Fodor's Expert Review Naka-dake

For many visitors, the smoldering crater of Mt. Aso's Naka-dake is the highlight of a visit to the Aso-Kuju National Park. Inside the crater, a churning ash-gray lake bubbles and spits scalding, reeking steam. The Nakadake cable car was closed following an eruption for 2016. A shuttle bus from the parking area to the crater runs when there is limited volcanic activity, but this service was halted after the October 2021 eruption. If rumbling turns to shaking, and steam and smoke turn to sizable ash fall, there are bunker-like concrete shelters located across the area.