Local Guide
6 Sightseeing and Experience Spots in Aso Area to Enjoy Even on a Rainy Day

The Aso/Kujyu area boasts one of the world's largest calderas, and its natural beauty is a source of great fascination. When the weather is fine, you can enjoy the magnificent outer rim of the mountains, grasslands, and the powerful Aso Gogaku (Five Aso Mountains). But even if the weather is unfavorable, there are plenty of places to experience the charms of Aso. So, here are some spots and workshops that can be enjoyed even on rainy, hot, or cold days. Regardless of the weather, these are all spots where you can enjoy the bounty of nature that Aso is proud of with all your body.

Adults and children alike will enjoy getting fit at the all-weather Exercise Property.

The
The "Infant Challenge Property" is a Property exclusively for children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years old. There are about 40 types of equipment to stimulate children's five senses.

A health promotion park supervised by health experts. The park offers a wide range of attractions, lunches, and spas in an area of about 1,000,000 m2 spread out in the great nature of Minami Aso Village.
Three all-weather Exercise Properties allow you to move your body to the fullest even on rainy, hot, or cold days. The "Genki Challenge Pavilion," where visitors use their minds and bodies to clear giant mazes and obstacles, the "Infant Challenge Pavilion," where babies and toddlers can enjoy building a foundation of exercise and physical fitness while playing with playful exercise equipment, and the "Physical Age Measurement Pavilion," where visitors can enjoy themselves like playing a game, allow adults and children alike to enjoy building their health while having fun! After a refreshing workout, you can relax and enjoy the beauty of the nature.

A Full Lineup of Properties that Heal from Deep Inside the Body and Soul

The
The "Dome Reduced Bath" allows visitors to enjoy a ceramic bath or a jewelry bath in a dome filled with negative ions and healed by the natural stones.

After refreshing yourself with exercise, you can go to the Property where you can feel healing. There is a "Dome Kangen Bath," where you can experience health hot bath therapy using an antioxidant reduction dome to warm and relax your body from the core, the "Magma Clay Spa," where you can experience a self-spa with a mineral-rich mud pack and mud bath, and the "Oxygen Dome," where you can relax in highly-concentrated oxygen.
In addition, visitors can enjoy lunch at the "Oaso Restaurant," a healthy buffet supervised by a registered dietitian that clearly specifies nutrients and calories. Let's enjoy building your health from the bottom of your body and mind in the great nature of Aso.

Local Guide Comment
The "Aso Milk Farm" on the premises has a large selection of world cheeses and Aso souvenirs, including homemade sweets such as "1592 (Higokuni) thick fresh cheese cake" using ASOMILK and cookies with Kumamon printed on them!
Aso Genki no Mori (Aso Farmland)
  • Address 5579-3 Kawayo, Minamiaso-mura, Aso-gun, Kumamoto MAP
  • Direction Approximately 40 minutes by car from Aso Kumamoto Airport
  • Hours of Operation 9:00-17:00 *Vary according to Property and day of the week
  • Closed None
  • Admission fee Free admission
    ［Genki Challenge Pavilion: Adults 1,000 yen, Children 600 yen
    ［Infant Challenge Pavilion] 1,000 yen for adults, 1,200 yen for children
    ［Physical Age Measurement Pavilion] 1,500 yen for adults, 800 yen for children
    ［Dome reduction bath] 1,800 yen for adults, 800 yen for children
    ［Magma Clay Spa] (for women only): Adults: 3,600 yen
    ［Oxygen Dome] 1,100 yen
    Other facilities
  • TEL 0967-67-2100
  • Parking Free of charge

Don't miss the funny and moving performance by the monkeys!

The performance by the trainer and the audience is so well matched that you can't help but enjoy watching the performance.
The performance by the trainer and the audience is so well matched that you can't help but enjoy watching the performance.

