Mount Aso: Kusasenri

Mount Aso sits inside one of the largest calderas in the world, and Kusasenri is the most accessible part of it: a broad, grass-covered plain at the foot of Mount Eboshi, centred on two shallow ponds left by an ancient crater. Horses graze here for much of the year, and the Aso Volcano Museum stands at the edge of the grassland. Nakadake, the still-active crater a short drive further in, is currently closed to visitors, so this entry focuses on what is genuinely open: the grassland loop and the approach to Nakadake’s lower slopes.

Highlights

• A grass-covered caldera floor with two crater-lake ponds
• Grazing horses against a backdrop of smoking vents further in
• The Aso Volcano Museum on the grassland’s edge
• The Sunasenri-ga-hama approach toward Nakadake’s lower flank

Getting there

Kusasenri is about a 30 minute drive or bus ride from Aso Station, on the road up toward the Aso Sanjo area. Buses run from Aso Station in the hiking season; a car gives more flexibility given the area’s size.

What to bring

• Sun protection; the grassland has almost no shade
• A camera for the ponds and the smoking backdrop
• Cash for the car park and the volcano museum
• A check of aso.ne.jp/~volcano/eng/ on your phone before setting out