FOCUS IT.] Retreat trip with Aigle in Minamiaso.

Minami Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture . Minami Aso is a village with a population of about 10,000, spread out at the southern foot of Mt. Some may say, "I know Aso, but Minami Aso?" I think some people might say, "I know Aso, but Minami-Aso? . Because many tourists go to Aso City. In fact, this Minami Aso is a good place for sightseeing, with a wide range of outdoor activities for beginners and experts alike.

The reason for the Huinamu team's visit was to experience the Tuesday-Wednesday "Special Plan All Inclusive" at the ASO Glamping Resort, which is supported by AIGLE. To tell the truth, AIGLE is an official partner of a national park, and this accommodation is located in Aso Kujyu National Park. This led to a mutual relationship and support for the project.

Activities to experience the great nature of Minami Aso, special dinners with a mountain of local delicacies, overnight tents with a view of Mt. Aso... , let's go on a healing journey at the end of 2021. The itinerary is roughly as follows.

DAY 1
10:15 Arrive at Kumamoto Airport , Transfer by rental car
13:00 Horseback riding experience at "Dream Land Green Valley
16:00 Check-in at "Glamping Resort ASO
18:00 Dinner in the open air

DAY 2
7:00 Morning Yoga
9:00 Check out of "Glamping Resort ASO
10:00 Tour of Minami Aso by rented bicycle
11:00 Planting herbs at "Chamomile Bakes & Herbs
13:00 Return to Tokyo

Riding on horseback through the grasslands of Aso .

After landing at Kumamoto Airport, our first destination was "Yume☆Daichi Green Valley" . . This was to experience one of the activities of this trip, horseback riding.

The site overlooks Mount Aso and the Kuju Mountains, the roof of Kyushu, and is surrounded by nature as far as the eye can see in 360 degrees. The site area is about 32 times the size of the Tokyo Dome , and its elevation is 850 meters above sea level.

Yasuhiro Umeki (a.k.a. Boss), who became fascinated with horseback riding in his 20s, trained in the U.S. and established Yume Daichi Green Valley 43 years ago. Dressed in a Stetson straw hat, Umeki, who is a true local, spends up to seven hours a day on his horse.

There are many places in Aso and Minami Aso where you can ride horses, but this is the only place where you can enter the grasslands of the outer rim of the mountain "freely" without restrictions and ride a horse.

Tea time is provided in the middle of the ride. Tea and sweets in the great outdoors are a special treat.

After an initial brief training session, we will trek with the horses for about an hour. The course is full of mountains and valleys as we wade through the surrounding fields of Japanese pampas grass. I hate to use the common phrase, "It's like we're not in Japan," but it was like we were not in Japan! It's super Texas.

Horses are good. Thanks to horses, I haven't had a single illness even though I am now 72 years old. I guess it's partly because it strengthens my core, but horses also have a healing effect," says Umeki.

Indeed, after an hour of trekking, the insides of my thighs are tense, my breathing is a bit uneven, and my body is sweating profusely. You don't notice it while riding, but unknowingly you are stepping on your feet and using all the muscles in your body. In aerobic exercise such as biking or swimming, you can just rest when you get tired, but this is not the case with horseback riding.

Umeki is on the right and his wife Naomi (a.k.a. Tear) is on the left. . When it comes to horse-loving, Tear is the better horse person," Boss said.

Red Beef and Sake at the Glamping Resort ASO .

After being healed by the horses, we went to "Glamping Resort ASO" where we stayed. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, this place is located in the "Aso Kujyu National Park. Aso, which rises in a large caldera, the volcanoes to the north, the vast, rolling grasslands that surround it, and the abundant water sources. The Aso Kujyu National Park is an amazing place where you can encounter a variety of landscapes. Of course, Mt. Aso is right in front of Glamping Resort ASO.

The spacious rooms are equipped with a shower and toilet. They are also air-conditioned, so you don't have to worry about the cold even in winter.

Special Plan All Inclusive" guests will receive a waterproof tote bag from "Eagle", an aroma candle with insect repellent properties, and other novelties that will make them happy outdoors. *The novelties are subject to change.

The dining room and kitchen were built as a DIY project by the entire staff. Today's party will be held here.

. meals are served indoors in the winter and outdoors in the summer.

Glamping Resort ASO is a cozy facility with only three tents. Although it is located in a very remote area, the occupancy rate is always almost 100%. Moreover, many of them are repeat customers. The biggest reason why people become captivated once they come is the food they are served.

Campmaster Soufumi Ohashi, who moved here from Kuji, Iwate, cooks the food right in front of you.

We use ingredients from Kumamoto as much as possible . "We use ingredients from Kumamoto as much as possible, and we also use ingredients from within a 15-kilometer radius of here," says Ohashi. We buy every day, so the dishes we can offer are completely different depending on the day," says Mr. Ohashi.

The facility's camp master, Soufumi Ohashi, has been a pastry chef for many years and is so talented that he has been invited by starred restaurants in Europe. He used to serve breakfast on Kyushu's popular sleeper train, the Nanatsusei.

The menu for the day was a total of eight dishes, starting with a salad of fresh vegetables, followed by trout carpaccio, grilled landlocked salmon, and red beef steak. Moreover, this special plan includes a bottle of champagne for each group. What's more, a bottle of champagne was given to each group, and the alcohol consumption was also unlimited.

At most glamping facilities, you are given wrapped food and left to cook it yourself. However, here you will find a chef who uses only the finest ingredients and cooks them to perfection. It is more like an auberge than glamping . You can experience the luxury of tasting the best cuisine while enjoying the view of nature spread out before you.

