Before we get going, here’s a photo of our ryokan. There are at least a dozen ryokans or public onsens in town, probably all tapping the same natural hot spring. Having a volcano nearby is great, until it isn’t!
Here is me in my tall size yakuta, our little onsen connected to our room, and an obligatory breakfast photo. If anyone knows what the wooden paddle is for please get in touch.
Yesterday we headed south and today we headed north, up and out of the caldera. Incidentally, there seems to be a lack of agreement about the size ranking of calderas, at least in signage and tourist literature around here. A film at the volcano museum implied Aso is #3, while some brochures and signs around the area claim #1. I asked Claude AI and it gave me a top ten, with Aso coming it at #9. So there might be some caldera inflation going on here, a little fake news. So goes the world.
Anyway, we drove up and out of the (ninth largest) caldera and over to Nabegataki falls. It was a popular spot with two white gloved parking attendants cheerfully waving us in. Decorations include the ubiquitous Aso bear mascot and a tribute to Kitasato Shibasaburō, a local boy who became the father of modern medicine in Japan.
A short walk down took us to the falls. They were formed when a lava flow from our friend Aso-san blanketed over a softer layer, making for a wide and deep undercut for the water to carve out. It was easy to walk behind the falls.
The gift shop featured fresh shiitake mushrooms and Aso Bear.
Back at the turn off from the main road was a small art museum with the works of Sakamoto Zenzo, an abstract painter who seemed active mostly in the 1960’s and 70’s. There were a couple of things I liked but overall the art was not that memorable for me. His house is beautiful though. A shrine next door to the house had what looked like a sumo ring.
Around the edge of the caldera is a strip of grassland, and the road that goes along the edge is called the Milk Road. Off of Milk Road is Daikanbō lookout.
It was a popular spot on this Saturday, with tour busses and motorcycle clubs.
And just sitting on a bench was.. Hey, It’s a Me! Mario!
Back down in the bowl we stopped by the Aso Milk Factory for an ice cream and a stroll along the river.
It was great ice cream, which is understandable because according to AMF’s website the milk is freshly squeezed.
Ken Chin-Purcell 