The village of Ubuyama, located on the outer rim of Mt. Aso, is a laid-back place. The outer rim area is made up of many alternating high hills and deep valleys, and once you enter a valley, it’s hard to tell where you are. There are countless water sources in these valleys. One of them,the Yamabuki Spring, has been selected as one of the 100 famous water sources in Kumamoto Prefecture, and gushes out 30 tons of water every minute. The way the green and autumn leaves of the trees are reflected on the clear water is beautiful.
yamabuki water source2
yamabuki water source1
yamabuki water source5
yamabuki water source4
yamabuki water source6
ubuyama village3 ohgi tanada (rice terrace)
Please note that navigation systems do not work this far, so you need to keep a close eye on the map. The terrain is so complex that it is difficult to know where you are once you enter the valley of the outer rim of the volcano. There are stacked fan-shaped rice terraces nearby, and you’ll want to take photos of the way they are filled with water before rice planting and the stars reflected in them at night.
ubuyama village4 cattle grazing
ubuyama village1 sobosan(grandmother mountain) and sea of clouds
ubuyama village2 aso mountains
ubuyama village5 cattle grazing
yamanami21 ranch near hotel
yamanami23 satoimo with a sticky texture
yamanami22 calf
There are also pastures everywhere. There were calves right in front of the Yamanami Inn, but I hope it wasn’t used as an ingredient in the barbecue at the inn last night. There is also a buffet with nearly 30 kinds of homemade pickles. I was impressed that even these things can be made into pickles. If you can’t finish rice, they will make it into rice balls for you to have as a midnight snack.
The entrance is located quite a way down the slope from the northern outer rim of Mt. Aso to the west. This gorge has an abundant amount of water and is deep, so the sun does not penetrate to the bottom of the gorge. That’s why the color of the pool is a deep blue and mysterious. The only time the light penetrates to the bottom of the gorge, illuminating the curtain of water vapor rising from the pool, is early in the morning in early summer, when the gorge is apparently occupied by many photographers.
kikuchi gorge3 reimei fall
kikuchi gorge2 kakefu fall
kikuchi gorge6
kikuchi gorge11
kikuchi gorge13
kikuchi gorge15 tree on the rock
kikuchi gorge18 hirokawara
kikuchi gorge21
kikuchi gorge22
kikuchi gorge7
It’s a two-hour circular course that goes up and down and doesn’t have many ups and downs, but for some reason it takes longer than that. Perhaps it’s because you’re bathed in negative ions and there are a series of spectacular waterfalls and pools.
There are several observation decks on the outer rim of Mt. Aso. The most representative of these is Daikanbo, which juts out slightly into the caldera basin from within the outer rim, and from there you can see the Aso mountain range directly ahead from due north. However, it takes a little time to get to the top of the observation deck, including the walking time, and the Aso Skyline Observatory solves this problem. The observation deck is right on the side of the road. It is on the way to Kikuchi Gorge.
aso viewpoint1 left
aso viewpoint2 kuju
aso viewpoint3 somma
aso viewpoint4
aso viewpoint5 nekodake
aso viewpoint6 kusasennri
aso viewpoint7 somma
aso viewpoint8 right
aso viewpoint9 nirvana statueaso viewpoint10 kuju mountains on somma
Detour (Lunch time)
Going back a little to Minamioguni Town, in a really small basin surrounded by mountains, there is an apple mint herb garden and a natural food restaurant called “Kaze no Mori (Forest with wind).” I love the plate with colorful vegetables, so I always stop by here. You can enjoy a leisurely lunch while looking at the farm. The assortment of various herbs is a great deal.
Hitoyoshi is my top 3 hardest places to get to. It’s located deep in Kumamoto Prefecture, but I noticed on the map that it’s surprisingly close to Kagoshima Airport.
hitoyoshi station garage
hitoyoshi station closed due to disaster
hitoyosshi kaname fall4 chestnut bento in front of fall
First, I went to Hitoyoshi Station from the airport and bought the famous chestnut bento (lunch box). Even the shape of the bento is chestnut. Before the flood, the old-fashioned ekiben vendors on the platform used to shout out their good-old cries. Now, I pass by the deserted station building and buy a bento at the bento shop next to the station building. With a bento in hand, I head to Kaname Falls (Ohdaki), a waterfall that tumbles vertically down a columnar jointed wall, and eat my lunch while being showered with the spray from the falls. Although the Medaki waterfall is nearby, it is impossible to get any closer due to the large stones and timber that were washed away by the flood. This shows the extent of the damage caused by the flood.
