Spent almost 8 hours on the train to ASOSAN today . Not many tourists comparing to the time I came in February (Chinese New Year). The Bus from Aso Station took us to ASOSAN NISHI Station ( return ticket costed ¥1,300) . The bus was called “Sanko Bus” (35 minutes per ride) .
When in Kumamoto, it is a must to visit Mt Aso, made up of the peaks of 5 volcanoes. Hence we visit Mt Aso this morning by taking a bus to the Mt Aso station since the train service has stopped. We then take another bus to the volcano museum. Spend 1 hour hiking up Mt Kishimadake and the rest of the time soaking up the beauty of the place. It is very overcast in the morning but towards noon the sky clears up and it is beautiful. Definitely worth the trip!
There was a level 2 eruption when we went and so we cannot get close to the crater, but nevertheless we still enjoyed the trip to mount Aso. Clean and nice place and my kid enjoy being there away from the tall buildings in the city centre. Getting away from the busy city centre is a great way to relax.
Our first active volcano sighting. Great walk around the prescribed trek. Rental car was meant for these sort of drives that take you to the areas that are less visited.
We hired a taxi from Kumamoto town which took us to the volcano through the mountainous countryside which had been devasted by the earthquake three years earlier and could scarcely imagine the terror that the people living there must have felt. But even more impressive was the gigantic effort being put into repairing the mountains themselves. Arriving at the Aso volcano itself we were first struck by the sulphurous smell and the white smoke emerging from the top. There is a good and informative visitor centre near the foot of the volcano and, a little further on a restaurant area with good parking and excellent views of the volcano. Don't miss the nearby small and friendly town of Aso itself, with one of Japan's most revered shrines now under repair from the earthquake damage.
