Walking the Sankin-kotai Road in Aso, Kumamoto

After visiting Mount Aso, we went up the Sankin-kotai Road paved with cobblestones in Aso, Kumamoto. I've checked the info about Futae Pass (二重峠 futae-no-touge), the most difficult place to go down the Aso mountains. Especially the way from Futae Pass to Matoishi rest area is so steep, and the soil is made of volcanic ash. It is slippery when wet. Kato Kiyomasa, the first daimyo of Kumamoto Domain, decided to set up the paved road.

We parked a car in front of the entrance and start walking.

The site of Sakashita Chaya restroom near the entrance.

We're now walking on cobblestone roads.

We saw a big cypress tree called the tree of attendance changes. It is an old tree with cedar along the road. The age is over 500 years, you know why Kiyomasa grew tree along the mountain slopes.

We were going up a mountain.

The road continues to the top of the mountain pass, but we decided to go back on the way.

A resting place for travelers

I looked back on the Sankin-kotai Road from the middle of the paved stones.