hitoyoshi kaname fall2suiranro1 flood water level
At the hotelwhere I’m staying tonight, there is a marking near the ceiling of the front desk showing the water level of the Kuma River when it overflowed. Apparently, the flood caused driftwood from nearby areas to flow into the Kuma River, where it became caught on railway bridges and other bridges, causing the muddy waters to overflow and wash away the entire town. Now, the Kuma River flows calmly and steadily in front of the hotel.
suiranro2
kuma river3
suiranro3 dinner
suiranro4
suiranro5
suiranro6
suiranro7 in memory of steam locomotive
suiranro8
suiranro9
suiranro11 sweetfishes
suiranro12 tempura
suiranro13
suiranro14
suiranro15
suiranro16
suiranro18
suiranro17
suiranro19
suiranro20 bonito flakes
suiranro21
Aoi Aso Shrine is a national treasure that has managed to survive under such circumstances, and it is definitely worth visiting. The shrine’s sanctuary is generally not open to the public, but an elderly man who seemed to be the chairman of the preservation society, who was watching over the restoration work around the shrine, invited me to see the sanctuary. There is a pamphlet with beautiful color prints, which is free of charge. What is amazing is the 400-year-old building, the thatched roofs of the tower gate and worship hall, the colorful decorations and colors of the Momoyama style, and the intricate plaster decorations of the inner sanctuary. It has an overwhelming presence.
aoiaso shrine15
aoiaso shrine1
aoiaso shrine2
aoiaso shrine4 hengaku
aoiaso shrine5 demon
aoiaso shrine11
aoiaso shrine12
aoiaso shrine6 inside
aoiaso shrine7 inside
aoiaso shrine8 inside
aoiaso shrine9 up and down dragons
aoiaso shrine10 protected by lions
Detour
eikoku temple5 ghost legend
During the Satsuma Rebellion, Takamori Saigo’s troops traveled around the country fighting the Meiji government forces, and here in Hitoyoshi, they had their headquarters at Eikokuji Temple. This place is also known as the Ghost Temple, and a hanging scroll of a ghost has survived the ravages of war without being burned. I found it interesting to read a piece about what one would say if someone came to take them from the afterlife. There are many other attractive temples and shrines remaining in the Hitoyoshi Basin. As the area has been ruled by the Sagara clan since the Kamakura period, it seems that many things of great historical value remain.
eikoku temple7 if someone comes to pick you up from the other world
eikoku temple1 saigo army headquqrter
eikoku temple2
eikoku temple3
eikoku temple4 ghost in the pond
eikoku temple6 cannonball
brewery3
Near Eikokuji Temple is Hitoyoshi Castle, famous for its cherry blossoms, and the famous rice shochu brewery Sengetsu, which you are welcome to come and sample the drinks. The shochu “Kawabe,” which can only be purchased locally, uses water from the clear Kawabe River, which flows into the Kuma River, but recently there has been talk of building a dam to prevent flooding, which worries me.
The view of the railway that goes around the mountains is itself a tourist destination. Jungfrau Railway on the European Alps is a typical example, but due to Hakone’s proximity to Tokyo, Hakone Tozan Railway is now overflowing with foreign tourists. In order to transfer at Hakone-Yumoto Station and secure a good seat on the Hakone Tozan Railway, the front car of the train from Odawara Station is as full as a commuter train. I had mixed feelings when I saw foreign tourists dashing onto the Hakone-Yumoto Station platform and being the first to secure seats on the left side for a better view.
loop and switchback4 left line to loop and right line for switchback
Now, on the Hakone Tozan Railway, you can experience three switchbacks, but here on the Hisatsu Line heading towards Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto Prefecture from Hayato in Kagoshima Prefecture, you can see two switchbacks and a loop at the same time around Okoba Station. It’s sad that railway transportation has not resumed as Hitoyoshi is currently recovering from the flood damage, but instead you can walk along the tracks at the site and get a feel for it. Furthermore, in February, white flowers of the nearby Hitoyoshi plum grove are beautiful, and in March, the cherry blossoms along the railroad tracks inside Okoba Station are also beautiful.
loop and switchback3 line of loop
loop and switchback5 line switching
hitoyoshi plum garden
In fact, the sacred place for railway fans is not here, but the landscape from the train window at “Yatake Goe”, which steeply climbs the inner wall of the Kakuto Caldera Somma, reaching the highest point on the line. However, railway fans naturally enjoy the switchbacks and a loop around Okoba Station as well. To get there by car, you need to go from the bottom of the caldera through the outer rim of the mountain, so the road is connected twice by loop bridges at the front and back.
loop and switchback1 okoba station
Now, regarding the station building of Okoba, there is an urban legend that if you put a business card on the wall, you will get promoted, and when I went there, I found business cards stuck all over the walls of the station building. Maybe you’ll find a business card of someone you know. Now, in preparation for the reopening of the railway, they have been completely removed, and I wonder where the removed business cards are. It is of great interest to know what happened to the career afterward of the person who inserted the business card.
