Around Aso Tour - Mount Aso & more !
Around Aso tour - a day trip around the world's biggest inhabited caldera
A fantastic day trip that takes you to the top of Mt. Aso, Japan’s largest volcano and to the top sights in the Aso caldera plus a few of its lesser known secrets.
From the beautiful and remote Minami Aso area to breathtaking views from the northern caldera rim and up to the heights of Mount Aso, where you have the chance to peer right into the heart of the living, breathing Nakadake volcano.
enjoy a scenic trip around the top sights of the Aso caldera
Around Aso & More Tour information
- 1 to 6 people
- Tour duration 8.5 hours
- Language - English
- Price from 14,000 Yen per person (includes transport)
- Discount for children
- Activity level - gentle to moderate
- Explore Japan’s most beautiful volcanic caldera
- Lots of photo stops for scenic views
- The chance to look inside the living, breathing crater of an active volcano and walk around its volcanic landscape with a trained Geopark guide.
- Free time on top of Mount Aso at Kusasenri; take a walk or hike, go horse riding, visit the volcano museum, visitor center, cafes or shops.
- See Komezuka – Mount Aso’s youngest and most perfectly formed mini volcano.
- Daikanbo viewpoint – take a walk through the grasslands to the caldera edge, for panoramic views of the caldera, its valleys and central volcanic peaks
- Visit Kyushu’s most atmospheric shrine with the longest name : Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Jinja
- Beautiful in every season Aso is home to Japan’s most extensive grassland grazed by horses and cattle
- Small group tour with dedicated transport
- Highly rated, friendly and informative English speaking guide.
- Qualified Aso Global Geopark guide & Aso Interpreter Guide
Around Aso Tour Sample Itinerary:
Timings are approximate and the schedule and itinerary order may change according to the weather and time constraints.
*It is possible to customise the tour schedule if you request a private tour or are the only participants, there may be extra charges for this. Contact us to find out more.
08:51 Meet up with your guide in front of Higo Ozu Station
09:00 Depart. We take a scenic drive up to Daikanbo along the famous Milk Road which runs around the northern caldera rim.
09:45 Daikanbo Viewpoint – Take a relaxing walk at Daikanbo; the highest point on the northern caldera edge and with the best panoramic views of the Aso caldera.
10:50 We drive into the valley bottom of the caldera to visit the ancient Kokuzo Shrine – one of the oldest shrines in Kyushu and home to the remains of the Great Teno Cedar tree, a 2000 year old giant said to be planted by a god.
12:00 Free time & lunch at Monja machi Street – a charming ‘spring water’ street next to Aso shrine with a good choice of restaurants for lunch. Free time to check out the shops or visit Aso Shrine after.
13:00 Scenic drive up Mount Aso, stopping off for views and to see the horses and cows on the grassland slopes, we will take in the views of the highest peak; Mount Takadake and the youngest and some say cutest volcano; Komezuka
13:45 On top of Mount Aso there is a vast plateau called Kusasenri – this is the remains of a kilometer wide volcanic crater active 27,000 years ago. Nowadays it’s a beautiful grassland surrounded by volcanic peaks offering impressive views of the active volcano. Here you have free time to explore; take a walk around the different viewing platforms, visit the Mount Aso visitor center or Aso Volcano Museum. Visit a cafe, try an Aso gelato or do a little souvenir shopping. From spring to late autumn horse riding is also possible.
14:30 We head to the Nakadake Crater – Mount Aso’s active volcano, just a few minutes from Kusasenri- if the active volcano is at Level 1 and conditions are safe we drive all the way up to the crater area where you will be able to look into the active volcano and walk around the crater area and the Sunasenri plateau – a surreal lunar landscape made of volcanic ash and rocks deposited by the volcano. If the crater area is closed we will have more time to enjoy the Kusasenri area.
15:00 Scenic drive down the southern route stopping for views into Minami Aso; the southern caldera valley on the way.
15:45 Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine – once Aso’s best kept secrets, a little known but wonderfully atmospheric spot, the shrine’s fame has been spreading fast due to it’s use in a popular animated film, great for keen photographers and a lovely walk.
16:20 We finish with a visit to one of Minami Aso’s springs or the Aso Canyon Swing depending on the time available
17:30 Arrive back at Higo Ozu Station
Around Aso tour details
Meeting Point: The tour begins and ends from Higo Ozu Station, a 35 to 40 minute train ride from Kumamoto City. However, it may also be possible to arrange a pick up from your hotel if you are staying in the Aso area. Please contact us with your hotel details to find out more.
Tour duration: 09:00 to 17:30 (8.5 hours)
No. of guests: Minimum 1 person, maximum 6.
*Groups up to 9 people can be catered for but there will be an extra charge for a rental vehicle
Activity level: Gentle to moderate, the tour involves some walking but at your own pace and you can choose how much. Only Kamishikimikumano Imasu Shrine involves walking uphill, with around 200 steps. Walking sticks are available to borrow for free and if necessary it is also possible to drive up to the shrine.
Tour Inclusions:
English guide fee, transport, parking fees, entrance fees
Tour Exclusions:
Lunch is not included in the tour price. But please notify us of any special dietary preferences when booking so we can advise you where to eat.
Entrance to the Aso volcano museum is not included.
Weather: Depending on the weather forecast the itinerary may take place the opposite way round to ensure we can get the best views possible. The Mount Aso area can become very foggy at times, in this case we may change the schedule to avoid the mountainous areas. If the forecast is for heavy rain all day we will either offer you the chance to cancel or to change to a different tour itinerary.
