We concluded our stay in Yufuin with that delicious bowl of soba at Murata Fusho-An, and started our drive towards Aso. We didn’t have the best of luck in terms of weather on this trip – after the pouring rain in Yufuin, we were met with a thick fog in Aso and could barely see beyond 20 meters during parts of our drive. To enjoy anything scenic was out of the question, we simply focused on driving slowly and safely to reach our next destination…
Since the fog blocked all the views we had planned to see, we decided to go directly to our hotel for the night – KAI Aso. This exclusive property is nestled within the woods, consisting of only 12 villas. I had thoroughly enjoyed my stay here 7 years with a friend, so it didn’t take much before deciding to come here again with A and little Em.
吃完了無量塔那碗令人舒心的蕎麥麵後，我們結束由布院的行程，驅車前往阿蘇。旅行時難免遇到不完美，比如這次的天氣。繼由布院的連環大雨後，我們在阿蘇遇上了大霧，某些路段能見度大約才20m，別說看風景了，連開車都要格外小心，把時速降低再降低（辛苦我們家的司機A先生了）。
到了應該很美的景點，即使睜大了眼也看不出個什麼所以然來，於是乾脆一路開到了當晚要入住的飯店 – 界 阿蘇 KAI Aso。界 阿蘇是個藏在山林里的隱秘之境，僅由12間別墅客房組成。我七年前跟朋友來住時就非常喜歡，這次與A先生和Em同行，沒多想就決定再來體驗一次。
KAI Aso was designed with the theme of 木と石の溫かさ, and the property indeed felt comfortably warm (literally and figuratively) with the abundance of stone and wooden materials. When we arrived, the fireplace in the lobby was already lit, creating a soothing ASMR effect with its flickering noise. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, we could see trees through a thin, ethereal fog. To be so immersed in the woods was itself therapeutic for city-dwellers like us.
界 阿蘇的設計理念為「木と石の溫かさ」，木與石的確是在飯店裡顯而易見的構成元素，比如大廳兩側的巨大石牆與質感溫潤的木製傢具。抵達時，大廳里的火爐已點上，噼里啪啦的火焰聲很有ASMR的解壓效果。透過大片玻璃看出去是掛著霧氣的樹林，深入山林的感覺，對於城市人來說無比舒緩、療愈。
KAI Aso has two room types, a 63 sqm Western style villa and a 78 sqm Japanese-Western style villa, the difference being that the latter has an additional tatami room. Compared to the newly-opened KAI Yufuin, the 12-year-old KAI Aso (opened in 2011) shows some signs of wear and tear, but these did not detract from the overall experience. The design isn’t modern, but is as comfortable and relaxing as being in one’s own living room.
界 阿蘇有兩種房型，分別是63平方米的洋式別墅和78平方米的和洋式別墅，後者多了一間榻榻米和室。跟界 由布院相比，2011年就開幕的界 阿蘇已有一些歷史了，在硬體上可以看出歲月的痕跡，但不影響整體體驗。設計並不摩登炫目，但絕對溫暖舒適，讓人感覺像在自家般放鬆。
We stayed in one of the Japanese-Western style villa. The tatami room is ideal for sipping tea while enjoying the view during the day, and, if more than two guests are staying in the villa, can be transformed at night to a second bedroom. As much as we love spending time together as a family, it was a great idea to have Em sleep in the tatami room by herself (with connecting door open) as sleep quality was better for everyone – we all felt exceptionally rejuvenated the next morning!
我們入住的是和洋式別墅，榻榻米和室在白天是個可以安靜飲茶賞景的地方，若是2人以上入住，晚上則可以鋪上床墊做為第二間卧室。當晚Em就睡在這里，比起三人一起睡大床，果然還是分開睡的睡眠品質好多了，經過了一夜的休息，一家人都有滿血復活的感覺 💆🏻♀️💪🏻。
Also ideal for a power nap, which A obviously needed after the exhausting drive through thick fog.
A立刻躺平休息（在大霧里開車，真的累了）。
The most attractive feature of KAI Aso for me, then and now, is definitely the outdoor onsen setup at each villa, which offers an intimate space to enjoy an uninterrupted conversation with nature. The fragrance of the woods, the caress from the breeze, and the melodious chirping from birds during early mornings…what a treat to be able to soak up all this.
界 阿蘇最吸引我的部分絕對是每棟別墅都配置的戶外溫泉。阿蘇的中嶽是活火山，所帶來的地熱造就了附近大量的優質溫泉。由於界 阿蘇的地點僻靜，每間客房都可以獨享無人打擾的森林，是完全屬於自己的私密空間，泡湯時耳里聽著清脆鳥鳴，和大自然融為一體。
I loved the onsen bath design which sinks into the floor, making it effort less to go in and out of the bath (rather than having to “climb” into a bath tub).
很喜歡下陷式的檜木風呂設計，出入時非常輕松，絲毫沒有 “爬入浴缸” 的費力感。
The bathroom is also very spacious, and equipped with a potent-looking whirlpool bathtub – not that we had any time to use this, since all our free moments were spent at the outdoor onsen.
浴室也非常寬敞，還有個看起來很不錯的按摩浴缸，不過所有空閒時間都用來泡溫泉了，這次完全沒有踏入浴缸啊。
Toiletries by KAI, great quality.
界的盥洗用品，一如既往的好質感。
Bedroom.
卧室。
Very comfortable leather slippers.
