Around Aso Tour – Mount Aso and more!

• 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