Part II - Mt. Aso

I realize this post is a bit overdue - being written a month after I visited Mt. Aso, or Aso-san - but I figure better late than never. So, after spending a spectacular day in October with Taki-san and my cousins in and around Fukuoka city, we spent the next day at Mt. Aso. The drive to get there took about 2-3 hours, taking us through Saga prefecture and into Kumamoto prefecture, where the great crater and mountains reside. Mt. Aso is one of the largest volcanic craters in the world, and still has some volcanic activity going on near Mt. Naka, one of several mountains lining the rim of its crater. The crater was once an enormous volcano that erupted hundreds of thousands of years ago and tens of thousands of years ago (maybe 4 times total) to form a bowl about 12 miles across. There is a small town currently in the middle of it named Aso.

Before we reached Mt. Aso, we went to a beautiful area with large rocky cliffs and a gulley that you can float through on rented boats. We wanted to rent a couple of boats and paddle our way through, but the wait to rent one was 3 hours. It was a three-day weekend in October, and there were plenty of tourists that day. After taking a bus down a steep road leading to the level of the gulley, we ended up hiking a short ways through the shaded area near the water. The sky that day was clear blue, and it was pretty warm out, so the jaunt through the gulley was really refreshing. On the hike Taki-san read a Japanese sign for me that told of a spot where samurai used to try to vault themselves over the river using large sticks. I asked "Did any of them fall?" He knew some English, and told me a few did - as the sign had pointed out. On the short hike we saw some people paddling their way through the gulley. As one boat slowly rammed the rocky cliff edge, Taki-san looked at me and said, "No technique," and we both started laughing.

It was great being able to visit this magnificent place with two nice families. On the drive there and back I was able to sit in the backseat of the car and check out the scenery without having to worry about finding my way around; this is something that hasn't happened too often for me since I've been here. Also, every meal we had that weekend was like an event, whether I was being shown the proper way to slurp up cold udon noodles (it's pretty easy actually - you just pretend you're using a straw with your lips) or being fed several dishes of delicious Japanese food in one sitting. I wonder how in the world I ended up being with such a nice and funny group of people to show me around Japan. At the ramen-dinner, I asked Taki-san what was in this green bottle sitting at the table. "It's spicy," he said, "has a spicy smell." He then lifted his right arm and pointed to his armpit with his left hand. "Like this," he said. I know his son Futa heard that one because at the end our trip, after we got back from Mt. Aso, he looked up as he took his shoes off in the car, smiled, and said "Spicy smell..."

The tops of the cliffs lining the gulley near Mt. Aso

Futa and Koki walking towards the gulley

Also, I forgot to mention it had rained the day before this picture was taken, so the air was extra fresh, especially walking down by this gully...

This is a picture taken from a park in the middle of the volcanic crater of Mt. Aso. The mountain in the background is one of several that line the outer rim of the crater.

I know my posts have been a bit sporadic but I hope to post another one soon. In general I'm doing fine at the moment with my schools and everything else, and I hope everyone is gettin' along alright.