Beth Matuska - Off Limits

Off-Limits: Aso

A Tiny Photo Tour

Beth Matuska

2017 Beth Matuska

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For my wonderful students; I miss you!

Foreword

If you have never heard of Mt. Aso, it is a major volcano in Japan, located on the island of Kyushu. One might discount it as being of less interest than, say, Mt. Fuji. After all, it is a symbol of Japan. However, one important point about Mt. Aso to take into consideration is the fact that it is now forbidden to go there. You can get somewhat close, but the main vent area is closed to the public.

What happened to cut off access? Well, in April of 2016, a major earthquake hit the nearby city of Kumamoto, the first of many. Later that year, in October, the volcano itself erupted, leading to a level 5 safety alert being instituted. The volcano, once a unique place to observe a geological wonder up close, was now closed.

At this time, the volcano has not been reopened to the public, with a 1 km area around the crater being off-limits due to safety concerns. The ropeway, which once took tourists up to the vent itself, remains closed. Despite all this, the area itself is quite beautiful, with a unique history and many outdoor activities to experience. The volcano known to visitors as Mt. Aso is actually one crater, Nakadake, out of a series of five peaks, which together make up Mt. Aso. For convenience' sake, I will be referring to the main peak as Aso, and referring to the others by name whenever possible.

Though the volcano may be closed now, I had the amazing opportunity to tour the area and take the ropeway up to the vent during my New Year's vacation, a few short years before the quake. I'd like to share a glimpse of a place now forbidden. Hopefully someday it will reopen and you will be able to experience it for yourself. Until then, please enjoy this tiny photo tour of Mt. Aso.

Getting There

Traveling to Mt. Aso in midwinter, everything was dusted with a layer of snow. Though the rest of Kyushu was warm and sunny, the mountains seemed to gather all the clouds in. As I am not comfortable with driving on the left, I was restricted to public transportation. The bus was quite convenient and freed me up to watch the scenery along the way. Unlike parts of Honshu, the landscape was quite open and undeveloped.

Off in the distance, you can see a few patches of houses and clumps of trees.

The volcano dominates everything. One smaller cone pokes out of the grasslands. The fields, brown from winter, stretch off into the distance, made extremely fertile due to the volcanic soil.

All throughout the area, fields stand bare in the winter. The sky is filled with clouds, just waiting to release their burden of snow on the plain below.

Higher up in elevation, this pond stands frozen, surrounded by for and smoke. The gas warnings for this day were high, potentially dangerous for those with breathing problems. This is relatively close to the ropeway station.

Across the plains of rough brush, the peaks disappear into the fog and smoke. The area was largely desolate in winter, but with small groups of tourists, eager to get a closer look into the volcano.

The Ropeway and the Crater

Once at the terminal bus station, access to the main vent was fairly simple and easy. The two options were: hiking or taking the ropeway. Although the ropeway was somewhat expensive, hiking posed health risks due to the volcanic gas, which, combined with the fog, made hiking a less-than-optimal choice. Fortunately, all signs at the ropeway station were in English as well as Japanese, and made the danger zones clear. Staff were clearly concerned about the well-being of the visitors.

Inside, this lighted map showed the restricted areas and viewpoints. On this particular occasion, viewpoints B1 and D were closed due to dangerously high levels of sulfur dioxide gas. Only the cable car station C and viewpoint B2 were open.

To strongly emphasize the need for caution, multiple warning signs were posted around the lower station. The dangers of the gas were no joke, and were taken very seriously.

A third sign warned people with asthma plainly not to go. Just in case the other signs had not emphasized the seriousness of the warning enough, this was the final warning.

Here, an empty ropeway car waits in the lower station for the next departure. Big enough to fit a dozen people, the windows all around offered a clear view of the area as the car made its way up to the vent. Cars departed every fifteen minutes.

Outside the lower station, a small group of buildings with traditional style roofs huddled close together.

Starting up the mountain, the ropeway passed above a rocky landscape into the gray mist ahead.

Further up the slope, a small bridge crossed over a gap in the boulders, with a path stretching off into the distance. When the crater was open to visitors, adventurous hikers could climb the volcano at their own risk.

Ahead, a ropeway car returning to the base appeared out of the mist.

At the top, the final station poked through the mist, the cables vanishing inside and looping around for the return trips. The smoke made it difficult to make out the details of the building until close.