natural wonder
Mount Aso Caldera
One of the world's largest volcanic calderas in Kyushu with an active smoking crater and vast green grasslands.
6 km · about 10 min drive
AsiaJapanKumamoto
Aso
Kumamoto, Japan · Asia
About Aso
Aso works well as a base: 20 minutes from Nakamatsu, 6km from Mount Aso Caldera.
Aso is in Kumamoto, Japan, with about 27,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Nakamatsu, about 12 km away.
Aso Station (阿蘇駅, Aso-eki) is a passenger railway station located in the city of Aso, Kumamoto, Japan. It Is operated by JR Kyushu.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Aso?
Within an hour or so of Aso: Mount Aso Caldera (6 km), Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine (12 km), Autopolis (14 km), Kurokawa Onsen (17 km).
Where is Aso?
Aso is in Kumamoto, Japan, about 12 km from Nakamatsu.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 27,039
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Japan
- Region
- Kumamoto
- Timezone
- Asia/Tokyo
- Coordinates
- 32.9373, 131.0801
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Japan
Japan Helpline (24h English assistance): 0570-000-911. An International Driving Permit (1949 convention) is required to drive.
Full driving guide for JapanTags
Worth the detour from Aso
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
photogenic
Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine
A moss-covered stone stairway of roughly 100 steps climbing through cedar forest to a shrine below a rock face pierced by a huge natural window. Reached by a short walk from a small car park in the Aso caldera.
12 km · about 20 min drive
racetrack
Autopolis
A hillside circuit on the island of Kyushu in Japan, known for dramatic elevation changes and hosting Super GT and Super Formula.
14 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Kurokawa Onsen
A hot-spring village in the Aso highlands that banned neon and concrete facades, so wooden inns and stone-walled riverside baths dominate. A single wooden pass grants entry to three open-air baths of your choice.
17 km · about 20 min drive
waterfall
Nabegataki Falls
A broad, low curtain of water falling from an overhanging ledge, allowing visitors to walk along a path behind the entire span of the fall. A short descent from the car park in northern Kumamoto.
23 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Tsuetate Onsen
A narrow ravine village straddling the Kumamoto–Oita border where steam vents rise between old wooden inns and footbridges. In spring hundreds of carp streamers are strung across the gorge.
28 km · about 30 min drive
natural wonder
Takachiho Gorge
A narrow chasm of columnar basalt cliffs cut by the Gokase River, with the Manai Falls dropping 17 m directly into the water. Rowing boats can be hired to reach the base of the falls.
33 km · about 40 min drive
natural wonder
Beppu Hells (Jigoku Meguri)
A collection of spectacular hot spring vents in Beppu producing steaming pools of vivid blue, red, and milky-white water.
56 km · about 65 min drive
Driving roads near Aso
- 63 kmAonodōmonA tunnel hand-cut through a cliff on the Yamakuni River, begun by the monk Zenkai in 1735 and reputedly dug over three decades to spare travellers a lethal chain path. Sections of the original chiselled bore survive alongside the road.
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