So on we went to the sixth day. While Kumamoto remained our base of operations, we embarked on a day trip to Aso, where the still active volcano of Nakadake resides.
Sadly, Nakadake was belching toxic gas in the wrong direction on this particular day, so we couldn't go up the ropeway to peek at the crater. However, Aki did get to play with the real-time camera in the museum that looks down into the crater, where we could see a vast steaming, bubbling pool of water.
Aso, itself, is quite a beautiful area and even though we could only gaze at the smoking crater from afar (shown above in the background), we relished the chance to wander around some real countryside. If we were to come back, we'd definitely stay overnight and explore more thoroughly.