It stands in Aso Kujū National Park in Kumamoto Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu.

Naka, the west side of which is accessible by road, contains an active volcano which continuously emits smoke and has occasional eruptions.

The fourth eruption (Aso 4) was the largest, with volcanic ash covering the entire Kyushu region and even extending to Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Aso's pyroclastic flow deposits (welded tuff) were utilized for bridge construction in the region.

[12] Spectacular sights such as the seasonal flowering of Rhododendron kiusianum on the slopes of Takadake reflect significant protected botanical ecosystems.

Foreigners visited Mount Aso for the first time during the Meiji era for tourism and research.

A cable car system, the Mount Aso Ropeway, opened on 10 April, 1958 to provide access to the mountain.

The system ran for the last time in August 2014, then closed due to higher volcanic alert level.

From February 2018, a shuttle bus runs from the original station, now Mount Aso terminal to the crater's edge .

[15] Because Mount Aso is a volcano, there are many onsen hot springs areas, such as Uchinomaki, Asoakamizu, and Kurokawa.

Aso has numerous hiking trails leading to the interesting peaks and mountains around the crater.

The other surrounding trails offer enjoyable terrain and unique views over the grasslands, the Aso crater, and a small conical peak called Komezuka.

In Ishirō Honda's kaiju films, Mount Aso is home to the giant pteranodon creature Rodan.

In the 2006 tokusatsu disaster film Sinking of Japan directed by Shinji Higuchi, Mount Aso erupts as an aircraft carrying the Japanese Prime Minister flies over it, raking the plane with flying rocks and causing it to crash with the loss of all on board.