Visiting the volcano: The Nakadake volcano is always active even when it is at Level 1 (its lowest level) this means that it usually releases volcanic gases. The crater area is monitored very closely and if the wind is in the wrong direction and gas concentrations are too high the crater area will be temporarily closed. If you have a heart condition or asthma please tell us when making a booking so we can make sure of your safety.
If it is not possible to visit the active crater we will either visit an extra place or have more time at other locations.
Drop off: The drop off is at Higo Ozu station around 17:30. Trains back to Kumamoto City run approximately every 20 minutes, you will usually be in time for either the 17:27 or 17:44 departure. A drop off in the Aso area may also be possible with advance booking. Please contact us with your hotel details to find out.
Around Aso Tour Price
1 person – 30,000 Yen
2 to 3 people – 15,000 Yen per person
4 to 6 people – 14,000 Yen per person
These prices refer to the total number of people on a tour. So if you book a tour for 1 person and no-one else joins then your price is 30,000 yen, if 2 more people join then your price is 15,000 Yen per person etc.
Private tours available – contact us with number of people for pricing
Family discounts available.
(Please contact us with your children’s ages to find out more)
All tours are paid for in cash on the day, no deposit is required
About Aso
The first thing to know is the Aso area is big, the circumference of the caldera is over 100 km. Sights are scattered around four areas; the northern caldera rim, the northern caldera basin, Minami Aso (the southern caldera basin) and the central volcanic peaks including Nakadake – Mount Aso’s active volcano.
Why is the Aso region special?
The Aso region is definitely one of the ‘must see’ sights if you are visiting Japan’s southern island of Kyushu. Mount Aso is the largest inhabited volcanic caldera in the world and Japan’s largest active volcanic region. (When a volcanic crater is more than 2 km wide it is called a caldera, the Aso caldera is 25 km wide.) In the center of the caldera a chain of volcanic mountains runs east to west. In the center of these mountains is the Nakadake Volcano, currently Mount Aso’s only active volcano. It is Japan’s second most active volcano and a very rare one as when conditions are safe you can go right up to the edge of the crater. The volcano has been worshipped as a powerful shinto deity for thousands of years. Inside the crater you may be able to see a beautiful steaming turquoise lake.
Aso is not just a volcano!
Aso is also Japan’s largest grassland area making a unique and very beautiful landscape which changes every season. Japan is generally a land of forested mountains so the mountain grasslands of Aso offer views rarely found in the rest of the country. The lush susuki grass provides grazing for horses and the local Akaushi beef cattle. The grasslands are burnt every February and by late spring the new growth is a lush, vibrant green. By summer the grass has grown tall, silver seed heads form in the autumn and then turn golden over the winter. The grasslands also reveal the rollling contours of ancient pyroclastic flows deposited by volcanic activity over hundreds of thousands of years.
If you are interested in learning more about the Aso area take a look at the Aso section in Places to visit
Around Aso tour - How to book
If the date is blank it can be booked for any tour of your choice. Just fill in the contact form with your request.
If there is already an Aso tour running for the date you want, check the number of places available and then contact us to make a booking.
If the date you want is unavailable, it may be possible to put you in touch with a freelance English speaking guide, contact us with your details to find out more.
Tour Calendar
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Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |||
1Takachiho gorge & Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu shrine tour all day Full | 2Unavailable all day | 3Unavailable all day | |||||||
4Unavailable all day | 5Aso & Kikuchi gorge Tour all day Full | 6Takachiho & Aso Tour all day Full | 7Unavailable all day | 8One Piece statue tour 8 statues all day Full | 9Around Aso Tour all day 1 place available | 10Unavailable all day | |||
11Unavailable all day | 12One Piece statue tour 8 statues all day Full | 13Takachiho Tour all day Full | 14Unavailable all day | 15Around Aso Tour all day Full | 16Unavailable all day | 17One Piece statue tour 8 statues all day 1 place available | |||
18Takachiho & Aso Tour all day Full | 19Unavailable all day | 20Unavailable all day | 21One Piece statue tour 8 statues all day Full | 22Takachiho gorge & Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu shrine Tour all day Full | 23Unavailable all day | 24Unavailable all day | |||
25Unavailable all day | 26Unavailable all day | 27One Piece statue tour 8 statues all day Full | 28Takachiho Tour all day Full | 29Kikuchi gorge, Nabegataki falls and Kurokawa Onsen all day 1 place available | 30Unavailable all day |
Why take a tour?
The Aso sights are difficult to visit by public transport. Taking a day trip around the region allows you to maximize your time and visit all the main sights and some of its best kept secrets in comfort and at your own pace.
You’ll also get to learn a whole lot about the fascinating volcanic history, myths & culture of the area on the way.
Other tours that include Mount Aso in the itinerary
Takachiho & Mt Aso Tour
Take a scenic drive through the southern side of the Aso caldera to the fantastic Takachiho Gorge. Spend the morning there then after lunch head to the top of Mount Aso to visit the active volcano.
Kurokawa Onsen & Mt Aso Tour
Visit Aso's famous Daikanbo view and then on to Kurokawa Onsen; Kyushu's famous hot spring village, then Mt Aso to visit the active volcano.
Mt Aso & Kikuchi Gorge Tour
A relaxing walk through Kikuchi Gorge. Stop off at Daikanbo view. Enjoy lunch near the Aso shrine area then Mt. Aso to visit the active volcano.