Travel Guide of Scenic Byway Kyushu

Q-❾ Aso･Kumamoto Scenic Roads
Cities of Aso and Kumamoto; Towns of Kikuyou, Ozu, Minamioguni, Oguni and Takamori; Villages ofUbuyama, MinamiAaso and Nishihara (Kumamoto Prefecture)---Aso Volcano and Caldera, Higo-

Kaido Road, and Kumamoto Castle Town－
As shown in the photo (5) on page 2, Aso Volcano is located in thecenter of Kyushu, and consist of world-famous large caldera,
scenic outer ring mountains, and five central volcanic hills. It is a
representive landscape of Kyushu, and is the largest resource ofthe Aso/Kumamoto Scenic Road.
Roughly speaking, this landscape area is divided into 3 blocks:
Ubuyama Village & Oguni Town, Aso Volcano Area, andKumamoto Castle Town.
In the Edo period, theBungo-kaido road linking
Kumamoto City and Oita
City was established, andthe total length was 124
km via Aso City andTakeda City. In its heyday,
there were seven lodging
towns along the road. Even
today, some of the villages
in the mountainious areaof Aso Kuju National Park remain their atmosphere, and theirheritage can be seen.
(Main Route). The main roads in this landscape area are Bungokaido Road, National Route 57 and Yamanami-Highway. Amongthem, Bungo-kaido is a historic road, but it is now converted to theNational Route 57. So, these new and old routes overlap or are
parallel in some sections.

(2) A cobble stone road in Ubuyam Village that remains as it was, and echinops setifer at Higotai-ParkCity
Kumamoto, Aso
Town Kikuyo,Ozu,Minamioguni,Oguni,TakamoriVillage Ubuyama,Minamiaso,NishiharaInterntional access traffic to Amakusa
from Tokyo(Haneda, Narita),Airport
Kumamoto
Chubu,Kansai, Naha
Kaohsiung, Incheon, Hong Kong
Railway High-speed
Kumamoto st.
Conventional Kumamoto st(JR Kagoshima main line)
Kumamoto~Aso(JR Houhi line)
Length of main route
about 76km
Further information Kumamoto international

N(Yufu)Matubara Dam
Shimouke Dam◎

Oogi Tanada(3)(3),(4),(5),(6)(5)Daikanbou

Daikanbo

28㎞

Ubuyama village

Tateno(Yamaga)

Mt.Aso18㎞(2)

Aso sky line 1２
Kikuchi Vallay◎ Ubuyama

Daikanbo⑷

Utinomaki

13km

Takimuro Slope
Sakanashi

MatoishUeki IC

Futae（Tateno)29km(1)Kumamoto Castle

Musashituka

Kumamoto◎
CastleAriake Sea Mt.Kinpo
Kumamoto

Jyojuen

Kometsuka

Avenueof cedarOzu◎◎

Bungo Kaido

KikuyoKumamoto IC(7)

New Port of Kumamoto

Stone road of pass
(Sakainomatsu slope,Benten slope)◎ Aso(4)Aso shrine
18km(3)Mt.Aso
20km(2)Minamiaso
7km

Kuju-Renzan

Kurokawa

Tel +81-96-359-1788 Fax +81-96-359-8520

16km

(1)

MinamiOguni ◎Convention and Toulism Beurau(6)Oguni town

(Kokonoe)

Oguni

Tateno◎298(Takeda)

Mt.Aso (5)NakaDakecraterKusasenrigahama◎

MinamiAso(6) Natinal Park Resort
Isshingyou Shirakawa ◎Nishihara
Takamori
water spring◎◎ Masuki
Masuki & Airport IC(Takatiho)
Pasture111

Prefectural Road

Bungo (Higo) Kaido (EzuKo Lake

Prefectural border

1337)

