ASO-SAN

The bus was late so we skipped it for an impromptu hike and were rewarded with the most gorgeous views of the volcano and surrounding areas.

Later on, an afternoon detour to find a cute cafe, only to find it sadly closed for the day. We were hungry and randomly popped into a little restaurant near the train station. It turned out to be one of the few places licensed to serve the yummy Higo beef, from the cattle that graze on the plateau of Mt. Aso.

I think there really is such as thing as a blessing in disguise^^

AT TAKACHIHO

At the Takachiho Gorge and walking around the little mountain town as we were waiting for the bus.

Message for B>>
I couldn't find the cute bunny and turtle I saw in your photos B! I wonder where they were hiding... ...

KUMAMOTO RANDOMS

Meet Kuro-chan, the adorable mascot for the Aso Boy train (sorry I meant the dog, not the guy).

Looks like a run-of-the-mill library well enough. But wait... ...do you see what I see?

View from the top. At the Kumamoto castle.

I loved the lines and shapes and colours I found there.

And that big lovely Icho.

I always end up with too many tree photos *lol*

HAYATO NO KAZE

The Hayato no Kaze.

Highly recommended for all like-minded train dorks who appreciate old diesel trains, woody interiors, and railway switchbacks. For everyone else, there's the scenic sea-view, active volcanoes (Sakura-jima), and old wooden stations more than a hundred years old.

Oh and the locals who dish out little paper cups of comforting green tea and waving from their front-porches along the line were very lovely too ;)

KIRISHIMA ART NO MORI

On the second day, we took a train to Kirishima. There was a museum we had wanted to see.

Several of the exhibits were pretty interesting actually but I was completely distracted by the fall colours.

And so I ended up with more tree photos than exhibits to show you.

Another wonderful thing about museums, interesting architectural design.

A little break before heading out to catch the bus.

Yoshitomo Nara!

Yoshitomo Nara... ...again!

I suspect I might have enjoyed the cafe more than the exhibits.

The view from the little bus stand where we were waiting for the last bus back to the train station for the day. Autumn is such a beautiful time of the year.