Mount Aso
Join me for a bike ride tour to Mt Aso the largest active volcano in Japan.
How to get to Mount Aso?
We took the 8:00 am train from Oita station to ASO station got there at 10:00am.
If you go on the weekend take the ASO Boy it has a playground and a café and is with the JR Rail pass.
Aso Dairy
The market next door had a fresh delivery of Mt Aso Milk. It is the creamiest.
One Piece Statues
There is 8 one piece statues around. We meet two men trying to see all in one day. This is a statue of Usopp just outside Aso Station here is a guide to all 8 statue locations.
Cuddly Dominion
The Cuddly dominion is a 15 minute walk from the station. They do helicopter rides over Mt Aso here. You can go into the capibaras cage and pay 2 yen for a cup of carrots. He didn’t want to be patted at all.
E-Bike Tour
The tour was booked through Viator for the E-bike Ride on Mt Aso Kumamoto We meet our tour guide Joe at the station at 1:00pm. In the car park he got us to practice using an e-bike. Helmets and gloves are provided. They recommend long selves, long pants and comfortable foot wear and a backpack.
After the tour, if you have time, there are hot springs (both private and large) just in front of the station. If you are bathing in hot springs bring a change of clothes.
Aso Beef
One of the most famous local specialties in Aso is Akaushi beef. Many restaurants in Aso feature Akaushi beef on their menu. The meat is known to have a sweeter taste and less gamey than wagu beef. In order to produce Akaushi beef there needs to be sufficient grassland for the cows to graze. Annually, the people of Aso burn fields allowing new grassland to grow. It is called Noyaki and takes place from mid February to the end of March.
The e-bikes make the trip so easy. And Joe had many facts about the area he has lived here along time and he was a former captain of the rescue team in Kumamoto Prefecture. His English is great.
There are buses like this one you can take from the station up to the volcano but you won’t get to see all of what Mt Aso has to offer.
Arriving at Mount Aso
After an hour or more of cycling through the beautiful grasslands we arrived at the top of Mt. Aso Nakadake crater (about 1,200m above sea level). You don’t see lava but you will smell the sulphur and the steam in the crater. The warning sign turned to green to warn asthmatics to be careful as the smoke began to get bigger. Aso last erupted in 2021 which makes being there more thrilling. Don’t forget the stamp at the volcano. Stamps are at lots of landmarks in Japan such as Osaka Palace and each of the 7 Hells of Beppu and even train stations.
We are riding back down now, when joe turns off the path and we are taken into the grass. Rember Joe has special permission for the private tour. so, if you want to have a real close up of the caldra area you should book an exclusive tour with him. He let us ride around and took sent me pictures with Mt Aso volcano behind me.
We also stopped at the Mount Aso Museum it show you the scale of Mt Aso compared to the other large active volcanos in the world. Across the road it the famous wild horse lake but we didn’t have time to see it as we were trying to catch a train back to Oita.
Komezuka
Komezuka is a volcanic cone. it is often referred to as the cutest volcano in Japan as it is only 50m tall. In the summer the volcanic cone is covered in a blanket of green grass.
We took a train which stopped at a cute town. We waited an hour there for the Beppu city train. It was the best day of the whole trip. I booked this tour through viator and if you are wanting a moment you will remember for ever on your Japan trip then book an e-bike tour with Joe.
When we arrived back we at an Italian restaurant and had lots of carbs to finish the day.
Joe Usui
If you want other recommendations for visiting Japan here are my other blog posts 7 Hells of Beppu and Yokohama Day Trip.
