After being closed for more than one year due to an increased volcanic activity, visits to the crater of one of the most active volcanoes in Japan will restart tomorrow on the 1st of September at 10 am. I will try to go there myself and bring back some pictures for a future blog entry.
Note that the hiking trail to the Takadake (the highest point of Mount Aso) will stay closed for now. The trail itself is still under safety inspection so we can just hope we will have good news on that matter soon.
Also note that the lake inside the crater disappeared with the heat caused by the volcanic activity. We will have to wait before we can enjoy that beautiful view again.
Finally, the crater can be closed temporary if the emissions of volcanic gas are too high. You can refer to the following website to check the situation: http://www.aso.ne.jp/~volcano/
With the reopening of the JR train line at the beginning of last month, this is another very good news for Aso. And soon we can expect the reopening of the national road 57 and the opening of the Futae tunnel, both planned for October. See you soon in Aso!
Franck.
