Aso-san the volcano

3 days into my vacation from work, I said good-bye to my friends in Hiroshima and caught a train to Beppu, which is on the southern island of Kyushu. Beppu is famous for being a spa town; it's full of hot springs. I found it to be like a Las Vegas in Japan, but with hot springs replacing casinos. It was kitschy and touristy, and it seems to have passed it's prime. But I still enjoyed seeing the town and the bathing experience at an onsen which had both indoor and outdoor baths. After getting clean, I found an awesome Jamaican restaurant and had fun chatting with the other people at the bar. Next morning, I took a train to Aso...

Long ago (geological time; not sure when) the area now known as Aso erupted. Today it measures 20 km across, and it's one of the biggest calderas in the world. Tucked inside this volcanic caldera is a town, highway roads, a train line, and in the center are several volcanoes, one of which is still active today.

I didn't really have a plan, so after leaving the train station I jumped on the bus that was headed for the volcano. I meant to spend the day hiking to it, but I followed my impulse to take the bus. 30 minutes later, I got off the bus and hiked about 15 minutes to the smoking STINKY! volcano....




After hiking around for a bit with another American, we started hearing sirens and loud voices blaring through megaphones. All I could understand was "please leave". Now, I had read up on Aso-san, so I knew why everyone was being kicked off the peak. This volcano spews noxious sulphur-dioxide gas, and sometimes the wind changes, filling the area with gas. Supposedly you can pass out from a lack of oxygen. I had my heart set on following the hiking trails to the other peaks (which aren't spewing gas everywhere), but before I could get that far, the Park staff ushered me and a couple other hikers back down to the bus stop. I was SO bummed! I had come so far just to hike. But, I knew all along I was taking a chance, cause the wind can change at anytime. At least I got there in time to see part of it.
I went back into town, soaked in a hot spring (onsen), and found my youth hostel. After dinner I was hanging out in the dining area and met a really cool family from Alaska. Parents and 2 children maybe 11 and 13. They had been travelling for 8 months, covering Austrailia, China, Korea, and now Japan. The kids helped me find hiking possibilities for the morning, and I was very impressed with how much they knew about the area just from being there 1 day. The parents seemed to include the kids in navigation and decision-making; I'm sure this is an amazingly educational break from school for them. I was in awe of their lifestyle and think it might be a great idea if Mike and I ever have kids in the future. We'll see ;)

I also ran into a couple Japanese women I had met the night before at the Youth Hostel in the town of Beppu. It was fun to speak a little Japanese with them, exchanging travel plans, etc. They laughed when I told them what I thought of Beppu; saying "but it's famous!". Then I went to bed early so I could try to fit in a hike before catching my 12:45 pm train.

I was hiking by 6:30 am! As I hiked the land changed from town to forest to grassy valley, then rocky Mars-like desert terrain. I met several groups of hikers along the way, who were friendly, so I had more chances to practice Japanese ;) It was amazingly beautiful! What do you think? Have a look for yourself...






6 hours later I was fully satisfied. I headed towards the train station with a bright-red sunburn and a smile on my face.

-Colleen