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It became famous after it was used in the filming of several tea commercials on TV. It was created by erosion after the eruption of Mt. Aso 90,000 years ago. It’s fascinating to go behind the waterfall. However, people accumulate there, so if you take a photo of the waterfall from outside, people will appear behind the waterfall curtain like ghosts. It seems like admission is now restricted by advance reservations online.
You won’t be able to see the waterfall until you have descended quite a bit from the entrance, so you can see the sunlight shining into the basin of the waterfall, which is beautiful.
nabegataki waterfall with sun rays
It’s difficult to talk about the beauty of waterfalls. First of all, there is no taxonomy of waterfalls, so each person imagines a waterfall in a variety of ways. There are waterfalls that fall in a dynamic straight line, waterfalls with many tiered basins, waterfalls that cascade down the rock surface, and waterfalls that flow delicately and quietly as if pulling a thread, each with its own unique charm. Under such circumstances, I wonder whose permission they get to decide on the top 100 waterfalls. There are wonderful waterfalls all over Japan, so I hope you find your favorite one by yourself. Here I will introduce my favorites, Snoopy Falls and Nametsu Falls.
miroku waterfall like snoopy
nametsu big waterfall2
Detour
There is a restaurant near the waterfall that serves my favorite lunch. Last time I stopped by, I bought a bunch of herbal tea.
I was finally able to visit the core of Aso. Last time, I couldn’t see the whole thing in the rain clouds, but there was a swell of sticky lava, exposed bedrock towering as far as the eye could see, and it looked like there were cordons like construction sites all over the place.
aso crater1 with sticky lava
aso crater2 focus
aso crater6
aso crater7
When you look at it, you can feel that it is a volcano that is still active. The most recent eruption occurred in October 2016. Crater regulation information is updated daily, so if you don’t check it before you visit, you’ll be missing out even if the weather is nice.
Shiroyama view point on the edge of somma
aso caldera1 left
aso caldera2 center from shiroyama view point
aso caldera3 right
Aso approach
aso highway4 thin and aso left
aso highway5 thin and aso right
aso highway1
aso highway2 kuju
aso highway3 aso view
aso pasture1
aso komezuka
aso pasture3 bright thin
aso kuju mountains on somma
aso moutain
Aso crater and Kusasenri (The grass stretches for a thousand miles)
aso crater and kusasenri
Aso cattle are grazed on the mountain path along the way. If you approach them carelessly, their eyes will turn bright red and threaten you. I have seen bullfights, and when the fighting instinct comes to the fore, the bull’s eyes become bloodshot. I’m looking forward to tonight’s beef steak.
From the Amakusa Islands, Mount Unzen on the Shimabara Peninsula can be seen nearby, and many wild dolphins live here where the Ariake Sea exits into the East China Sea. In any case, as soon as we set out on our fishing boat, the dolphins started chasing us as if they were enjoying the competition. Several of them work together to blow the tide and pass under the bottom of the ship. It’s like a messenger of peace.
Although it is advertised as a sightseeing boat for viewing dolphins, the hull is essentially a fishing boat. The price includes lunch. I was wondering to myself what would happen if I ate it, got on board, and got seasick.
dolphin watching1 almost fisher boat
dolphin watching2
dolphin watching5
dolphin watching3
A detour
As you head north along the west coast of the island from Sakitsu Church, you will see “Myoken-ura”, a sea cliff shaped like an elephant, “Tits Rock”, which is difficult to take photos with women, and a lighthouse floating off the coast that looks like “the Statue of Liberty”. In Amakusa City, you can buy Amakusa pottery “Kohiki” that was introduced from Korea, and Gion Bridge, which is a stone bridge but has multiple girders lined up instead of arches, is a must-see.”
myokenura1
myokenura2 elephant
amakusa beach3 tits rock
amakusa beach4 statue of liberty
amakusa beach1
gionbashi1 amakusa
gionbashi3 the top
asanijigama2 gallery
Another detour
At the tip of the Misumi Peninsula, where the bridge to the Amakusa Islands crosses, there is a stone wharf called Misumi Nishi Port that remains from the Meiji period, and has been designated as a World Cultural Heritage Site. If you have time, it’s a place where you can relax.
