Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has asked citizens to refrain from going outside this weekend for nonessential reasons. If you do decide to go out, practice social distancing, minimize public transport use and take precautionary measures to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.
Which alpine delight first? Grab a quick cold one from the variety-rich beer vending machine, or start with a soak in a subtly sulfurous mountaintop hot spring? These are the energizing thoughts keeping my steps light as I hike up through mist-shrouded trees and past moss-mounted boulders into the Kuju Mountains.
Part of Aso-Kuju National Park — straddling southwest Oita and northeast Kumamoto prefectures — Mount Kuju comprises a number of lofty peaks. But at 1,791 meters, Nakadake is the highest, and a worthwhile spot for any hiking enthusiast. It is also a must for those seeking the unusual and the unique.