Aso Caldera volcano

ASO Caldera volcano
Grassland Crown filled with soul

Vast grassland forms the ridgeline of the mountains.
Time passes on its own ignoring the outside world.

You can feel the heartbeat of the earth.
Living with the volcano for a long long time,
People have never forgotten to respect the nature.

Aso, there is no other places like this.

The history of the earth is imprinted on the grounds of Aso
Showing how she grew up.

The volcano at the center of Aso is still active today.
One of the largest caldera in the world has a circumference of more than 120 km.
Aso leads a series of Kujyu active volcanoes in northeast.

Aso’s symbolic caldera was formed
in the process of Aso’s volcanic activities
that started about 300,000 years ago.
Today’s caldera was formed at the huge eruption
90,000 years ago.
Within the caldera, around 50,000 people are living today
The active volcano is seen as a part of their lives.
In no other places in the world,
People have their homes this near to an active volcano.

Aso’s volcanic activities enrich the lives of people who live here.
People are blessed with spring water and with rich soils.

The agriculture in caldera, together with unique landscapes formed by volcanic activities, Aso is designated as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage.

When the old grass　begin to be burned,
We know that spring has come after long cold winter.
It’s a tradition in Aso for over 1000 years to burn grasslands
In order to maintain grasslands for pasturage.

The fire they light on the fields of Aso is a symbol of people’s wish for rich harvest.
It’s also a symbol of people’s reverence toward the volcano in religious terms
That always has been there with their everyday lives.

For a very long time,
People nurtured their unique landscape with the blessings of Aso’s nature.
It represents the wonderful balance between the nature’s cycle and the human being.

In all of the tradition, festivals and artistic skills of the area,
You can see people have always respected, revered, and treasured the nature as a part of their lives.

The rich nature of Aso’s caldera,
The faith in nature that has always been a part of people’s lives,
And the workings of all the lives there.

Aso, there’s no other places like this.
It’s a treasure for all of us.