Ogidake View Point 荻岳

A neighbour’s recommendation took us to the Ogidake view point 荻岳(Mount Ogi) east of Aso one sunny Sunday in February.

The Ogidake lookout is one of the few points from where you can get panoramic views of Kyushu’s 3 major mountain ranges, Aso, Kuju and Sobo.  On a clear day the views are stunning and don’t be surprised to have them all to yourself in this off the beaten track location.

From Aso station it’s around a 45 min drive up and over the caldera wall towards Oita. Follow route 57 and turn off past Namino onto Route 41, from there it’s around a 15 to 20 minutes drive up to the peak, of course the signs are all tiny, inconspicuous and in Japanese so keep your eyes peeled for this kanji: 荻岳, if you cross the same train lines 3 times don’t worry you are heading in the right direction!

When we arrived there was a sign saying that due to road works we could not access the peak, however, as it was Sunday and there were no signs of workmen or machinary around we cautiously went up to the top parking area. This saved us a considerable walk, at the top there are a couple of different view points to walk around and a small modern shrine perched on the hillside.

Don’t even think about getting the bus here, you need a car! Or put a visit to Ogidake into your own customized Around Aso tour. Contact us now for details.

The Ogidake View Point is free to access, parking is also free.

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Namino Oaza Nakae, Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture 869-2805