The Sarumawashi Theater in Minamiaso Village, located at the foot of Aso, is a popular tourist spot in Aso, loved by many people as a place where they can enjoy the traditional Japanese performing art of Sarumawashi close at hand since its establishment in 1989.
The monkeys' cute and dexterous tricks, such as standing on their heads, riding on stilts and bicycles, are a sight to behold. The laughter, excitement, and banter between the monkeys and their trainer is fun, and will bring children and adults alike back to their childhoods. The 40-minute show time goes by quickly.

Air-conditioned, barrier-free, multilingual theater

The spacious, all-weather theater is designed for the full enjoyment of a variety of visitors.
The spacious, all-weather theater is designed for the full enjoyment of a variety of visitors.

The theater can accommodate approximately 600 people. The theater is an indoor, air-conditioned, all-weather Property, so it can be fully enjoyed even on rainy days. The theater is barrier-free, with strollers allowed to enter and up to 15 wheelchairs allowed per performance. Furthermore, subtitles in English, Korean, and Chinese will be simultaneously shown during the performance, so that overseas visitors can also enjoy the show.
After enjoying the show, stop by Monkey Mountain, where you can feed the monkeys (100 yen).

Local Guide Comment
Operated by the Suo Sarumawashi Association, which has a history of over 1,000 years in Yamaguchi Prefecture and is designated as an Intangible Folk Cultural Asset by Hikari City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Take your time to enjoy this now rare Japanese traditional performing art.
Aso Monkey Mawashi Theater
  • Address 793 Shimono, Minamiaso-mura, Aso-gun, Kumamoto MAP
  • Direction Approximately 40 minutes by car from Aso Kumamoto Airport
  • Hours of Operation Two performances from 11:00 and 13:30, or three performances from 11:00, 13:30, and 14:40
    For details of the performance schedule, please check the website.
  • Regular holidays Check the website for details.
  • Admission fee Adults 1,300 yen, junior high and high school students 1,000 yen, children 700 yen
  • TEL 0967-35-1341
  • Parking Free of charge

Abe Ranch's flagship store where you can experience the whole flavor of Aso

Inside the stylish store. A cheese and sweets factory where visitors can see the production process is also located.
Inside the stylish store. A cheese and sweets factory where visitors can see the production process is also located.

This sightseeing spot is located near Uchimaki hot spring in Aso City. It is the flagship store operated by Abe Ranch, which produces and sells ASO MILK, the first milk in Japan to be awarded three stars by the International Taste Testing Organization, and other dairy products.
The store offers a wide range of carefully selected souvenirs from all over Aso, including pasteurized ASO MILK milk, yogurt, and other dairy products, as well as sweets made from ASO MILK, allowing visitors to experience the local flavor of Aso. The cheese and sweets workshop, which is attached to the shop, allows visitors to observe the production process, and cheese is sold by weight.

Enjoy ASOMILK with its cuisine and sweets. Also one of the largest rose domes in western Japan

Baum Soft
Baum Soft" (500 yen). The rich ASOMILK soft serve ice cream and freshly made baumkuchen make an irresistible combination.

At the café next to the store, popular items include "Baum Soft," a baumkuchen made in the sweets workshop topped with ASOMILK soft serve ice cream, and "Cannoli," a crispy fried tube-shaped dough filled with ricotta cheese cream, an Italian sweet.
Also on the grounds is the Rose Garden Hana Aso Bi, one of the largest rose domes and gardens in Japan, boasting 4,000 roses of 750 varieties, which are maintained by gardeners using organic fertilizers. The greenhouse and garden are a relaxing place to visit not only during the spring rose season (late April to early June) and the fragrant fall rose season (mid-October to mid-November), when many roses are in full bloom, but also outside of the rose season.