Glamping originally started when kings would go to the desert to play and recreate their palaces in the desert, bringing their court staff and furniture with them. So we wanted to provide that kind of experience," says Ohashi.

On the other hand, it still has an analog feel to it, and you can chop wood and make as many bonfires as you like (free of charge for firewood). Tents are minimal, no TVs, and no fancy decorations.

. Personally, I recommend March, when the weather starts to warm up. I would like to invite you all to come and experience it for yourself. . However, the crisp cold of a winter morning is hard to beat (laughs).

At night, the sky is full of stars. . This is one of the activities, which can be enjoyed from around 9:00 p.m. after dinner.

Mr. Ohashi showed up tomorrow morning wearing a full-body "Aigle" outfit.

I've been wearing a lot of "Aigle" lately, not just because you guys are here, but because it's easy to wear and easy to move around in. I climb mountains and chop firewood every day, and Eagle's clothes are easy to wear and easy to move in. I don't mind if they get dirty. And I like the fact that I can go out on the town dressed like this," says Ohashi.

GORE-TEX Melodyne Jacket
The blouson worn by Mr. Ohashi is a high-performance piece of GORE-TEX filled with high-quality down. . It is a model that can withstand both rain and cold. Mr. Ohashi says, "If you have too many pockets, you can get centipedes in them without knowing it (laughs). (laughs). So a simple design like this suits my lifestyle better.¥93,500

GORE-TEX MOKOPI Coat
This one features a mod coat motif with a fishtail design, and is made of two layers of breathable and waterproof fabric with a GORE-TEX membrane, while PRIMALOFT® is inserted between the outer and inner lining for excellent heat retention.60,500 yen

Tone up with a spectacular view x yoga.

Birds chirping, the air crisp and taut, and a spectacular view . The mornings here at Glamping Resort ASO are so invigorating that there is no way to explain it. It is so refreshing that you forget about the cold. Before breakfast, yoga class started. The instructor is Rocco, who moved here from Tokyo.

Dr. Rocco originally worked in Tokyo. After the Kumamoto earthquake, he visited there as a volunteer, and was attracted to Minami Aso and moved there.

Aso has a different energy. I guess it is the energy of an active volcano. It is completely different from when I was teaching indoors in Tokyo.

It was so true that even our mostly novice yoga practitioners, a crew with dull senses, could tell that yoga in the great nature of Minami Aso relaxed both body and mind. I was a fool to think that it was just an extension of stretching.

After a refreshing 45-minute ride, we will have a morning meal and check out. Cycling will round out the trip.

Morning with plenty of local vegetables.

Rent a bicycle and tour around Minamiaso. Plant seedlings at a famous baked goods and herb store .

. Cycling with a view of the outer rim of Aso. . There are ups and downs, but I have plenty of time to spare because I am riding an electric bicycle.

Minami Aso is rich in water resources, and clean groundwater is boiling everywhere. Of course, you can drink it, and there is no need to buy mineral water when you are in Minami Aso.

Cozily tucked away on a prefectural road is Kamitsure Bakes & Herbs, a baked goods and herbs store.

The last activity, cycling, was also good. We rented electric bicycles at the Minami-Aso Tourist Information Center, took in the magnificent scenery, and stopped at a water source in Minami-Aso so we could directly experience nature. Then, after a 20-minute ride, we arrived at our final destination. It is Kamitsure Bakes & Herbs, which opened in May this year.

This is a bakery and herb store run by Hiroaki Eto and his wife Shiho. Mr. Eto grows herbs and makes herb tea, and Ms. Shiho makes cakes and baked goods. Although the shop has been open for less than six months, it has gained a good reputation and now has customers outside of the prefecture.

What you can do here is plant herbs using rubber boots from " Eagle ".

Upcycle a non-standard rubber boot into a plant pot. You can choose any color you like.

On this day, I planted mint, marjoram, and thyme. . They also look great with Eagle's rubber boots.

The soil in Aso is very good," says Mr. Eto. And because the water is clean, good herbs grow there," says Mr. Eto.

While working as a member of the Japan Cooperation Volunteers for Community Development on Koshijima Island in Kagoshima, Mr. Eto became addicted to making herbs. He then went to work for a herb tea company in Minamiaso, and started his own business. Born in Kitakyushu, he is also an immigrant. He has been in Minami Aso for 5 years.

The herbs planted here are ready to eat, so you can have them whenever you plant them. You can pick the leaves as they are and pour hot water over them to make herb tea , or use them in cooking. . If you want to dry them, put them on a tissue in an airy, shady place. The Holy Basil tea here is so fragrant that all of us on the interview staff bought it without omission.

Hiroaki Eto and Shiho from "Kamitsure Bakes & Herbs."

This special plan allows you to enjoy the outdoors as an extension of your normal activities.

With the new Corona, there is now an unprecedented boom in outdoor activities. While it is wonderful to focus on nature, I also feel that this is raising the bar for outdoor activities. There is an invisible "right answer," like "you have to buy good gear" or "you have to enjoy the outdoors in this way. But that is not what the outdoors is really about. Working in the fields is outdoors, taking a walk in sneakers is outdoors, and being in nature is outdoors (even if you don't put yourself in nature).

Aigle is not a brand that makes products for harsh environments. It is a brand that has been making products that are close to the nature around us, and that gives us the first opportunity to venture outside. The special plan we experienced this time was a tour that gave us a sense of what such a brand should be aiming for.

The southern foot of Mt. Aso with its tranquil scenery.

Photo_Kazuma Yamano
Text_Keisuke Kimura