Mt. Aso

Last weekend I took a trip out to Kumamoto prefecture.　Among other things, Kumamoto is known for it’s beef and dairy products, as there are many cows, basashi (or horse sashimi), and Mt. Aso, one of the largest active volcanic craters in the world. It should go without saying that basashi wasn’t my main reason for going (having Festus in mind), but it didn’t stop me from trying it. In my opinion, there was little difference between it and fish sashimi. It had a slightly different flavor, but the texture was more or less the same. I would assume raw beef would taste similarly. I think I would enjoy a seared basashi better. I’m glad I tried it, but I’m not about to think about eating it every time I see a horse, unlike one of my junior high students that blurted out ‘おいしいそう‘ (looks yummy) when I showed the class a picture of Festus.

At the same restaurant we ate basashi, we had some of the most delicious beef I have ever had. Among the five of us we tried the 3 different beef options they had: yakiniku (grilled), hamburger (Japanese kind, the meat patty comes on a hot plate covered in sauce), and steak (also slightly different, served on a hot plate cut into little pieces). It was all so delicious! I couldn’t believe how good it was.

But of course the main attraction was the volcano! While I really wanted to see a boiling vat of red lava, I had to settle for the still very cool lake of light green aqueous sulfur. It was awesome. The first day we weren’t able to ascend to the crater lip because of the high concentration of noxious fumes, but the second day we saw it. Sure enough, it smelled like sulfur and was pretty powerful. Right as we were about to leave, they started kicking people out because of the fumes. Near the lake there was also this vast plain that pretty much looked like Mars. It was covered in ash/black sand and some rocks scattered here and there. Although there wasn't lava, I’m satisfied with Mt. Aso.