In Part 1, Thomas boarded the sightseeing train “ASO BOY,” savoring local pudding, the train’s sounds, and even its speed, before arriving at Miyaji Station in Aso.
Now it’s finally time to set off on the Aso sightseeing tour.
Part ２ （Aso Sightseeing）
●Aso Shrine
A 15-20 minute walk (1.2 km) away from Miyaji Station is Aso Shrine.
Aso Shrine is considered to be one of the oldest shrines in Japan, and the Aso Family that are the hereditary chief priests of this shrine are said to have taken care of this shrine for over 2,000 years. The shrine was heavily damaged by the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake.
● Aso Station
After visiting Aso Shrine, I walked back to Miyaji station and took the train to Aso Station.
Aso Station is a manned station, and is a lot more livelier than Miyaji Station.
There is a michinoeki (roadside station) near Aso station with shopping opportunities.
At the very end of the trip, I took a bus (only runs on weekends, from Aso Station) to visit Daikanbo, which is a very famous observatory for viewing Mt. Aso. Unfortunately, while it was not possible to see Mt. Aso due to the clouds, the view was still breath-taking.
After a long day, I returned to Aso Station and waited for my train back to Kumamoto Station. During the wait, I visited the Usopp One Piece statue right in front of Aso station. The Author of this comic series, Oda Eiichiro is a native of Kumamoto City and donated money to support the recovery efforts of Kumamoto Prefecture, after the devastating 2016 Earthquake.
Kumamoto Prefecture constructed 10 statues across the prefecture in gratitude for his support.
Visiting all 10 statues may be an interesting way of traveling around the Kumamoto region!
Unfortunately I did not have enough time to visit Mt. Aso crater and I left for Hakata with some regret. (there is always next time)
Conclusion
Aso boy is a truly amazing experience and I hope anyone who plans to visit the Aso region, or even Beppu, considers taking the Aso Boy, regardless of season.
Unfortunately, if you plan on returning on the same day, there is not really enough time to see everything there is to see in the region.
Perhaps it would be better to stay one night at a ryokan, (there are many famous onsen resort towns in Aso) and then leave the following day.
Aso was a lot less crowded and it was enjoyable to visit without many crowds. Please come and visit in the off-season!
◆ Convenient day-trip bus tours to Aso are available here ◆
Departing from and arriving at Fukuoka
