ayano used to attend this school — as did most other locals. but two years ago it closed down. in time from its last ever day. from a community on the verge of extinction, to one forever on the edge of danger. my next destination takes me 600 kilometres south to japan's third—largest island and the city of kagoshima, in the shadow of the country's most volatile mountain, sakurajima. japan is home to 108 active volcanoes — more than almost any other country. beneath us, three peaks of the volcano and two craters. there are three eruptions a day on average from sakurajima and today, it is happily gurgling sulphuric gases, making the air pungent. 100 years ago, there was a massive eruption from this volcano, which basicallyjoined it to the main island. it used to be a separate island. in fact, all the time, new islands are being created all across japan because of volcanic activity. 5,000 people live in this area, their daily lives constantly affected basically by what this volcano does. so, what is it like actually living down there? only a couple of months before our visit, 77 p

ayano has created her own scarecrow community. we will call it hero.are and make each scarecrow. and now there are 350 of these mannequins, way outnumbering the ten villagers left here. some people may find this scene rather spooky, but for her, it's brought unexpected celebrity. tourists arrive in regular numbers from all over the world, and there's an annual scarecrow festival. now it's time to take the new boy to find some friends. i think i'm more attached to the scarecrows than she is, frankly. wow. ayano used to attend this school, as did most other locals, but two years ago it closed down. so she's preserved it for posterity. frozen in time from its last ever day. from a community on the verge of extinction to one forever on the edge of danger. my next destination takes me 600 kilometres south to japan's third largest island and the city of kagoshima in the shadow of the country's most volatile mountain, sakurajima. japan is home to 108 active volcanoes, more than almost any other country. beneath us, three peaks of the volcano and two craters.

ayano used to attend this school, as did most other locals. but two years ago it closed down.kurajima. japan is home to 108 active volcanoes, more than almost any other country. beneath us, three peaks of the volcano and two craters. there are three eruptions a day on average from sakurajima, and today it is happily gurgling sulphuric gases, making the air pungent. 100 years ago there was a massive eruption from this volcano, which basicallyjoined it to the main island. it used to be a separate island. in fact all the time, new islands are being created all across japan because of volcanic activity. 5,000 people live in this area, their daily lives constantly affected basically by what this volcano does. so what is it like actually living down there? only a couple of months before our visit, 77 people here were evacuated. akira ohmura is a local tour guide who has lived here for six years, and he says he loves the energy of the place. first stop, an unusual beach where the sand isn't really sand, but lava ash. tourists who he meets are always surprised that the volcano erupts