A Garden of Hot Springs at Aso Farm Land

 

One of many indoor bathing areas. This type of bath is called goemonburo.

Aso Farm Land, an unusual resort on the caldera floor within the Aso-Kuju National Park, surprised, exhilarated, and relaxed me. I was on a press trip to learn more about the park, and someone else had chosen the accommodations. We arrived late at night, and I knew very little about the resort. I stepped out of the vehicle into the black night. The vibrant shining of stars above amazed me. In this rural area, illuminated pachinko parlors, convenience stores, and vending machines are rare, so light pollution does not obscure the heavens. 

Early morning outside the domed accommodations at Aso Farm Land

While checking in, I noticed photographs of hot spring baths. Immediately after dropping my bag off in the hobbit home-like building that was my stay for the night, I walked through the resort to the bathing area, where I was once again delighted. In over thirty years of living and obsessively bathing in Japanese onsens, I have found few locations in remote areas with so many choices for heating, soaking, and massaging my body.

A variety of indoor baths

The indoor bathing area was large enough for about thirty bathers to maintain their own private spaces. If the indoor area with wood-scented Goemon tubs, herbal, jacuzzi, other baths, and a steamy hot sauna were all that were available, I would have felt satisfied. 

But there was much more. I passed through a doorway leading outside to a kingdom of open-air baths, my favorites. I was on a 150m wooden walkway leading through a rock garden to outdoor baths that appeared around each curve of the trail. 

Walkway through a field of open-air baths

The number of baths and saunas was around twenty. One can spend an entire day soaking, heating up, cooling, napping, and repeating the relaxing process.

The photograph above shows two ladies walking on the wooden platform that winds through the magnificent field of baths.  You can see the rim of a volcanic caldera in the background. I was there when mountains were not visible at night, but brilliant stars piercing the black-as-ink night held a hypnotic power that, combined with the hot water, gave me a natural high.

The Aso Kuju Park includes much of the Aso Caldera, one of the world's largest. We must thank the surrounding volcanoes for their beauty, and the constant supply of geothermally heated mineral water. 

Hot milky white sulfur bath near a round herbal bath

Creative Hotel Design

Aso Farm Lands is a huge outdoor resort area with areas for sports, games, and interacting with various animals. I can only review the hot springs since I left early in the morning to view the sunrise from the top of one side of the caldera, which was another fantastic experience. 

Here comes the sun and other rejuvenating vistas

Check out their website for the costs and other information about Aso Farmlands.

Aso Farm Land did not provide me with money or services for this positive review of its baths and hotel design. I was honestly impressed by the creative bathing arrangements. The hotel provided the first, third, fourth, and fifth photographs from the top after I requested them. The other pictures are the property of the Hotspring Addict. 

Access to Aso Farm Land

The address is 5579-3 Kawayo, Minamiaso Village, Aso District, Kumamoto Prefecture 869-1404. As mentioned above, the resort is located within the Aso Kuju National Park in Kyushu. The park is in both Oita and Kumamoto Prefectures. The closest airport is Aso Kumamoto Airport, which you can reach from most of Japan's major airports. 

Recommended Japanese Onsen near Aso Farmlands

I recommend Lamune Onsen for its artistic design and naturally carbonated mineral water.