Soak Up the Epic Views of Mt. Aso! 12 Must-Visit Spots in Aso

If you’re sightseeing in Aso, fall is recommended.
The vast grasslands that are lush and green in spring and summer turn into pampas grass fields in fall.
It’s especially beautiful at dusk, when the pampas grass shimmers silver and creates a dreamy scene.

If you’re heading from Aso Kumamoto Airport (which has international flights) to Aso City, it takes Approx. 1 hour by express bus.
Even if you’re visiting from overseas, such as Taiwan, it should be easy to get there.
From Fukuoka, the gateway to Kyushu, you can access Aso in around 2 hours 40 minutes by Shinkansen.

Daikanbo is located on the north side of the caldera rim and offers sweeping views of the massive caldera landscape.
Set at an elevation of 3,071 ft, it overlooks Aso’s townscape and farmlands, the Aso Five Peaks, and even the Kuju mountain range.
Because the Aso Five Peaks seen from here look like a reclining Buddha, they are sometimes also called the “Nirvana Statue.”

A vast grassland spreading across the northern foothills of Eboshidake, one of the Aso Five Peaks that form the core of Mt. Aso.
It has been celebrated by many poets since ancient times and is even featured in textbooks, so many people likely picture Kusasenrigahama when they think of “Aso.”
Kusasenrigahama is a crater remnant from Approx. 30,000 years ago at an elevation of Approx. 3,740 ft, with grasslands spreading across a diameter of Approx. 0.6 miles and two ponds formed where water collected in a double-crater depression.

A shrine enshrining Takeiwatatsunomikoto, the deity of Aso’s founding, along with 12 family deities.
It is the head shrine of Approx. 500 branch shrines across Japan.
Its history is said to span over 2,000 years, and it merged with volcano worship that regards the crater of Mt. Aso as the sacred object, making it a shrine of the highest rank as Higo Province’s ichinomiya (the top shrine of the province).
No records remain of exactly when the shrine was first established here.
The current shrine buildings were rebuilt from 1835 to 1850 through donations from the Kumamoto Domain.

Nakadake (4,941 ft), located in the center of Mt. Aso, is an active volcano that continues vigorous activity, and you can see the crater billowing smoke up close.
Of Nakadake’s seven craters lined up, the one currently active and open for viewing is the First Crater, and you can go close to this huge crater with a circumference of Approx. 2.5 miles.

Shirakawa Springs is one of the spring sources in the Minami-Aso Village spring group, where groundwater from the Aso caldera bubbles up. It is the source of the Shirakawa River, a Class A river flowing through Kumamoto City, and is a famous spring selected for the former Environment Agency’s (now the Ministry of the Environment) “100 Exquisite Waters of Japan.”
The water is moderately hard water containing trace amounts of carbon dioxide, well known for its smooth taste, and is also used as source water for local sake and bottled mineral water.

A cone-shaped volcano at the foot of Kishimadake, one of the Aso Five Peaks that form the core of Mt. Aso.
This small mountain is Approx. 262 ft tall and is said to have formed in an eruption Approx. 3,300 years ago.
Its slopes are covered in grassland, and from spring to summer the mountain turns a beautiful green.

The Aso caldera is vast, and its caldera rim stretches Approx. 80 miles around.
The scenic road running for 28 miles along the northwest ridgeline is Prefectural Routes 339 (Kita-Gairinzan Ozu Line) and 45 (Aso Park Kikuchi Line), commonly known as “Milk Road.”
Because it originally served as a farm road for transporting milk from ranches along the route, it became affectionately known as Milk Road.

A health-promotion complex produced by health experts, gathering a wide range of facilities for both adults and children across a vast site of Approx. 10.8 million sq ft.
With sports facilities, an interactive park, hot springs, dining, and hands-on experiences, it’s packed with things to do all day—and you can also stay overnight in dome-shaped hotels in the forest.

