Mount Aso 阿蘇山
Land of Fire
At the heart of Kyushu, the volcanic massif offers snowy peaks, spas, wild landscapes and ancient traditions.
Perched a few miles from the city of Kumamoto, the largest caldera (volcanic depression, 128 km) in the world is one of the main attractions of the island of Kyushu.
Mount Aso is well worth the visit, so we recommend taking half a day to make the trip from Kumamoto (west) and Beppu (east). The small town of Aso, located in the pit of depression, serves as a hub for visitors to the region. The town is quickly visited, but the spas that surround it are lovely (especially the famous Kurokawa Onsen). From there, a bus takes you to the smoking summit via the Komezuka volcano, dormant and covered with green grass in the spring, whose shape is reminiscent of a small mound of rice.
Volcanic sensitivities
The bus ends at the Kusasenri plain, the crater which houses a dark blue lake surrounded by green pastures (horseback riding is also possible here), behind which rise the peaks of Aso, offering, on a clear day, a superb panorama. That's where we visit the museum of the volcano, which offers interesting information about volcanic activity, and allows you to peer inside one of the craters, inside which are arranged cameras.
A final bus, cable car, and you find yourself on the slopes of Naka-dake, one of the five peaks of Mount Aso, fantastic for walkers. But beware, this "land of fire" remains sensitive and the region has experienced several eruptive phases in 2014, including major explosions near the end of the year. In case of serious volcanic activity, the cable car remains closed, and Naka-dake is unreachable (inquire at the Kumamoto or Aso tourist office before going on site).
Mountain gods
Wild and majestic, the Aso area is also a conservatory of traditions, frozen by centuries and cold. The Aso-Jinja shrine (in the town of Ichinomiya, near the JR Station Miyaji) is deemed to be the oldest in the region (281 years) where lies the mountain god, Aso no Okami, whom the locals have dedicated to Tateiwatatsu, a legendary member of the imperial lineage.
Southeast of the massif, the village of Takachiho is the Mecca of the founding myths of Japan. This is where some of the legends of the life of Amaterasu, the sun goddess and mother of all the emperors of Japan (she is worshiped in the great shrine of Ise), are said to be set. And at night, torches light the way during ancestral celebrations known only to residents of Aso mountain slopes. Here they still dance the kagura, a Shinto dance with roots in the very origins of Japan.
