Aso

I went to Aso down near Kumamoto in Kyuusyuu a while ago.

Aso is a town which has what is apparently the largest active volcano in the world there. You can get there by car about 1.5 hour drive from near the center of Kumamoto. There is only a single road leading out to the place, so if you go on the weekend it will be super crowded and probably take twice as long. Best to go during the week.

Above is a picture of the crater (火口 - かこ) Below is the sign. See, it’s number one!

If you put this stuff into your bathtub (ofuro) at home, you can make it into a hot springs (onsen) with apparently the same type of water quality as this yellow stuff. Full of vitamins and minerals! Yum.

I also saw something that would just never happen in the states… In this giant tourist spot, they have a honor system sales box available. You just drop your money in the box, and pick up what you want. No human intervention at all! If you put this up in my town I bet the entire stand would be stolen in a second…

Also in the area there is this hill called “komezuka” which literally means “rice mound”. It is shapped like, uh… a mound of rice. The dip at the top is where the god of Aso took a dip to feed the people. Seriously though the shape of the hill is pretty mysterious.

Fun trip!

-Harvey