Entrance ofmain roads

Q-❾ Aso/Kumamoto RoadsYamanami Highway is the prefecturalroad 11 built as a tourist road in 1964, andFukuoka
part of it is a scenic route (blue thick line in
the figure). However, this area is adjacent toOita
the scenic route (Q-❽) of The "YamanamiSagaHighland Parkway". Because of this, many
travelers may follow their route back andAso Volcano
Nagasakiforth.
Kumamoto
When using public transportation, thereCurrent Crater in Nakadake of Aso
are highway buses and sightseeing buses
from Kumamoto City to Aso, or the Hōhi
NLine that connects Kumamoto and Aso.
Miyazaki(Access). The access point to theKagoshima"Aso/Kumamoto
ScenicRoute"
isKumamoto Airport. There are 6 courses
Note
Active volcano
between Kumamoto Airport and major
Prefectural Capitaldomestic airports, with a flight to Amakusa
Border between prefectures
Airport. In addition, there are three
Aso Volcano located in the central part ofKyushu Main Island.
international routes to Kaohsiung, Incheon
Rural landscape spreading to the caldera and 5 volcanos in the Central crater hill.
and Hong Kong.
(5) Aso Volcano in the Aso area of Kumamoto Prefecture.
On the other hand, Kumamoto Station is
located in Kumamoto City, and it takesb) Bungo-Kaido Road.
about one hour to Hakata Station, Fukuoka
In the 17th century, the Bungo
Airport or Kagoshima Chuo Station.
kaido from Kumamoto to Oita was
Kumamoto Station is connected not only toconstructed for “Sankinkotai”,
the Kyushu Shinkansen, but also to thewhich was a working system of theKagoshima Main Line, Hōhi Line, andDaimyo to go to Edo every otherMisumi Line, and high-speed buses and longyear. Therefore, the lord of thedistance buses. Given these facts, Fukuoka
Kumamot clan and his servants
Airport and Kumamoto Station are also
walked along the Bungo-kaido,
access points to this scenic route.
then moved by boat from Oita to(Regional Resources). The main resources ofOsaka Port, and walked along thethe scenic route area are Aso Volcano,(1) Kurokawa Spa which is one of the mostTokaido again.
popular nationwide. (Minami Oguni Town).
historical sites on Higo-Kaido Road, andBungo-kaido of 124 km had
Kumamoto Castle Town.
many post-inn towns such as Otsu and Uchinomaki. Trees werea) Aso Volcano.
also planted every 4 km to mark distance. The biggest obstacle ofThe caldera diameter of Aso volcano is 18 km east-west, 25 km
the Bungo-kaido is the steep slope of mountains in the outer ring.
south-north, and outer ring length 128 km. The volcanic crater
When it rained, the road surface became muddy with volcanic ash,zone consists of four massive eruptions dating from 47,000 toand made difficult to walk. Because of it, some ridge and steep
40,000 years ago, with pyroclastic flow deposits spreading outsideslope were paved with stone.
the ring area.
Walking along the cobbled Bungo Kaido, you’ll find stone
The volcano in the center of the caldera consists of fivebridges, drainage channel, or old shrine, which will remind past
mountains lined up almost linearly from east to west, with antowns and villages (see photos (2) and (4)).
altitude of 1000-1600m. Volcanic smoke is rising from thec)Kumamoto Castle and its Town.
Nakadake crater. These volcanic areas are registered as “Aso /If you look closely at the outer ring of the caldera, you can see
Kuju National Park”, and “Global Geopark”.
that the outer ring is missing in theTateno area (west side), and theShirakawa River flows from theouter ring toward the Ariake Sea.
Taking advantage of this terrain,
National Route 57 runs along theShirakawaandcontinues toKumamoto Castle in Kumamoto City.
After passing Oozu-cho Town on theway, it is divided into a bypass andPrefectural Road 377, the lattertaking over the old road.
The left bank of Shirakawa River is(7) Urban Area of Kumamoto City and Kumamoto Castle
flat and the right bank is hilly.
2(3) “Daikanbo” in Outer Rim (Mount for observatory, 936m in altitude)(4) Stone Road at Futae Peak on Bungo Kaido(4) Aso Jinja Shrine and the Parade of Shinto Ritual. (Aso City, Kumamoto).

