Beautiful mountain range!! Living crater!! Let's go to Mt. Aso, famous for its cow's milk! ⛰️
I came to Kumamoto, but I wanted to try something new and regretful, so I decided to go to Aso Station, which operates a tour bus that takes you up Mt. Aso, as my next destination. I took the Oita-bound bus at the Sakuramachi Bus Terminal in the center of Kumamoto. (There is also a JR train at Aso Station, but it departs at 11 AM and arrives after lunch, so I took the bus that departs a little earlier.) Since this is a bus that you can reserve in advance, I highly recommend making a reservation in advance!
Departure for the Aso Mt. Tour! Recommended 1-Day Bus Free Pass
After a hearty lunch, I finally set off for Mt. Aso! You can catch a tour bus right in front of Aso Station, and the station staff will sell you a bus free pass, so I recommend buying one and stopping at all the stops you are interested in! (The bus leaves every hour, so it's a good idea to check the schedule often. You can also get the timetable when you buy the free pass.)
The bus goes up Mt. Aso, you can hear explanations about the various hills, and the free-range cows that are famous in Aso City were impressive. There are also souvenirs related to cows, such as beef curry, milk, and cheese cookies.
When you reach the top, there is another short bus course where you can see the crater of Mt. Aso. (This bus is not related to the free pass and requires separate cash payment.) It was my first time seeing the crater of the volcano, and it was much colder than I thought, and the gas kept spewing out, so it was a little difficult to breathe. Still, it was a very fun experience, and I was able to take a lot of pictures that I liked. (For those who want to see it from a higher angle, there is also an option to take a helicopter to see the crater!)
The next place we went was a bus stop-like place where the Mt. Aso Museum is located. Here, there is not only a museum related to Aso Volcano, but also a speech by the Aso City Nature Conservation Group, a cafe, a restaurant, and a souvenir shop. Right in front of the rest area is a small pond?, and there is also a small stable where horses can run around freely. Looking at the harmonious scenery of the wide plains and pretty hills and the horses running freely, it felt like watching a scene from a Western movie.
After going around Mt. Aso, I arrived at Aso Station again around 4 o'clock. Right next to Aso Station is a supermarket + souvenir shop that sells local food and groceries from the Aso area, so it's a good place to visit before you finish your tour and go back. (If you're a One Piece fan, you can also see the Usopp statue!) I bought various Aso curry, snacks, steamed horse meat buns, and milk from Aso Ranch inside, and I remember the curry and milk being the most delicious.
The next day, I was planning to go to Kurokawa Onsen, which is a 50-minute bus ride from Osa Station, so I stayed at Aso Station for one night, washed up at a nearby bathhouse, and had dinner at a ramen restaurant.
📍Aso Boche Onsen Yume 1538ー3 Kurokawa, Aso, Kumamoto 869-2225 Japan
📍らーめん ぎゃん 1539-2-B Kurokawa, Aso, Kumamoto 869-2225 Japan
(The miso ramen here was really delicious.)
Today was a very busy day, but it was a rewarding day because I was able to have many new experiences. Since the article has already become long, I will end the journal here and talk about the day I spent at the onsen inn in the next part!
#KumamotoTravel #KumamotoAsoMount #Kumamoto