Volcano erupts near Tokyo raining ash down on city

[reyfer]

A volcano near Tokyo erupted Monday, shooting up billowing smoke and showering parts of the capital with a fine ash that sent some city residents to the car wash and left others puzzled over the white powder they initially mistook for snow.

Mount Asama erupted in the early hours of Monday, belching out a plume that rose about a mile (1.6 kilometers) high, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090202/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_volcano