Western Japan

Simply the most stunning place I've ever seen in Japan, Mt. Aso is a spectacularly active volcano, located in the middle of the world's largest caldera. You can actually drive right to the summit and stare down into the guts of the earth. On a clear day, the lava is visible, but more often thatn not, clouds of stinking, poisonous gas belch up from the crater, thus producing a landscape entirely devoid of vegetation. There is also a ropeway to the top for those without wheels. The nearest station is JR Aso on the Hohi line. If wild scenery is your thing, you won't be disappointed. This area is also littered with hot springs.

There is a old saying that tells you if you stamp your foot down hard on the ground in Beppu, it will go straight through and come back out boiled. A slight exaggeration, methinks, but it certainly is a very unstable part of the world, seismically speaking. The chief attraction here is "the seven hells of Beppu", a collection of very unusual and different springs that pop up here and there. One is a boiling mud pool, another is a lake of brilliant blood-red water, another is bright green, and one is home to a family of crocodiles. About 4 are worth visiting, although they are a bit spread out across the (rather touristy) town. Still, interesting if you haven't seen something like this before.

Home of the abysmal Hawks baseball team, but the stadium itself is something of a tourist attraction. A 55,000 seat dome, with a retractable roof, it boasts the worlds longest bar. 195m of it. It runs the whole length of the outfield, above the seats, and contains eateries, drinkeries and a huge video game centre. Very cool indeed. Pity the team are such a bunch of losers.

Although relatively unheard of, this lump of rock is actually the highest mountain in Western Japan, standing a proud 1982m (6500ft) above the Seto Inland Sea. It's ideal for people (like me) who want get up high, but would prefer to do as little of it as possible under their own steam. A cable car whisks you up to 1300m before you can say "Aren't those rain clouds?" From there it's a fairly gentle slog up to the summit, with only a few places that will make you regret coming. For the (fool) hardy, there are some chains up which you can haul yourself that reduce the distance, but not the time or energy consumed, of your climb. At the top there is a pretty decent lodge at which you can stay. We did the usual, meaning that we lugged the tents, mats, sleeping bags etc. all the way up, only for the heavens to open, rendering camping a distinctly unpleasant proposition. However, for 20 glorious minutes in the evening, the clouds thinned and we were treated to a truly spectacular panorama. Standing above the clouds, with only the peaks of the highest mountains visible, it made the whole trip worthwhile. Then after 10 hours of disturbed sleep, we trudged back down the mountain in constant rain the next morning, with only one thought in our minds: Ishizuchi onsen, the little hot spring resort at the bottom.

In my opinion, as pleasant and appealing a city as any in Japan. Its southern location means that winters are mild, and nearby you have the natural wonders of Sakurajima and Ibusuki hot springs. Numerous cool restaurants and beer halls abound in the entertainment area, and the city just has a really easy going feel to it. Very bad place for asthmatics, though.

Famous and challenging shrine located on Shikoku, a few minutes from Zentsuji Temple. To reach the main hall of the shrine, you have to endure a 785 step climb up the side of Mt. Kompira. If you do this in the summer, buy your drinks at the bottom, as the cost is directly proportional to height attained. Once at the top, the view (on a clear day) is splendid and worth the effort expended in getting up there. Half way up there is a small rest area with stables and a few emaciated retired race-horses. I guess they couldn't make it to the top.

I recommend Miyazaki as I would Aomori. On the whole, the cities of Kyushu are extremely lively, enjoyable places, but Miyazaki seems to be the black sheep of the family. I can't quite figure out why. It lacks the size of Fukuoka, and the atmosphere-inducing trams of Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Kagoshima. It's not a nasty place, just rather dull.

Large, constantly active volcano, which dominates the skyline of Kagoshima city. The volcano used to be an island in Kagoshima Bay, but in its last major eruption, it threw up several trillion tons of lava, enough to join itself to the mainland. Unlike Mt. Aso, you can't get to the summit, but even from half way up, the constant clouds of smoke and ash are a sobering sight. There can be very few (living) asthmatics in Kagoshima.

Quite a place, this. A narrow, 550 feet high gorge down which hurtles the River Gokase. The drop is spanned by Eastern Asia's highest road and rail bridges, and it's hard not to emit an involuntary "Jeeeesus" as you drive over. Yep, it's a long way down. The river itself is a beautiful, clear emerald green, prompting myself and 2 foolish friends to take an early May dip. Probably the closest I've yet come to a heart seizure. A beautiful place for sure, but it's hard to appreciate when all your vital organs have temporarily gone on strike. What's more, Takachiho is barely an hour's drive from the awesome Mt. Aso.

Very famous road, linking Yufuin and Mt. Aso. In a remarkable act of generosity recently, the authorities changed the highway from a toll road to a free one. Driving the length can take you only a couple of hours, but it's much more fun to take your time and stop off at one or more of the numerous hot springs in this area. The scenery is as lovely as anywhere in Japan, and this twisty road remains a favourite for motorcycle groups (gangs?) from all over the country.

Large, old and very famous temple located close to the "Seto Ohashi" bridge linking Honshu with the Island of Shikoku. The birthplace of Kobo Daishi (a.k.a. Kukai) many moons ago, the actual spot where the great man was born is considered so holy that no human is allowed to set foot on it. Instead, visitors can burrow their way under the relevant spot by feeling their way along a pitch black tunnel until they arrive at a small altar directly below the relevant point. It is a bit spooky, made worse by a mad old woman who would spontaneously burst into screams from time to time. Something was clearly on her mind. We left. An interesting experience, though, and also only a few minutes drive from Kotohira Shrine.