<p>A currently smoking Mt Aso can be seen from the Daikanbo lookout on Aso's scenic Milk Road</p>

A currently smoking Mt Aso can be seen from the Daikanbo lookout on Aso's scenic Milk Road (Photo: Mandy Bartok)

Driving the Milk Road to Daikanbo

Revel in the beauty of rural Kumamoto prefecture

Mandy Bartok Feb 04, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>A currently smoking Mt Aso can be seen from the Daikanbo lookout on Aso's scenic Milk Road</p>

<p>From the lookout, it's very clear to see the extent of the old Aso volcano, before it collapsed in upon itself many millenia ago</p>

<p>You can also see over to the Kuju Range in Oita Prefecture</p>

<p>In winter, the Kuju Range is perpetually snow-capped</p>

<p>Aso's fields are golden until the spring planting</p>

<p>You can often find snow lying up along the Milk Road, as the temperature there is significantly lower than down in the valley</p>

I challenge you to find a more scenic drive in Kumamoto Prefecture than the Milk Road, which traces the edge of the old Aso caldera. From its heights - and the eventual Daikanbo lookout - drivers are treated to wide-reaching views of the currently smoking Mt Aso as well as the stunning peaks of the Kuju Range over in Oita Prefecture. While the road sometimes closes in winter due to icy conditions (the access will be blocked by gates), the colder months also promise clearer skies, snow-capped hills and hot springs just down the road at Kurokawa Onsen.

Things to Do in Kumamoto

Mandy Bartok

Mandy Bartok @mandy.bartok

Japan resident for 10 years, with time spent in Okinawa, Kumamoto and Tokyo.