The view of Kusasenri is one of the iconic scenes of Kumamoto; a vast emerald green grassland plateau with peacefully grazing cows and horses reflected in the still crater ponds on the top of the central peaks of Aso.

The name Kusasenri means a thousand leagues of grass and the peaceful vista today belies its violent history. Standing on the plateau it’s amazing to think you are actually standing on top of two vast craters with magma boiling away just a couple of thousand meters below. The craters were filled in with ash and pumice over thousands of years and many eruptions from the nearby Nakadake peak and now form a plateau in front of the Eboshi dake peak. After heavy rain a couple of small lakes often appear and the horses that roam freely after their working hours have finished enjoy wading through.