Hello to everybody reading this. This week I used the break we are having from classes to take a day trip to a nearby town called Kumamoto, which sits beneath the famous volcano of Mount Aso. Being March, the weather was still cold at times and the trees were still asleep, yet I wanted nothing more than to see this beautiful volcanic range with my own eyes. I took a train at 8 am to the nearby city of Fukuoka, where I hopped highway buses and local train lines until I was at the base of a large upward sloping valley. I got onto a tour bus with only one other passenger. The bus clanks into gear, veering us forward. We go up, past a lodge, over a bridge, winding through stubby forests, meandering along sharp curves. The peaks ahead grow closer, and all around us I see yellow grass as far as I can see. The shadows take on a smoky-grey look and the light becomes orange, we are close to a volcano. Through a gap in the huge hills, I see a massive plume of white smoke where my destination lies.
We were dropped off at the museum of Mt Aso and I used the 3 hours I had to go to a nearby mountain, and explore the grassland area where people were already gathered to see the wild horses and the other active volcano, Nakadake, in the background. I had a great time, and though I loved seeing a real volcano in person for the first time, I remember most of all the huge rolling grassy hills.