(4) Trace of Matoishi’s tea house(6) Shirakawa’s water springVolcano, so you can enjoy a slow drive and trekking under thewind of the plateau.
The main attractions include an old cobblestone road a little far
from the Bungo-kaido road, a spectacular view from the concretearch bridge (Higotai Bridge, 200m long) above a dam lake, and atruss bridge with wooden roof. At the end of summer, a rare ballshaped flower designated as a village flower is in full bloom (seePhoto (2)). Besides, you can eat delicious river fish dishes called as
Yamame (brook trout).

Therefore, Kumamoto Castle was built on the hill on the rightbank. The old castle was built in the Middle Ages but was replaced
by a large castle in the 17th century.
In particular, Kato Kiyomasa, the first castle lord in the Edoperiod, was a warlord who experienced many wars during theWarring States period. For this reason, Kumamoto Castle wasbuilt with special attention to defense. There were manyinnovations, such as high arched stone walls, intricate alleys, keyshaped intersections, plazas for gathering soldiers, and thearrangements of temples. In fact, the Satsuma Rebellion (War ofWest & South) at the end of 19th century failed to occupy thecastle, despite the many buildings burning. It is seen that theentire town of Kumamoto was a fortified city.

(3) & (4) Zone of Aso Shrine, and Daikanbo on outer rim.
After returning to National Route 57 from Ubuyama Village,and getting off the altitude difference of 200m, you will arrive atthe steep slope of Takimuro-zaka on the Bungo-kaido. Then you
can find the Sakanashi’s post-inn town and Hyuga Kaido. Manypeople and things went in and out, and many shops lined up. If
visiting there, you can see old buildings, stone bridges, as well as
the townscape at that time.
In the center of Aso City, there is Aso Shrine related to the Asoclan who ruled the Aso area in the Middle ages. Aso Shrine is theheadquarter of 450 branch shrines, and the famous fire festival(national intangible folk cultural asset) is held in every February
to pray for a good harvest. A few kilometers west of the shrine on
National Route 57, you will find the roadside station “Aso” and theAso Station of JR Hohi Line. They are relay points for climbing
Aso Volcano, where many tourists visit.
From Aso Shrine, passing through Uchinomaki Spa andclimbing the north side of the outer ring, you will reach Daikanbo
Observatory. From there, you can see a panorama of the huge
caldera and Go-gaku (five volcanos). In order to pass through thepastureland, the sections of prefectural roads No.45, 12, and 339
are called the milk road, but they go around the outer ring ofcaldera.
On the other hand, there is Prefectural Road 149 at the foot of
the outer ring from Uchimaki Onsen to Akamizu. There is the old“Matoishi Ochaya” for the daimyo, which was the Daimyo rest

(1) Healing area of Oguni & Minami-Oguni
The Oguni & Minami-Oguni area, a healing place surroundedby lush forests, is the source of the Chikugo River, the largest riverin Kyushu. If going to Oguni Town along National Route 442 and387, you can heal your body in the rustic hot springs here andthere.
There are two dams in this area, Shimouke Dam andMatsubara Dam, but there have been strong opposition from localpeople for a long time during the construction. As a result, it has
had a major impact on the way we guarantee the development ofJapan's social capital and environmental considerations.
On the north side of Aso Volcano, Minami-Oguni Town extends
to the outer rim and is full of highland vegetables, livestock andforestry. Also, there are Japanese-style of hot springs such as
Kurokawa Onsen along the stream, and Senomoto Kogen Plateau,at an altitude of about 900m is a vast highland on the Kuju
mountain range with the autumn leaves and the ears of Susuki(Japanese pampas).
(2) Ubuyama VillageUbuyama Village is a typical mountain village sandwiched
between the Yamanami-highway and Bungo-kaido Road. Thevillage extends to the rich natural plateau on the outer rim of Aso
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(5) Senrigahama Prairie of old Crater.

