A trip to Aso.

At the end of April and beginning of May are a coincidental cluster of Japanese holidays collectively known as Golden Week, which is a very popular time for Japanese people to travel. This year the J-3s got a three-day weekend and then a four-day weekend. Caroline and I decided to dedicate two of those four days to go exploring the Aso region about a two-hour train ride out of the city. Aso, which, despite its official designation as a "city," is about as rural as you can get here in Japan. Mount Aso itself is a still-active volcano, which means that the area is rich in natural beauty and, my favorite, hot springs. Despite our late start in planning, we managed to book two beds at a little youth hostel not far from Aso Station, and the morning of Friday, May 3, we took our backpacks and boarded a train for our first independent Japanese overnight adventure.

Shopping street near Aso Shrine, decorated
with carp flags for Boys' Day on May 5.
Photo by Caroline.

After exploring, finding our hostel, getting lost, and grabbing lunch, we met up with Katie and her husband, and went exploring the side streets near Aso Shrine. This is where Caroline discovered that she didn't like mitarashi dango (steamed rice dumplings coated with soy sauce syrup on a stick), and where I discovered I liked kinako dango (steamed rice dumplings coated with toasted soy powder on a stick). We also discovered that there are basically no trash cans anywhere. ("What am I gonna do with the stick?")

Then we all went to an onsen (hot spring) together for a pre-dinner soak. Well, not together together. In Japan bathing suits aren't allowed at onsen, and ever since the arrival of missionaries in the 16th century, onsen and bathhouses have always been segregated by gender, so Katie, Caroline, and I went to the women's bath to experience the legendary Aso hot spring water. Soaking in an onsen is always amazingly relaxing, but my favorite thing was watching a grandmother interact with her two grandchildren in the bath. ("Abunai!" ["Danger!"] they'd shout before splashing into their grandmother's arms. Bath time is family time in this country, and it's a beautiful thing.)

Our hostel, run by possibly the sweetest lady in all of Japan.

Katie and her husband had to be back in town that night, so they dropped us off at our hostel, where we settled into our bunks for the night. We shared a room on the women's floor with two very nice ladies, one from Germany on a whirlwind Japan tour and one from Kumamoto with a great command of English. The hostel was an older building, but very clean and well-maintained, and you couldn't beat the price. We were a little worried about the bank of motorcycles that were parked out front that night, but we didn't see any of the motorcycle gang members during our stay.

The next day, we got a quick breakfast at a coffee shop and boarded a bus up into the mountains, having decided to take a hike up Kishima-dake, one of the so-called "Five Peaks of Aso." We had the option to hike up Mount Aso itself, but it's an active volcano that spews out toxic gas, so we decided to play it safe with what looked liked a relatively easy, safe, and hopefully uncrowded excursion. We refilled our water bottles and loaded up on rice cakes and dried peaches at the little bank of gift shops and restaurants at the base of the trail, and set out on our journey.

Kishima-dake, which looked easy from here.

But then throw in 837 of these. (We counted.)

And one of these.

At one point I honestly didn't know if I could make it the rest of the way up the mountain. Caroline's pretty fit and active, but I'm not athletic in the least. Biking to and from school every day has done great things for my health, but going up this steep slope I thought I was going to collapse before we even reached the top. But then...

The signpost marking the peak of Kishima-dake, 1,321 meters up.

I had to sit and drink water and eat peaches and rice cakes for a while, but after a short rest I was ready to go exploring the edge of the crater. The view was amazing. Talk about the glory of Creation. This was a literal mountaintop experience.

The view that made it all worth it.

Mount Aso from the peak of Kishima-dake.

As we walked and marveled at the size of the crater we were circling, Caroline and I decided to commemorate our experience with a video. (The wind was pretty strong, so you can't hear half of what we're saying. I tried to caption it, but it kind of messed with the aspect ratio. Sorry.)

Greetings from the mountaintop!

After getting back down from the mountain, we were exhausted, so we took a leisurely late lunch before deciding to go to one more onsen in Akamizu, a couple of stations down the line from Aso. We got into Akamizu Station as the sun set, only to hear that the onsen was closed, and the next train would come forty-five minutes later. Defeated, we plopped into benches on the platform while I whipped out my phone for only the second time all weekend to research any other potential onsen in the area. Then suddenly I heard Caroline say, "Laura. Look up from your phone."

I was completely missing the beauty of that moment. So we didn't get to go to another onsen. We were still given the gift of a gorgeous sunset and great weather. And, as I realized when we boarded our train, I was really tired anyway.

Akamizu Station, site of our non-adventure.

It was an amazing couple of days. As we reflected on how much of a relief it was to get out of the urban environment of Kumamoto City, I was reminded of William Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey," a poem I've had to read several times for various classes in high school and college, where the poet talks about how his memories of the scenic Wye River Valley grant him tranquility "in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din / Of towns and cities":

While here I stand, not only with the sense
Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts
That in this moment there is life and food
For future years.

We've already got plans to go back and visit the parts of the city we never got to. But we have plenty of good memories to sustain us until then.

May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works—
he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
Psalm 104:31-32 (NIV)