Mount Aso 阿蘇山

Mount Aso is an active volcano in the centre of Kyushu, in Aso-Kuju National Park, and recently erupted in 2021 and 2016. Aso’s ancient caldera ranks among the world’s largest.

Luckily Jess and I don’t mind the smell of hydrogen sulfide that smells like eggs and fart. If my brain knew that this was a natural product of Earth being Earth, I don’t mind it. Smelling something suspicious behind someone in a non-volcanic area, I do mind it.

Throughout our Kyushu trip, we encountered many geothermic activities, especially in Beppu (geothermal city). I only got sick of the smell after we had a mineral mud onsen (bath) and all our clothes stunk like eggs for the rest of the trip (it takes 3 to 4 washes to get rid of the smell!)

Our lunch spot

Inside look of the crater once we finished our hike

I was a little gutted we didn’t have enough time to hike up the Kishima-dake trail to overlook the famous Komezuka volcano, but luckily we were able to take a peak during our drive down to our backpackers. The symmetrical little volcano was adorable. “Because of its small height and grass coverage, it is often referred to as the cutest volcano in Japan.”

Our dinner at a small Aso town