Day Three (29 Oct 2008)
DAY THREE
Today was one of the high points of the trip. After bidding goodbye to our farm families, we departed Gokase for Mt Aso!
On the way to Mt Aso, we stopped over at the Shirakawa Riverhead. This Shinto shrine is famous for its crystal-clear spring water, which constantly bubbles up from the sand beneath a pool.
We each took turns filling our water bottles with some of the water. Despite having flowed over plants, rocks and soil, the water was very clear and pure to the taste, and had no visible impurities.
After our brief visit to the Shirakawa Riverhead, we continued our journey to the famed Mt Aso.
Some background information:
When we visited Mt Aso, we were exposed to very cold temperatures of around 6.5°C. We took a cable car ride up to the summit of Mt Naka, the highest point of Mt Aso, at 1592m above sea level. Here, the land is barren and rocky, compared to the lush green meadows at the volcano's base. This is due to the continuous stream of toxic sulphurous fumes being emitted from Mt Naka's crater.
Soon after, we returned to ground level and visited the Mt Aso Volcanic Museum, where we viewed presentations and exhibits detailing the various aspects of Mt Aso, from its formation to its uses and characteristics.
After another Japanese lunch at a nearby restaurant, we proceeded to Kumamoto Castle, a famed attraction of Kyushu. It is one of the few remaining castles from the ancient times, and is now a popular tourist destination.
Here, we learnt about the political history of Japan, including the rule of the bushi, or samurai class. We toured the various buildings of the castle complex, including the one remaining original building (the rest were reconstructed after the Japanese civil war in the 19th century, which destroyed them).
Close to evening, we departed for Kumamoto Port, where we took a short ferry ride over to Nagasaki. When we reached Nagasaki, we took a bus ride up to Unzen, where we stayed at another hot spring resort.
Today was one of the high points of the trip. After bidding goodbye to our farm families, we departed Gokase for Mt Aso!
On the way to Mt Aso, we stopped over at the Shirakawa Riverhead. This Shinto shrine is famous for its crystal-clear spring water, which constantly bubbles up from the sand beneath a pool.
We each took turns filling our water bottles with some of the water. Despite having flowed over plants, rocks and soil, the water was very clear and pure to the taste, and had no visible impurities.
After our brief visit to the Shirakawa Riverhead, we continued our journey to the famed Mt Aso.
Some background information:
Mt Aso is one of the most famous active volcanoes in Japan, and possesses
the largest volcanic caldera (crater) in the world, with a diameter of 24km and
a circumference of 126km. Mt Aso is theorized to have formed from 4 major
eruptions during the past 300,000 years. The magma flowed out of 5 main vents,
which eventually became the 5 main peaks comprising Mt Aso - Mt Neko, Mt Naka,
Mt Eboshi, Mt Kishima and Mt Taka, of which Mt Naka remains active.
The eruptions released such huge amounts of magma from the Earth, that an
"empty space" was formed beneath the surface, into which the ground collapsed,
creating the large caldera that Aso is famous for.
When we visited Mt Aso, we were exposed to very cold temperatures of around 6.5°C. We took a cable car ride up to the summit of Mt Naka, the highest point of Mt Aso, at 1592m above sea level. Here, the land is barren and rocky, compared to the lush green meadows at the volcano's base. This is due to the continuous stream of toxic sulphurous fumes being emitted from Mt Naka's crater.
Soon after, we returned to ground level and visited the Mt Aso Volcanic Museum, where we viewed presentations and exhibits detailing the various aspects of Mt Aso, from its formation to its uses and characteristics.
After another Japanese lunch at a nearby restaurant, we proceeded to Kumamoto Castle, a famed attraction of Kyushu. It is one of the few remaining castles from the ancient times, and is now a popular tourist destination.
Here, we learnt about the political history of Japan, including the rule of the bushi, or samurai class. We toured the various buildings of the castle complex, including the one remaining original building (the rest were reconstructed after the Japanese civil war in the 19th century, which destroyed them).
Close to evening, we departed for Kumamoto Port, where we took a short ferry ride over to Nagasaki. When we reached Nagasaki, we took a bus ride up to Unzen, where we stayed at another hot spring resort.
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