Local Guide Comment
The restaurant, where you will be greeted with a "welcome ASO MILK" (not a welcome drink), offers a menu of fresh pasta and pizza made with ASO MILK cheese and other delicious ASO MILK dishes!
ASO MILK FACTORY (Hana Aso Bi)
  • Address 781 Kosato, Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture MAP
  • Direction Approx. 10 min. by car from JR Aso Station
  • Business Hours Shop/Cafe 9:30-18:00, Restaurant 11:00-14:30, Rose Garden Hana Aso Bi 9:30-17:00 (Rose Dome only 10:00-16:30)
    Temporarily closed for pruning work from December 1 to mid-April and August 1 to mid-October.
  • Closed None
  • TEL 0967-23-6262
  • Parking Free of charge

Experience soba noodle making in Aso's famous soba production area

Most visitors have never experienced making soba (buckwheat noodles). You can also learn how soba is made.
Most visitors have never experienced making soba (buckwheat noodles). You can also learn how soba is made.

Minamiaso Village, with its magnificent view of the five Aso peaks, is one of Aso's most famous soba (buckwheat) production areas. At the "Minami Aso Soba Dojo" located within the premises of "Roadside Station Asobanosato Kugini," visitors can enjoy the "Soba Making Experience" where they can make and eat their own buckwheat noodles.
Visitors knead their own buckwheat flour, which is milled in-house, and then stretch, fold, and cut the buckwheat with a rolling pin. The noodles may be thick or thin, depending on the person. Both children and adults were fascinated by this unique soba-making experience, which is not usually possible.

The aromatic flavor of soba is exceptional. We recommend buying dried noodles to take home as souvenirs.

The soba you make yourself is irresistibly delicious. You can order additional toppings such as kitsune (fox) and meat.
The soba you make yourself is irresistibly delicious. You can order additional toppings such as kitsune (fox) and meat.

After about 40 minutes of experience, the soba noodles are boiled and eaten at the restaurant. The rich aroma of buckwheat flour and, above all, the delicious taste of noodles made by one's own hands are exceptional! The experience is a must for all visitors. Experience is available for children as young as two, accompanied by a parent or guardian. In addition, you can have a buckwheat noodle meal at the dojo, so even if you do not have time for the Experience, you can still experience the deliciousness of Minami Aso buckwheat noodles.
You can also purchase dried noodles made at the dojo or at the roadside station next to the dojo, so you can take some home as a souvenir.

Local Guide Comment
Michi no Eki Asobo no Sato Kugini, where the Soba Dojo is located, is a popular tourist spot in the Minami Aso area. It is a popular tourist spot in the Minami Aso area. It has a product store, a cafeteria, a large lawn area, a dog run, a café, bicycle rentals, and a mountain climbing report desk, making it a good base for sightseeing in Aso.
Minami Aso Soba Dojo
  • Address 2776 Kuseki, Minamiaso-mura, Aso-gun, Kumamoto MAP
  • Direction Approximately 40 minutes by car from Aso Kumamoto Airport
  • Hours of Operation 9:00-17:00 *Experience: 10:00-15:30, Meals: 10:00-16:30
  • Regular holidays The 2nd Wednesday of the month *Subject to change depending on the season
  • Admission fee From 3,300 yen per bowl for 2 people
  • TEL 0967-67-0507
  • Parking Free of charge

Experience handmade paper with the beautiful spring water from Shirakawa Suigen.

Aso is proud of its spring water, which is the reason why we can make beautiful washi paper. Experience is OK from children.
Aso is proud of its spring water, which is the reason why we can make beautiful washi paper. Experience is OK from children.

Shirakawa Suigen" is one of the popular sightseeing spots in Minami Aso Village. It is the source of the Shirakawa River, a first-class river that flows to Kumamoto City, and is selected as one of the 100 best waters in Japan, with approximately 60 tons of water gushing out every minute.
At a workshop located right next to the spring, visitors can enjoy a "paper-making experience" using this beautiful water. The paper you can make is enough for one sheet of colored paper or two postcards. While touching the fresh spring water, scoop up the materials with a bamboo screen and decorate them with pressed flowers and colored water. Once finished, the paper is dried on the spot, so you can have your own washi completed in about 30 minutes.