The colonial policy hidden behind the sale of Christian missionary work and trade as a set terrified the Edo shogunate, and with the isolation of the country, Christians fell prey to the banning policy. Shortly after the establishment of the shogunate, there was a large-scale battle to suppress Christianity (the Shimabara Rebellion), and the victorious shogunate suffered heavy losses, and many Christian farmers in the region died or were dispersed. As a result, they were unable to harvest any crops at all. Even so, there were still many Christians remaining in Amakusa and Shimabara. It is said that 90% of the people in the town of Sakitsu were Christians, and since they all survived as they were, it seems that even if they were hidden Christians, it was an open secret.
sakitsu 15 suwa shrine hiding christians
sakitsu 13 fisherman’s workspace
sakitsu 13
The villagers who were accused of being Christians claimed to believe in a local deity inherited from their ancestors, while Shogunate officials, fearing a repeat of the Shimabara Rebellion that had endangered the Shogunate and the subsequent sharp decline in the agricultural population, denied the truth and did not disclose it publicly.
ohe-tenshudo
Perhaps it was wisdom that determined that the villagers had a “misunderstanding of the sect” (they did not believe in Christianity, but that he believed in the wrong religion without realizing it was a mistake) and did not certify them as Christians. I am impressed that there were officials with such good sense at that time. There are many churches in the Amakusa Islands. Many believers still maintain their faith.
Sakitsu downtown is a part of World Heritage “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region”, although not in the Nagasaki Region.
sakitsu 9 70% of population is hidden Christian
sakitsu 8 downtown
sakitsu church2
sakitsu church3
sakitsu church4
sakitsu church5 backside made of wood due to money short
sakitsu church6 altaar on the former place where to have hidden Christian step on a picture of Christ
sakitsu church7 Japanese style tatami inside
sakitsu 10 sweets shop
sakitsu 12 sweets
sakitsu 11 sweets
sakitsu 14
On the way to the Amakusa islands
Mt.Unzen on the way to Amakusa islands
You can reach the Amakusa Islands by crossing a number of beautiful bridges from the Misumi Peninsula. On the way, you can clearly see the Shimabara Peninsula and Mt. Unzen across the Ariake Sea. However, driving while looking away is prohibited.
go to amakusa islands1 yatsushiro sea
go to amakusa islands2
go to amakusa islands3
go to amakusa islands4
go to amakusa islands5
Cave hot spring inn Yurakutei (Yumigahama beach in Ohyano island)
Guests are welcomed by writing their names on the sake jar at the entrance of the inn. The owner has dug a cave by hand and you can enjoy hot springs inside it. Anyway, for dinner there will be more fish dishes caught in the Ariake Sea than you can finish.
Each arched stone bridge in Kumamoto prefecture exists in exquisite balance with the weight of the thousands of stones that make up it, and the shape is beautiful. It is said that there are approximately 320 existing stone bridges in Kumamoto, but why are there so many stone bridges in Kumamoto? Many factors seem to have contributed to this, including the presence of easy-to-work welded tuff formed by the Aso pyroclastic flow nearby, the presence of a technical group of masons, and the fact that people who learned Western techniques in Nagasaki moved there. There is also a story that the designer of stone bridge was even threatened with his life by other clans due to his high technical skills. This stone bridge is the result of a divine work. The steps involved creating an arch-shaped wooden frame according to the blueprint, fitting stones into it from above, and finally removing the wooden frame.
refer to kintai bridge
Around the same time, a huge wooden arch bridge was built in Iwakuni. This is Kintaikyo Bridge.
stone bridge tsujyunkyo1
stone bridge tsujyunkyo3 a little water
stone bridge tsujyunkyo behind “Anna and the Beast”
Anyway, the Midori River basin in southern Kumamoto Prefecture is full of stone bridges. Some are stone bridges for people to cross valleys, but many are also used to carry waterways to irrigate higher ground. A typical example is the Tsujun Bridge, but for some reason there is an object depicting “Beauty(Anna) and the Beast” in front of it. Let’s visit your favorite stone bridge. Depending on the time of day at Futamata bridge, light from the arch opening and light reflected on the river surface overlaps to form a heart shape.
