Spindle: A common weekend activity for Japanese ponies large and small is to go on day trips to one or more attractions. In most parts of Honshu, even on the northern coast, the rail network is extensive enough that said attractions are a short walk from their corresponding stations, but in Kyushu it’s not that developed, so buses are the main mode of travel there.
 
Parcly Taxel: We had been day tripping for the past five days, and here we were going to make another one – moving to a new accommodation near Mount Aso (阿蘇山). This active volcano is larger than Sakurajima, but far less impressive because it lies in a complex of volcanos.
 
After having two slices of toast for breakfast and checking out of Makemoto’s house (Kikugi had a performance at 10am, so we could leave on our own after tidying up the place), our first stop lay over 180 kilometres away at the Nakadake (中岳) crater of Mount Aso. It is common knowledge among all creatures with cone-like ears (ponies, kirins, etc.) that travelling this distance in a car can seriously mess up your hearing, owing to pressure changes from entering/exiting tunnels and altitude. Thus it is always a good idea to get out at one or two rest areas along the way.
 
Spindle: There was a level-2 warning and associated exclusion zone around Mount Aso proper when we arrived, so we stopped at a museum dedicated to the volcano that at least had a decent view of Nakadake. That view came atop a grassy hill some distance from the museum; as Parcly ascended and descended she sustained more ear pain from freezing breezes. Windigos don’t have the ear problem though: wind just rushes through them and stirs their spirits a little.
 
Autumn Blaze: I do get the same “frostbitten ears” when bathing under a waterfall. It lingers for some time after pressure is released, and for my species this condition can be quickly alleviated by entering nirik mode, but that’s probably overkill and poor Parcly had no spells for this situation.
 
The plains below Mount Aso hold a waterfall of their own, Nabegataki (鍋ヶ滝), which Parcly and Spindle next visited. Its special feature is that you can walk behind its gushing curtain, for its rocky edge slopes away and forms a mini-cave. Again, the waterfall is a result of pyroclastic flows from an ancient eruption of Mount Aso and subsequent erosion.
 
Spindle: I could see kirins of all colours bathing in its pool. The “neutral” ones were taking a shower, leaping through the curtain or just chatting away, while the niriks were sitting still to calm down where the pool became a stream. This is not the Stream of Silence, and the niriks return to the main crowd once they have reverted to their natural state.