Our day started with an artful breakfast. Here I am in my hotel hanten, but street clothes on underneath since we are headed out soon.
Tofus, fish, pickles, soup, and a slice of ham on the salad
I took about a half hour to wind our way up the volcano through Aso-Kuju national park. The speed limit is 40 km/hr (25 mph) the whole way. Michele thinks this is a perfect speed on a mountain road for not getting car sick. The lower slopes are forested but most of the mountain is maintained as grassland for cows and horses. There were field scars from recent controlled burns.
The top of Aso-san is a group of peaks, with only Mt. Nakadake being active. The Nakadake crater holds an excitingly teal colored lake with steam and fumes wafting upwards. Our plan was to park at the top, take a hike up to rim and peer down into cauldron. From the parking lot we could see the huts where you can take shelter if Aso-san starts hurling rocks into the sky.
But oh no, what is this!
So much for Plan A
Gates are closed across the road! Flashing red lights! Announcements from outdoor speakers! Your reporter on the spot has the news:
We backtracked from Nakadake and took a hike up the very dormant Mt. Kishima instead.
Instead of switch backs there were stairs right to the top. Experimental measurements yield 843 +/- 2 steps (N=2).
From the top we could see Nakadake crater steaming away, the surrounding caldera and the city of Kumamoto in the distance.
1,326m
Kishima’s crater
Nakadake’s crater
Afterwards we ate at a Pakistani restaurant next to the volcano museum. The cup for our dal was an interesting break from all of the tasteful porcelain we are getting used to.
The volcano museum would have been very exciting for 11 year old Ken, with lots of buttons to push. Even 63 year old Ken was pretty entertained by a dynamic diorama, with mountains and eruptions rising up and down.
I was more than happy to plunk down a 100¥ coin so I could control a camera into the Nakadake crater.
In 2016 there was a very strong earthquake in the region which caused a lot of damage in Aso and Kumamoto. The volcano museum survived, but to give you a sense of the shaking they marked how far this one ton telescope and pedestal moved. The red outline is where it was pre earthquake.
After our hike we walked around our little town of Uchinomaki.
Hey little neko
Neither chair fits
Dinner finished with wagyu beef on our own grills.