(7) Ozu Kaido (Kikuchi City).

Kiyomasa Kato who built
Musashi Miyamoto of skilled
Soseki Natsume of the great
Kumamoto castle (1562~1611)
swordsman (1584~1645)
novelist (1816~1916).
(7) Three greats who made nationally famous Kumamoto.

house.Then, when you climb the outer ring, you will arrive at theFutae Pass and join the Milk Road.

(7) Suizenji Park of Japanese style (Kumamoto City).

(7) “Reigan” Cave that Miyamoto Musashi wrote theGorinnosho (Military Manual for Kendo))

In Kumamoto Castle Town, three famous great persons
appeared from the Edo period to the Meiji period. Everyone is
known nationwide, but one of them is Kato Kiyomasa, who was
the first castle owner in the Edo period. Kumamoto Castle wasbuilt with his skill, and various social infrastructure such as river
renovation in the Kumamoto area, improvement of the Bungokaido road, andreclaimed land were established.
The most famous swordsmen in Japan is Musashi Miyamoto,who was invited to Kumamoto by Hosokawa’s Clan after a duel
on Ganryu-jima Island in Shimonoseki City (1612), and spent therest of his life there. He stayed in the Reigan cave and wrote “TheBook of Five Rings” (1643-45) to teach his swordsmanship.
Another great person is Soseki Natsume. He came toKumamoto as a professor at Fifth High School (presentKumamoto University). Soseki spent several years in Kumamoto,and traveled to various parts of Fukuoka and Kumamoto. Basedon that experience, he has created many Haiku (Japanese style ofPoem). After that, he turned into a writer and worked on
numerous masterpieces such as “ Kusamakura” (The ThreeCornered World), “Botchan” (young son), and “Wagahai ha Nekodearu” (I am a Cat). English versions of these books are also
published.
The landscape resources of this area are provited by thefootprints of three great men. For example, we recommend
Kumamoto Castle, Musashizuka Park, Reigan Cave related toMusashi, and a hiking courses with works of Soseki', but
Kumamoto Castle is the most representative. Kumamoto Castle
is a historic building, and it is highly valued not only for its
protection, but also for its ability to withstand a huge earthquake
in 2016 (Maximum seismic intensity 7).

(5) Area of Aso Volcano.
Aso consists of five volcanoes. As shown in the photo, steam isejected from the crater in the western part of Nakadake Mountbut it sometimes causes a large explosion.
As shown on the map, prefectural roads 111 and 292 from thenational route to the crater are available, and the crater has three
approach roads and bus services. Alternatively, you can enjoy
charming views of the ancient crater meadow and scoria hill
(Komezuka) in the surrounding area.
(6) Region of Minami-Aso Village and Takamori Town.
This area is along the outer edge of the caldera on the south sideof Mount Aso. You can also go to Minami-Aso Village andTakamori Town on National Routes 57 and 325.
The main attractions in this area are its clean fountains,trekking on the outer ring of the caldera, and wonderful views ofAso Volcano. In particular, the water source of the Shirakawa
River is one of 100 well-selected waters in Japan, and the nearby
fountain park was realized by the suspension of construction of arailway tunnel with a large amount of spring water. With 32 tonsof spring water per minute, the unique park is based on it.
In addition, the magnificent morning mist flowing through thebottom of the caldera will be an unforgettable memory for allvisitors.
(7) Kumamoto Castle and its town.
The main route from Mt. Aso to Kumamoto Castle Town is theold route of National Route 57, and the section between Futae
Pass and Otsu Town was called Otsu Kaido. In the Edo period,
cedar trees were planted along roads, cobblestone paths werecreated, and trees were planted to show the distance.

Publishing and Copy right：Promotion Conference of Kyushu
Scenic Byways ○C (Copy right 2020. All rights reserved).

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