On May 20 we climbed Mt. Aso, a live volcano in the middle of Kumamoto Prefecture. Last year we were unable to visit the volcano due to excessive volcanic activity, so I was excited to have the opportunity to show students the area this year.
After days of lectures and long journeys, many of us were looking forward to stretching our legs and getting some exercise. However, others were not so keen due to the cool weather. The temperatures at the mountain were in the single digits, much colder than any lecture theaters at NUS or movie theaters in Singapore, so it was the coldest temperatures so students had every experienced. The complaints only lasted for a few minutes, though, since the vigorous hike uphill got our hearts racing and warmed us.
"Freezing" at the start of the climb
Stunning landscape at the top
Once at the top we were greeted with incredible landscapes of colorful cliffs, dramatic steam, and the iridescent green liquid within the volcano. These colors and shapes offered an exciting backdrop for portraits, and we soon found ourselves engaging in that most touristic activity: photography.
Lynn and Jiin-Shiuan
Pei Jun
Sakinah
Huijun
Photographic evidence that "we were there"
Requisite "jump shot" to also prove we were there
Only later in field notes did several students question their behavior: spending so much time viewing the world through a camera lens that they forgot to actually look around and experience the moment (a lesson I actually taught about through the work of John Urry in the week before the trip). The temptation to capture the moment is often simply too strong for the tourist to resist. So the camera mediates part of our experience. Let this be a lesson to all of us in our future travels: don’t forget to put down the camera and just observe.
Eerily gorgeous sulfuric liquid at Mt. Aso
Overall, it was a great lesson in how we visualize and experience tourist destinations, although the cold winds may have prevented everyone from appreciating the lesson.
Date of visit and photos: May 20, 2012