Kumamoto

Lisa was going to work extra hard today because we had a long drive over to Kumamoto. But first, it was time for a special breakfast prepared by our host. I was surprised to find some zabutons by the garden window with views of the waterfall. Hiroyuki served us some delicious food including rice balls and miso soup. The three of us enjoyed that tranquil moment for a while before beginning our journey.

A 2-hour trip took us to the Kumamoto's Mt. Aso. Japan's largest volcano. The scale was more than I could ever imagine as we approached the Daikanbo lookout, we ended up stopping by a parking spot near it to capture the views. The whole caldera extended as far as the eye could see with the horizon being littered with some of the five major peaks of Mt. Aso. We were supposed to do a short hike to Mt. Eboshi-dake but I decided that it wouldn't be possible and that the stopover at Daikanbo was enough. Until I saw that there was a ropeway going to Nakadake crater on the map which prompted me to do some last-minute research and a spontaneous trip change. We were now heading up to the crater.

Less than an hour away, we found ourselves at the Aso Sanjou Terminal where we proceeded further up until we reached the crater. It was so much worth it and so much better than just looking at the volcano from Daikanbo. It was super impressive and absolutely massive. The colorful igneous rocks and volcanic formations were awe-inspiring and the crater itself was glorious. We walked around the area until we reached the start of the hiking trail. This is when we decided to turn back as we didn't have time to do another hike that day.

Instead, we started to make our way to Takachiho Gorge over at Miyazaki. This was another last-minute itinerary change that happened when Lisa asked about what to do over there. Before that though, it was time to grab a meal.Læs mere