Aso, Kurokawa Onsen Travel Guides

Aso-Kurokawa (Kurokawa Onsen) is home to tourist attractions such as Kiyomizu Temple, Kurokawa Onsen, and Tochigi Onsen, tourist events such as Onda Matsuri (Onda Festival), Canegatate Onsen Koinobori Festival, and Kaze Matsuri, and local delicacies such as horse sashimi, karashikon (sweet potatoes), and taheien (fried bean curd).

Aso, the symbol of Kumamoto, the Land of Fire, is formed by one of the world's largest calderas and its outer rim, which stretches 18 km from east to west and 25 km from north to south. Inside the caldera are the five Aso peaks: Nakadake, Nekodake, Takadake, Karasubodake, and Kijimadake.

Visitors can take a ropeway to the crater of Nakadake, which is still active today, and feel the dynamic nature up close. For those who want to feel more familiar with the volcano, we recommend trying the trekking course near the summit of Nakadake and the old crater.

If you are afraid of getting too close to the crater, you can also feel the power of the volcano through the live camera feed from the Mt. Nakadake and Takadake, the best time to view the 50,000 Miyama-kirishima flowers is in May at Senankyo, a valley at the northern foot of Mt.

The Aso Shrine, famous for the fire-waving ritual held in March, the Aso Museum of Ancient Art, which exhibits a collection of calligraphy, paintings, and tea ceremony utensils passed down through the generations of old Aso families, and the Aso Monkey Show Theater, where you can watch the traditional Japanese performing arts of the monkey show any time of the year.

Aso Nature Land offers hot-air ballooning, canoeing, and hang-gliding in the great outdoors with reservations. At the Para Field Hinotori Paraglider School, you can go paragliding in the air as you wish. If you are not confident, you can book a two-person flight with an instructor.

At El Patio Ranch, visitors can try horseback riding, and a variety of courses are available for everyone from beginners to competitive riders. At Ranomo Mothers Aso Milk Factory, visitors can try their hand at milking a cow, making sausage, butter, and bread.

After a day of fun, why not relax at Kurokawa Onsen hot spring? The Ryokan Association prohibits the use of gaudy signs, so you can enjoy a relaxing soak in the sulfur spring water in a rustic atmosphere. After taking a bath, enjoy local specialties such as highland-raised red beef, horse meat, bamboo shoots, and Takana (a kind of leaf mustard).