Mount Aso — Takadake (高岳) 高岳
1,592 m, the roof of the Five Peaks: you can climb it under level 2, reopened on 1 September.
Mount Aso is a massif of five peaks (阿蘇五岳) inside the great caldera; Takadake is the highest, 1,592 metres. Residents remember the height with the wordplay 「ひ・ご・く・に」, Higo-kuni, the old name of the province. The main trail starts from Senzuikyō, at 851 metres, which has an information centre; when it is open, the road to the crater of neighbouring Nakadake brings you to within a few minutes of the summit. After the earthquake of 28 July 2026 no closures due to collapses were reported, but on 14 August the volcanic alert rose to level 3, banning the climb. The level went back to 2 on 1 September, and from 2 September access to the summit plaza reopened. At level 2 Takadake can be reached only by the detour routes 皿山迂回ルート and すずめ岩迂回ルート, outside the one-kilometre radius around the crater.
Kumamoto
