I didn’t really have much planned for Aso tbh. The only thing I knew was that it had amazing nature.

So I checked out, got myself some breakfast and hiked up to Hanaokayama Park. It offered a breathtaking view of Kumamoto. This wasn’t the only reason for me going though. According to kuya they had a Philippine Veterans Memorial as well. The buddhist stupa only added to it!

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At the train station I patiently waited for the train. I had it all planned out. And somehow I still managed to board the wrong train… (my excuse is the distracting awesomeness of the “Seven Stars in Kyushu” train)

Yeah, I realized about a station in, that the train wasn’t going in the direction that I had expected. So I got off at the next station. After a panicky wait I then made my way back to Kumamoto.

Of course I had to now inform my Airbnb host that I had foolishly taken the wrong train and would be therefor arriving later as well.

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After having boarded the correct train this time, I was in for another surprise about halfway up the mountain. The train suddenly drove backwards the way we came from. Turns out instead of snaking up the mountain it would kind of zig zag up instead.

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Having finally arrived in Aso I was greeted by a very sweet and lovely Japanese couple. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a warm and inviting welcome! They even had a sign with my name! 🤗

But first thing first. Take a picture with the Usopp statue, which was right next to the train station.

The next stop was the tourist information office. As I mentioned I hadn’t really a clue of what I was gonna do for the next two full days in the Aso region. So the suggestions by my host and the officer were really welcome.

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Despite the language barrier one could really see the care and effort they put into making their guests feel welcome and comfortable. They had already printed out bus time tables, piece of paper with all the important phrases such as: “What are your plans for dinner?” and so much more.

So on the way to the bnb we stopped by at a local bento shop where I was able to snag an amazing dinner!

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At the house I was greeted by an elderly cat and cute puppy.

As an additional surprise I was gifted an early Halloween present (sweets and German beer).

Overall a great first evening in Aso! ☺️