No photos of the Hotspring at Kurokawa-Onsen: It's forbidden! (黑川溫泉没照片:嚴禁拍攝)

I was very pleasantly surprised when our coach arrived at our hotel in Kurokawa Onsen.

 

This is the view from my hotel room. In the distance one can see the Aso Volcanoes  and closer, the roof of the hotspring bathing house at the further end of the lawn, where for obvious reasons, one is forbidden to take any photos. .

..

This is our hotel, quite cosy but not very big: not more than 50 rooms, located at the high plain called Senomoto Highlands (Senotmoto Kogen) (瀬の本高原.)

 

Shortly after 5 a.m. the following morning, a few of our group members decided to feel the spaciousness of the Japanese skies and take our first look of the famous Aso volcanoes.

But first we got to go down a valley.

It was full of trees and the slopes are covered with short stem grass.

We had to cross one valley after another before we could get access to the main road.

The first light was coming over the top of the hills

Finally, we reached the road and could see our hotel again

 We had to walk across this lawn.

The sun was behind the hills at the back of the hotel.

The hotel got smaller and smaller as we walked in the direction of the Aso volcanoes.

We found the Aso volcanoes in the distance bathed in a sea of mist

 There were many small valleys.

 

   

but not very many trees on the rolling hills.

Some of the grass are quite tall.

The sun was getting higher and higher behind the hill tops at our back and began to cast some long shadows on the ground

The path is covered with a thin layer of what appears volcanic ashes.

.

One of the valleys we passed by.

A few of the lonely trees there.

The Aso Volcanoes in the distance, its bottom still shrouded in mist.

Finally we reached a patch of ground which is completely covered with soft dark volcanic ashes.

 

The rubble surrounding the black patch of volcanic ashes already being colonised by some tuft grass

The sun is finally coming over the edges of the hilltop behind us.

covering the growing ferns with its golden sheen

but not just the ferns. The sun is fair.  

The valleys also brighten up.

We got to go or we'll have to go without breakfast no matter how we wished we didn't have to.

We got to retraced our steps across this lawn again.

The valley at the side of our hotel just before we got back to the hotel.

Our last look at the Aso volcano before breakfast.

 

Sorry. This is the last "last". We really must go. No kidding.
 

Ah, how could I forgive myself if I did not take this truly truly truly last one!