Aso: the magical heart of Kyushu

Japan – August 2025

Hands down one of my favourite places in Japan. If you follow this blog for a while, you may know that I’m slightly obsessed with volcanoes. There is just something powerful about the cone shapes lava spewing mountains. A few times I got close to the summit of active volcanoes in Guatemala, Chile and Sicily. Countless other times I ventured around the premises of volcanic mountains, but this week in Aso-Kuju National Park was something else. I’ve been wanting to go there since my first trip to Kyushu, when due to time, weather & transportation restraints the detour just didn’t fit into the itinerary. But now it’s finally time: equipped with a rental car, my friend Takuya and I are on our way around Kyushu for the second time. Of course we have to add the famous national park with Japan’s most active volcano to our schedule.

We enter Kumamoto Prefecture from Yanagawa, where we were stuck for an extended lunch break due to a false alarm caused by the blinking oil lamp. We finally decide to rest a bit outside the national park at a free campsite in Ozu. However, to register at the community center, we need a Hanko (Japanese signature stamp). Of course, I don’t own such a thing and Takuya’s is back at his house. So off we are to Daiso – who would have thought that Hanko are available at the 100-Yen shop? Not me. After purchasing the required stamp, we head to a nearby “SecondStreet” store, where I buy a used tent. The last few nights have been hot in the car and I prefer the tents mesh to protect me from mosquitoes. With all the to-dos ticked off for today, we end the day cooking an Egyptian rice dish and then head to bed early.

After a good night’s sleep in the quiet park, we’re ready to explore Aso’s crater! Having checked possible hiking routes with maps from a bookstore before, we first head to Kusasenrigahama. It’s the most easily accessible scenic spot in the area and therefore attracts the biggest crowd. However, not many of the people in the parking lot join us on our walk to the peak overlooking a small lake, followed by another quick hike up Kishima-dake. Fueled by the bento lunch we bought at a supermarket on the way, we decide to check out the main crater Nakadake too. The toll road up to the highest parking lot costs 1000 Yen per car and includes parking. If there is too much volcanic activity and the conditions are too unsafe, area is closed to visitors. Better check the current status beforehand on the official website. When accessible, it’s truly one of the most magnificent views of a volcano ever. Highly recommend! In the evening, we return to our campsite in Ozu. On the hunt for a supermarket, we stumble across the holy grail: the discount store TRIAL.

We’re visiting the huuge hypermarket again the next morning to get ice and I buy some eye drops for my Conjunctivitis at a nearby pharmacy. Since I’m not in a great condition for a longer hike, we resort to some sightseeing in the area south of the volcano. Packing up all our camping gear, we first drive to Minamiaso. Here we stop at the local “Michi-no-Eki” which offers great views of the incredibly green landscapes. After a bit of window shopping at Montbell, we head further east to Shirakawa Spring. We had to pay to enter the main spring, and because it was Obon it was incredibly crowded. At the farmer’s market by Shirakawa Spring, we found a bunch of cheap eggplants, which felt like a small win in the middle of the chaos. After that we went looking for lunch and struck gold with a huge bowl of Gyudon in Takamori. The portion was so big, we actually had to take a quick nap before visiting a local Shrine and checking for nearby places to sleep. We made a quick supermarket run for supplies and eventually decided to spend the night at Tsukimawari park.

The next morning my eye is still not fully recovered, so we decide to postpone the big hiking day once more. Instead, we explore Aso-shi and the area north from the volcano. The first stop is as always a supermarket, where we can restock the ice for our fridge. Next, I want to check out the Aso Milk Factory. After so much time in Japan and Asia, it is always a treat to find proper cheese. With a good piece of bread and actual buffalo mozzarella in tow, we then head to Daikanbō Lookout. The view is great but there are lots of people. So after a quick walk, we get back into the car and drive west along the “Milk Road”. The main goal of today is finding a good spot for some 川遊び or “playing in the river”. A bit of refreshing water is much needed in the heat of this summer. While the Kikuchi Gorge turns out to be more of a sightseeing spot, we are luckier with Senjokawara a little further downstream along Kikuchi River. Since last night’s camp ground is a bit far away, we return to Ozu (and the MEGA TRIAL) in the evening.

The following day, we finally set out from Sensuikyo Gorge for our main hike. Finding the trail isn’t easy at first, but after about thirty minutes—and by following a few other hikers—we push through the bushes and pick up the right path. A steep uphill climb covering 700 meters elevation gain follows, and just under three hours later we stand on the summit of Takadake. Up on the ridge, the wind makes the summer heat far more bearable. Dragonflies hover in the warm air around us as we head toward Nakadake’s peak. From here till 火口東展望所, the sharp smell of sulfur drifting across the volcanic landscape and multiple warning signs reminding us to keep clear. On the very edge of the trail, a magnificent view opens over the craters of Mount Aso. Clouds of smoke rise from their depths while sightseeing and surveillance helicopters circle above. When dark rain clouds begin to gather, we make a quick final descent and reach the car just before the downpour starts.

After changing, we drive into Aso for a celebratory ice cream and a well-deserved onsen bath for just 200 yen. Refreshed and clean, we head back toward Takamori while the sun sets, refill our bottles at the Yusui Tunnel Park, and cook spaghetti while sipping wine under a starry sky. In the morning, we notice another car parked next to us. An older couple must have been sleeping here too. As we make breakfast, they come over for a quick chat and end up gifting us some fruits. We pack them carefully in our fridge next to the bunch of eggplants and then get ready to leave Kumamoto (for now). As we drive along National Route 325, we already think about how we could fit in another stop in the national park on the way back to Fukuoka. We end up making it work by stopping for another overnight on the way from Takachiho to Chojabaru. A clear summer afternoon spent cooking Älplermagrone in Tsukimawari park. Definitely one of the highlights of this trip for me.

If you’re planning a trip to Kyushu or anywhere else in Japan, you may want to check my 2 separate posts for practical tips for Van Life in Japan and Budget Travel in Japan in general.