Mount Sakurajima, one of Japan's most active volcanoes, erupted on Sunday night, projecting ash up to 16,000 feet (or about 5,000 meters) into the air, according to the Kagoshima Local meteorological Observatory.

According to The Weather Channel, the volcano erupted at 4:31 p.m. local time on Sunday (3:31 a.m. EDT United States time). The volcano's ash plumes were record-high, flinging ash and debris as much as three miles into the air. This was Sakurajima tallest plume since record-keeping began in 1955.

A few large volcanic rocks also tumbled from the mountain alongside lava that flowed about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) from the volcano's fissure point.

The volcano is located on Kyushu, a main island in southwestern Japan. Citizens protected themselves from the downfall of ash with masks, raincoats and umbrellas. Railroad service was cancelled throughout Kagoshima. No injuries have been reported.

On Monday, Kagoshima citizens were busy cleaning up the billows of ash that descended upon their city. The 600,000 residents, who live only 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the volcano site, sprinkled water on the ash and swept it up.

Kagoshima's citizens are used to volcano eruptions. This week's eruption marks the 500th time that Mount Sakurajima has erupted this year. This is typical as Japan is part of what is known as the "Ring of Fire." The Ring of Fire is a series od seismic faults that encircles the Pacific Ocean. As a result, the Ring sees frequent volcanic activity, as well as earthquake activity.

Mount Sakurajima is 1,117 meters (3,686 feet) tall. Watch Sakurajima erupt below.