4 Feb 2015

Driving the Milk Road to Daikanbo

Revel in the beauty of rural Kumamoto prefecture

Oleh Mandy Bartok

Community writer

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

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

You can also see over to the Kuju Range in Oita Prefecture

In winter, the Kuju Range is perpetually snow-capped

Aso's fields are golden until the spring planting

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

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.