stone bridge futamata
Furthermore, in order to distribute the precious water carried by stone bridges to the fields, it is necessary to distribute the water equally in proportion to the cultivated area. A mechanism for this purpose is a circular water diversion system, in which water rises from the center of the circle using a U-shaped pipe, spills into partitions set up along the circumference in proportion to the cultivated area, and is distributed in various directions. You can see places where this device is still in use today. You might read the same story at the travel note “Akita in winter”. Forthermore, there is one in the metropolitan area as well as in Mizonokuchi in Kawasaki City.
circular divertsion1 distributing water according to the rice field
circular diversion2 divided water flows above the river
A detour
Mizutama (Polka dots) cafe, a cafe tucked away on top of a mountain. A good place to relax and do nothing. Aso can also be seen in the distance.
polka dots cafe2
polka dots cafe3
polka dots cafe4
polka dots cafe in yamato
polka dots cafe5 lunch
polka dots cafe6 lunch
polka dots cafe7 cheese cake
polka dots cafe8 aso
polka dots cafe10
It’s difficult to get here. Don’t overlook the small landmarks at junctions on narrow roads. It seems that reservations are now required recently.
Another detour
Yuen railway octagon tunnel
At first glance it looks like an octagonal tunnel, but numerous so-called nut-like shapes are lined up along the cliff. Although it is the remains of a former railroad (Yuen railway), it seems to be a preventative measure against landslides. There seems to be a demonic realm ahead, but at the end of the tunnel is a tranquil landscape.
takachiho gorge changing directions of columnar joints
The last major eruption of Mt. Aso 90,000 years ago was so large that volcanic ash fell over the entire Japanese archipelago. That is why Aso still remains a beautiful caldera topography on that scale. Pyroclastic flows covered the ground near Mt. Aso, and columnar joints created by the contraction of rocks due to the heat can be seen everywhere. Takachiho Gorge, which is surprisingly close to Aso, has columnar joints that spread throughout the valley, and it is thought that it has been connected to mythology because it is a structure that does not seem to belong to this world.
takachiho canyon1 columnar joints
takachiho canyon2 3bridges
takachiho canyon3
takachiho canyon5 manai wate fall
When Japan was about to enter high economic growth, Takachiho Gorge, like the Nichinan Coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, was famous as a honeymoon destination. Here I would like to talk about the place named Takachiho, which has been a question for some time. Takachiho, as the Japanese character suggests, refers to rice cultivation in the highlands, but according to Japan’s oldest history book, the Kojiki, it also means the place where the gods descended to earth. This is the so-called “the descent to earth of the grandson of the sun goddess.” However, it seems that the question of whether the god descended first, Takachiho Gorge near Aso or Takachiho-mine (peak of mountain) in the Kirishima volcanic belt, is still unresolved. It’s originally a myth, so I guess it’s not one or the other. It’s just like Yamataikoku is undecided whether it’s Kinki or Kyushu (but the existance of this old imperial court is a historical fact). In any case, the magnificent scenery of nature will make you feel the presence of God. It may be the work of an old travel agency to attract tourists to Miyazaki Prefecture, which has inconvenient transportation (sorry).
However, as a real tourist destination, the sounds of rowing boats sailing through Takachiho Gorge and their collisions echoing within the canyon, which may be the voice of God grumbling. I wonder why young couples jump on rowboats right away. I am tempted to say that they should be satisfied with sailing at Chidorigafuchi or Shakujii Park in Tokyo.
Ama no Iwato Shrine: Riverbed of Ama no Yasukawara
ama no iwato shrine entrance
A famous myth that the older sister’s god (God of the Sun), angry at her younger brother’s violent behavior, closed the rock door and shut herself in a cave, causing the world to become pitch black, and the gods gathered together to deliberate in order to open the rock door. However, there is Ama no Iwato Shrine at the location of this rock door (you must apply for a prayer to see the rock door in front of you.), and Ama no Yasukawara Cave (this is free.) is located at the place where the council held the meeting. It’s natural that the authenticity is questionable, but first of all, even in the world of gods, the younger brother should apologize to the older sister, and the gods are the ones who cannot resolve such matters without deliberating. Furthermore, Takachiho is supposed to be the place where this sister’s grandchild landed on earth for the first time among the gods, but isn’t it strange that the rock door exists in this world?
amanoyasugawara1 meeting cave
amanoyasugawara3
amanoyasugawara4
amanoyasugawara5 salamander
When I was thinking about this, I couldn’t concentrate on sightseeing at all, and all I remember was the appearance of human faces on the surface of the trees on the left and right as I headed towards Ama no Iwato Shrine.
