Places in Japan- Kyushu's Mount Aso

Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan is one of the largest in the world. Located in Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu.

I've been to Aso-san once. While the picture is from a calendar, the time that I went was similar. It was in January and after a recent snowfall. Kyushu, not known as Japan's Snow Country (yukiguni) does get snow in the higher elevations. The time that we went was also around the time when it was a bit active, therefore, we could not ride the sky tram over the top to look down into the volcano.

Mount Aso is a nice drive from Fukuoka's Hakata Airport. Once outside Fukuoka, the drive is normal with minamal toll booths. One of the biggest differences in driving between the U.S. and Japan are us Americans drive to and from anywhere at any length of distance and it is free, but in Japan, there is a fee.

Also, while in Kumamoto Prefecture, one should visit Kumamoto Castle which is known as being one of the top three castles in Japan.

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