Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [560]
Aso Youth Hostel (34-0804; dm ¥2450; ) This small hostel with neighbouring campground is a 20-minute uphill hike from JR Aso Station, past pretty Saigenden-ji temple, which dates from AD 726. Buses to the cable-car station stop outside the hostel. A kitchen is available.
Shukubou Aso (34-0194; fax 34-1342; r per person with/without 2 meals from ¥11,000/5000; ) This lovely rustic minshuku with modern touches is set in the trees, less than 500m from Aso Station, offering excellent value.
Sanzoku-Tabiji (34-2011; set meals from ¥950; 11am-7pm; ) is known for its dangojiru (miso soup with dumplings) and healthy mountain-vegetable teishoku. It’s on Hwy 57, opposite the Villa Park Hotel, 10 minutes’ walk from JR Aso Station and has an English menu.
TAKAMORI
Takamori-Murataya Ryokan Youth Hostel (62-0066; dm HI member/nonmember ¥2625/3225) A tiny hostel in Takamori town, about 800m from the station. Toilets are Japanese-style only.
Bluegrass (62-3366; www.aso-bluegrass.com, in Japanese; r per person with/without 2 meals ¥7000/3500; ) This cowboy ranch house and inn has attractive clean rooms and a Jacuzzi! The restaurant serves Western barbecue and Japanese cuisine (meals from ¥1150; open 11am to 8pm, closed 1st and 3rd Tuesday). It’s on Hwy 325, about a 20-minute hike from the station.
Kyūkamura Minami-Aso (62-2111; www.qkamura .or.jp/aso, in Japanese; 3219 Takamori, Takamori-machi; r per person with 2 meals from ¥8400; ) A national vacation village easiest to reach by car and crowded in July and August. Otherwise, the facilities are great and the views of the three main peaks are magnificent.
AKAMIZU
Aso YMCA (35-0124; www.kumamoto-ymca.or.jp/aso, in Japanese; dm ¥3300-4000; ) Set on a hillside with a wooded outlook, this large, inviting hostel has a main lodge, comfortable cabins and lots of facilities. It’s an uphill hike about 600m west of JR Akamizu Station, across the river.
Getting There & Around
Aso is on the JR Hōhi line between Kumamoto (tokkyū; ¥1980, 70 minutes) and Ōita (tokkyū; ¥3290, 1¾ hours). Some buses from Beppu (¥3080, 2¾ hours) continue to the Aso-nishi cable-car station (an extra ¥1130).
To get to Takamori on the southern side of the crater, transfer from the JR Hōhi line at Tateno (¥360, 30 minutes) to the scenic Minami-Aso private line, which terminates at Takamori (¥470, 30 minutes). Buses from Takamori continue southeast to Takachiho (¥1280, 70 minutes, three daily).
Buses operate approximately every 90 minutes from JR Aso Station via the youth hostel and volcano museum to Aso-nishi cable-car station (¥470, 35 minutes). The first bus up leaves at 8.37am, with the last return trip down from the cable-car station at 5pm.
Bike rentals are available at JR Aso Station (¥300, two hours). Cars can be rented for the day at Eki Rent-a-Car (34-1001 www.ekiren.co.jp, in Japanese), opposite the tourist information office adjacent to the train station, from ¥6000.
If driving, a toll (¥560) is required on a portion of the road skirting the crater from Aso-nishi to Kato-nishi.
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KUROKAWA ONSEN
0967 / pop 400
A few dozen ryokan lie along a steep valley beside the Kurokawa (Black River), some 6km west of the Yamanami Hwy. Considered one of the best onsen villages in Japan, Kurokawa is everything a resort town should be. Although well known in Japan, this idyllic village is safely secluded from the rest of the world and maintains its tranquillity. It’s the perfect spot to experience a ryokan.
For day-trippers, an ‘onsen passport’ (¥1200) from the tourist information desk (44-0076; 9am-6pm) allows access to three baths of your choice (8.30am to 9pm). Kurokawa is especially famous for its 23 rotemburo. Among local favourites are Yamamizuki, Kurokawa-sō and Shimmei-kan, with its cave baths and riverside rotemburo. Many places offer konyoku (mixed bathing).
At Ubuyama village, between Kurokawa and Senomoto