Taketa: Out of the Blue

Our original plan of leaving Aso was to take the bus over the Makinoto pass to hike Kuju mountain on our way to Beppu.  However, our very favorable taste of Olle was making us ache for more.  We abandoned our original plan, something we rarely do, to bag the Okubungo Olle; and booked ourselves a hostel in Taketa , something we hardly ever do. 

The Okubungo Olle took us to even more interesting places than the Takachiho Olle.  The whole area is not at all covered by any of our guidebooks, except our very ancient Lonely Planet has a paragraph on Taketa. 

Taketa is only one hour from Aso. So we left Aso, trained to Taketa and checked-in to the Taketa Station Hostel Cue. Then immediately hopped on a train to Asaji, just one stop to the east, to start the Okubungo Olle.



It's a beautiful day to climb Mount Aso (below) but we are on the train to Asaji.


Hostel Cue.


Asaji Station is super-small but staffed with a visitor information center person who hands you an olle course map as you step off the train.


Getting started. Follow the red+blue arrows and ribbons.




For the first 6 kms or so, this olle was kinda ho-hum and I was beginning to have second thoughts about our change of plans. For example: Cutesy Scarecrows.


Run-of-the-mill Rice Terraces.


Garden with dry lake.


Typical bamboo grove.


Mushroom farm; seen that.


Giant Buddha! Wow! A giant Buddha carved into a rock wall. Not ho-hum for sure. See if you can find Sun-Ling in both pics.




Then to the river confluence (and hydro-electric plant) with enough basalt columns to last a lifetime. Look closely to see that the dry stream bed (below the white car) consists of the tops of basalt columns.








Continuing up the hill we come to the ruins of Oka Castle; one of the most impressive castle ruins we've ever seen. Taketa City sits directly below - it was the "castle town". We were totally amazed to find out that the castle was not burned to the ground, or destroyed by an earthquake or WWII bombing, or demolished by a conquering general, or rebuilt in concrete. Oka Castle was decommissioned and dismantled in the 1870's.



















View back to Mount Aso from Oka Castle.


And finally, some scenes from Taketa as the olle course winds its way to a finish at the public foot bath.


Tatami maker's shop.


Typical older house.


March 3rd is Doll's Day in Japan. There were displays in shop windows all over town.




Common room at the hostel.


Hanging out with the folks who run the hostel. The nicest people.