Original washi paper works are also available for sale. Enjoy fetching water from the spring or taking a walk around the water source!

You can also bring in your own pressed flowers; leave your memories of Aso in a tangible form!
You can also bring in your own pressed flowers; leave your memories of Aso in a tangible form!

This is a valuable experience for visitors to scoop paper with their own hands while touching the famous water of Aso. Even children can easily make washi, so it is a great way to create memories. The store also sells original postcards, tapestries, kaishi (Japanese paper used for pocket paper), business cards, and other washi products made here, as well as towels made in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture.
Empty plastic bottles for fetching water from the water source are also available for sale, so it is recommended to bring back the spring water you fetched at the water source as a souvenir. This is a spot where you can experience the charm of Aso's spring water with your whole body.

Local Guide Comment
The Shirakawa Suigen spring pond is crystal clear all the way to the bottom, and you can see the water bubbling up to the surface. The taste of coffee brewed with spring water is exceptional, so fetching water is also recommended!
Art Washi Workshop Hakusui
  • Address Shirakawa Water Source, 2081 Shirakawa, Minamiaso-mura, Aso-gun, Kumamoto MAP
  • Direction Approximately 40 minutes by car from Aso Kumamoto Airport
  • Business hours 9:30-17:00
  • Closed No regular hours
  • Admission fee 1,000 yen per pot
  • TEL 0967-62-3264
  • Parking Free of charge

Stained glass making with rare glass while enjoying the view of Aso

You can make the world's one and only hand mirror by freely combining randomly cut multicolored glass.
You can make the world's one and only hand mirror by freely combining randomly cut multicolored glass.

A small stained glass studio in a natural setting overlooking the southern outer rim of the mountain. The "One-Day Stained Glass Experience" taught by stained glass artist MATSU is very popular.
The glass used here is "antique glass" manufactured in Germany and other countries using an old-fashioned hand-blown method. The delicate colors and textures of this material are very attractive. If you choose the "SPECIAL" course, you can make a piece using this glass, which is rare in Japan (machine-made glass is used in the "STANDARD" course). You choose the parts of your choice and glue the glass together yourself using a soldering iron.

Visitors can choose from small motifs to large panels.

The
The "authentic panel" (25,000 yen) allows you to make an authentic 24.5 x 24.5 cm stained glass window in about 1.5 to 2 hours of experience.

Visitors can choose from several types of stained glass works, including hand mirrors, star ornaments, and good-night lamps. The "Forest Window Ornament" allows visitors to create a wooden motif inspired by the rich forests of Aso, and is a popular souvenir of Aso. Both can be completed in about an hour and a half.
In addition, the "Authentic Panel" allows visitors to create authentic stained glass in a wooden frame, and is recommended for those who want to sit down and make it as a home interior. Put the memories of your trip to Aso into the brilliance of special glass and take it home as a work of art.... This workshop is also recommended as a souvenir for your loved ones.

Local Guide Comment
Even children can experience it. However, children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian as there is a risk of burns if the soldering iron is held incorrectly.
glass studio MATSU
  • Address 1176-5 Kawayo, Minamiaso-mura, Aso-gun, Kumamoto MAP
  • Direction Approximately 40 minutes by car from Aso Kumamoto Airport
  • Business hours 10:00-18:00
  • Closed No regular hours
  • Admission fee Making star ornaments" STANDARD course 5,800 yen, SPECIAL course 6,800 yen
    Making a hand mirror" STANDARD course: 4,200 yen, SPECIAL course: 5,200 yen
    Forest window decorations" 15,000 yen, "authentic panels" 25,000 yen, etc.
  • TEL 0967-65-8108
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo Advance reservations required.
    For reservations for a one-day Experience, please visit the website ( https://glassstudio-matsu.com/workshop-class/workshop/ ) or call
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.