A shrine that became a hot topic on social media as a “power spot” and “a gateway to another world.”
It enshrines three deities: Izanagi-no-Mikoto, Izanami-no-Mikoto, and Ishikimi Daishogun, and is affectionately called “Gongen-san” by locals.
On the grounds are “nagi,” said to bring good fortune in love and relationships, and “Ugetoiwa,” said to bring good luck for exams and victory.

A zoo at the foot of Mt. Aso where animals from around the world live on a site of Approx. 3.2 million sq ft.
It offers plenty of animal interaction experiences, and performance shows by the animals are also popular.
It’s also known as home to TV-famous favorites, including the chimpanzee Pan-kun.

Of the Takamori Spring Water Tunnel, which is Approx. 1.2 miles long and known for its abundant spring water, Approx. 1,804 ft has been turned into a park.
The tunnel originally began as railway excavation planned by the former Japanese National Railways, but during construction it was hit by massive water outflow.
After repeated water outflow accidents, construction was suspended.
Today, part of the tunnel has been developed as a park, where you can walk along the tunnel’s pathway; there is also the water museum “Yusuikan,” where you can learn about the importance of water and the tunnel’s history.

A hot spring town spreading around the Tsuetate River in Aso District, Kumamoto Prefecture, known as Kyushu’s inner retreat.
Its origins date back 1,800 years, with legends saying it was used as the first bath for an infant who later became Emperor Ojin.
The spring quality includes mildly alkaline simple hot spring and chloride spring.
In addition, it contains a high amount of metasilicic acid, which supports the hot spring’s effects, and is known for feeling gentle on the skin and leaving it pleasantly moisturized after bathing.

A local cuisine restaurant in Aso, just a short walk from Aso Shrine.
To let guests enjoy Aso’s natural bounty, it mainly uses seasonal local ingredients such as locally grown vegetables and serves them using traditional cooking methods.
The menu is diverse, with a wide variety of Japanese and Western dishes, from beef cutlet rice bowls and sukiyaki to soba and the local specialty dago-jiru dumpling soup.

An akaushi-specialty teppanyaki restaurant in the Monzen-machi shopping street near Aso Shrine.
It serves hearty dishes made with Aso’s famous akaushi beef.
The most popular item is “Akaushi Garlic Rice,” a mouthwatering dish topped with spicy, flavorful akaushi steak over garlic rice.

A Western-style pastry shop in the Aso Shrine Monzen-machi shopping street.
It’s run by Masafumi Tano, the third-generation pastry chef and owner.
“Tano Choux,” created by Mr. Tano, who is particular about fresh cream, is the shop’s top specialty.
Inside the choux pastry topped with fragrant toasted almonds, custard made with pure fresh cream oozes out smoothly.

Kurokawa Onsen is a hot spring village on the north side of Mt. Aso, an active volcano located in the Aso region of Kumamoto.
It’s also known as one of Japan’s hidden hot spring destinations, and until 2000, its name reportedly wasn’t even printed on maps published by local newspapers.
Ryokan Sanga is a hot spring inn that stands quietly like a hideaway deep in the forest, a little farther away from the mountain-lined Kurokawa Onsen town.

The “Fairfield by Marriott Michi-no-Eki Project” operates hotels near roadside stations across 29 locations in 14 prefectures.
Fairfield by Marriott Kumamoto Aso is next to Michi-no-Eki Aso, making it an ideal hotel for fully enjoying Aso’s great outdoors.
Around the hotel are scenic spots such as Mt. Aso with one of the world’s largest calderas, the lush Kusasenrigahama grasslands, and Daikanbo with its sweeping views.

Located around 0.6 miles from Kurokawa Onsen’s town area, this inn offers a quiet stay away from the bustle.
It consists of the main building and separate annexes, and while the guest rooms are traditional Japanese style, they also have stylish touches that feel modern in places.
Soft lighting creates a relaxing atmosphere.
The annexes are standalone cottages with an irori hearth and open-air bath, like hidden retreats blending into nature.