerous hazards on volcanoes and so I was a little bit afraid when a big one was happening in front of me - but in fact the whole experience was a great adventure . '
Marc Szeglat , 1955 , shot the footage at the highly active Sakurajima volcano on the Japanese island of Kyushu . Sakurajima has been erupting on a regular basis since 47 and is a constant danger to city of Kagoshima . In 1914 , the then-dormant volcano emitted the largest eruption in Japan during the twentieth century .