Our travels Video and Pics Cycling Walking About us News Part 7: Aso vulcano Wednesday 12 September At seven thirty we arrive at the breakfast room, that is the time they open. It is five to eight when we get our breakfast. As we leave at eight we have only 5 minutes to eat it. Today it is time for our excursion to the Aso vulcano. We take a train to Aso station, touristinfo shows a sign that states the vulcano is closed due to poisonous fumes. But at the busstation they have another opinion : the crater is open to the public. Hope for the best. The bus drives through the park to the Nakadake crater. On our way we see an ancient crater on our right(Komezuka krater). The symmetric crater is covered with grass. The bus stops for ten minutes here so everybody can take a picture. To the left one can already see the steamy crater we are going to. The next busstop is the museum. But we decide to visit the crater first. At the last busstop you can take a ropeway up. But could have easily walked it, the ropeway was very expensive for such a short ride. The crater gives lots of fumes, but it is nothing spectaculair. The crater inside is beautifull colored. These colors come from metals that are pushed up by the vulcano from the inner earth. We make some pictures, but ignore the footsteps where you are supposed to stand in front of the vulcano. A small ladder gives the photographer the advantage of having the people and the vulcano in his picture...... Time to have some coffee. After this short break we walk down to the museum. But that was not a good idea, halfway the heavens opened. In the middle of an open field no chance to hide, and the umbrella ? In the hotel ! But the museum is warm and we dry quickly. The museum is not that great. No english explanation, and we donīt know enough Japanese to read all these scientific words about vulcanos. The film they show must be a project of the owners son, there are some things that just doesnīt fit. Or it is our western lokk on things, because the japanese donīt seem to have any trouble to race through the park and then suddenly make an emergency stop in a beautifull green meadow. And about the music i wonīt say a word... Hungry we go to the museum snackbar. A hamburger menu comes with coca cola, and if you want orange drink that is a serious problem. Ofcourse you canīt order all the items seperate so we got an orange drink, hamburger some other fried things and coca cola (that is part of the menu!!). At such times we wished our japanese was better. Ofcourse the drinks are not spoiled, but nevertheless. We take the bus and train back to Kumamoto. We go the same restaurant as yesterday. The rest of the Djoser group heard about this nice place and came in too. Part 1 : Tokyo Part 2 : Japanese Alps Part 3 : Kyoto Part 4 : Koyasan Part 5 : Osaka Part 6 : Hiroshima Part 8 : Nagasaki Our travels Video and Pics Cycling Walking About us News