Mt. Aso and Yabakei with Yoko

The last part of our trip took us to Kurokawa, Mt. Aso and Yabakei.

Kurokawa is a well known onsen (hot spring) town. For about $10 you can buy a pass that lets you got to any 3 onsen in the area. They are so close together you often see people in their yukata (robes) and geta (wooden sandals) schlepping from place to place! Sorry no pics that I can publish online, but it was great!

The ridges in this photo of Mt. Aso are said to embody a sleeping Buddha, can you see his head and then his body? We went to Aso Kusa Sen-Ri, which is famous due to an old poem written about its vastness. Vast open space is a rare thing in Japan so people flock here to enjoy the feeling that comes with such places. Later in the spring the whole area is plush with lush green grasses.

Our last stop on our Kyushu tour was Yabakei and amazing place if I ever saw one. This Soto Zen Temple was built in a natural cave and is a site to see. Here our women-theme appeared again as there is a special temple for Mizu-ko here. It is a place where mothers can pray for children who died in childbirth or very young. The words of some of their prayers was heartbreaking but touching as well.