Japan 2010 » 7-Mt. Aso

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The crew of the Trans-Kyushu Express is getting ready.	Always travelling in a relaxed style.	The tracks are leading nowhere in this station.	So the train is put into reverse and we're backing up to next switchback.
Short photo stop on the bus to Mt. Aso.	Mt. Aso and the volcanic museum in the foreground.	This is the bus taking us to the volcano.	You can buy humongous sulphur rocks as souvenirs.
Typical tourist photo with Mt. Aso.	I wouldn't have expected to find German beer at the small store at the ropeway to Mt. Aso.	Riding up the ropeway to the crater.	Hah, at least one doesn't care about the "no smoking" sign.
The rain water from the previous days is slowly vaporized.	This lava contains a lot of gases, as can be seen by the bubble structure of the lava rock.	Impressive moon like landscape at the crater rim.	And the colors change with every viewing direction.
With my hurting knee this was already a long hike for me for today.	An even better view of the crater.	And now a few details of rock formations.	The dark rock wall looks like a row of teeth on the left.
In case Mt. Aso erupts suddenly, there are concrete shelters everywhere.	More colored rock formations.	This is how I imagine the moon surface to looke like (without sign and walkway of course).	Aerial photograph of the different summits of Mt. Aso.
While the ropeway brings up more tourists, a mechanic is checking the function of the rope and wheels.	All Mt. Aso summits by name.	These signs are posted in several places so that you never forget that you are in a dangerous area.	Waiting for the downwards ropeway.
On the way down again.	There's a lot of construction happening at Aso station.	And again we find those nice barries, this time as monkeys.	A japanese rest area with a market for local products.
We also have our lunch here.	Returning to Aso Station from Kurokawa on the next day.	The look of the Mt. Aso mountain range resulted in its nick name "Sleeping Buddha".	Hah, the travel agency in Aso has an advertisement for trips to Germany.
A railway station sign in old design.	There's not happening very much during the day in Aso.

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