舒服的皮質拖鞋。
After the onsen bath, we strolled over to the Caldera Bar, where we were served shochu mojito made from local shochu and spring water paired with local akaushi beef jerky, while learning fun facts about Aso. (“Caldera” refers to the large depression formed when a volcano erupts and collapses, which is the landscape at Aso.)
泡完湯後，我們散步到 Caldera Bar，邊喝著用當地天然水和燒酎調製成的 shochu mojito，搭配的美味的赤牛肉乾，邊學習關於阿蘇火山的小知識。（“Caldera” 這個字指的是因火山爆發形成的不完整火山口，阿蘇火山便是這個地形。）
There’s even a little game using flour and balloon to mimic the formation of a caldera, for guests to better understand the cause and effect of this particular landscape formation.
飯店還設計了小游戲，用麵粉和氣球模擬阿蘇大地與岩漿，通過戳破氣球來形成破火山口，讓客人更能理解其中的原理，頗為用心。
Right upstairs was our dinner location.
上樓就是晚餐地點。
There’s no extra charge for kids at Em’s age, but she was still offered her own rice, miso soup, and a full set of bamboo utensils. (The red balloon was a gift from Caldera Bar, it kept her entertained for quite a while.)
即使小孩沒有額外收費，也有自己的白飯、味噌湯、和全套的竹質餐具，有被認真對待的幸福感。（紅色氣球是 Caldera Bar 送的小禮物，讓她開心了好一陣子。）
Sake tasting flight.
清酒 tasting flight。
Appetizer: Akashi (Japanese brown cattle) in iso paste and mousse of yamauni tofu (fermented tofu).
前菜：味噌赤牛、發酵豆腐慕斯佐小番茄。
Soup: clam fish cake, lava bean tempura, wakame, cherry blossom.
湯品：蛤蜊丸子、蠶豆天婦羅、裙帶菜、櫻花。
Houraku Mori delicacies: assorted sashimi, sea bream sushi, deep fried sesame tofu, shrimp & yolk ball, Yuba with miso and sangho pepper leaves…etc.
寶樂盛八寸：蝦子壽司、煎胡麻豆腐、鯛魚棒壽司、鴨肉、湯葉貝柱味噌、等…
The first part of dinner was quite charming, but what I was most looking forward to was the fall/winter special “Netakuri” hot pot. The soup base, a combination of Jersey milk (which has a higher fat and protein content compared to regular milk, resulting in a richer flavor) with three types of miso, was added with wagyu, seasonal vegetables, and roasted Caciocavallo cheese to make a decadent hot pot, thoroughly warming us up from the inside. It was a perfect dish for the cold and wet weather during our visit.
(The spring/summer specialty would change to a tomato and wagyu sukiyaki, which sounds delectable as well.)
套餐的前半部可圈可點，不過最令我期待的是界 阿蘇秋冬特供的和牛與馬背起司火鍋。湯底使用了當地產的娟珊牛奶（Jersey milk，乳脂和乳蛋白都明顯高於一般牛，所以特別香濃）與三種味噌，再加入和牛、時蔬、和烤得恰到好處的馬背起司，做成濃郁的火鍋料理，太適合我們到訪時的濕冷天氣了。
（春夏季節則會有使用大量蕃茄與和牛製作而成的蕃茄壽喜燒，聽起來也相當誘人啊。）
It was not easy to have a 2-year-old sit through long meals like these, and just when Em was getting fidgety, the gracious staff offered papers and crayons to keep her entertained for another 15 minutes so we could finish the meal at ease…
讓兩歲半的孩子陪大人吃完這麼長的一餐真是不容易，當小Em開始騷動時，服務人員及時拿出了畫紙和蠟筆，成功幫爸媽多爭取了15分鐘的用餐時間 🥹。
Dessert and tea were served at the lounge. It happened to be A’s birthday, and the hotel staff made it extra special with a birthday song and cutely decorated wishes written on his dessert. A small and intimate celebration.
甜點和茶的部分轉移到了lounge的火爐邊享用。當天正好是A的生日，甜點的巧克力片上寫了可愛的祝福，還有好幾位工作人員一起幫他唱了生日快樂歌，很溫馨的小慶祝。
The drawing continued by the fireside.
在火爐邊繼續畫畫的父女二人。
Back in our room, hotel staff had set up the futon for Emilia in the tatami room, which was actually spacious enough for the three of us.
回到房間，工作人員已在和室幫我們鋪好了給小孩的床墊，其實空間寬敞到三個人一起睡在這里也完全ok。
After Em fell asleep, we were able to enjoy some late night onsen time. A bonfire had been lit not far from our patio, creating a drastically different atmosphere compared to what we experienced during the day. After a nice soak in the onsen, we climbed into bed for a guaranteed good night’s sleep…
把Em放倒入睡後，就是大人的深夜泡湯時間啦。不遠處已點上了火，和白天是完全不同的泡湯氛圍。全身暖暖地鑽入被窩，保證一夜好眠…
-😴-
The next morning, we woke up to this mystic view. I can imagine how the scenery at KAI Aso would evolve throughout the year, and wished I could come back to enjoy it during another season…
一早醒來，映入眼簾的是這般迷樣的景色。可以想像在不同季節造訪界 阿蘇，能享受到各種風格迥異的美麗色彩…
Em was also eager to go out for a look. (And how cute are these KAI pajamas for kids?)
Em也迫不及待地想出去瞧瞧。（給小孩子的睡衣也好可愛哦～）
Back to the main building for breakfast, starting with a glass of Jersey milk.
再次回到主建築享用早餐，先從一杯香濃的娟珊牛奶開始。
I don’t need to stress again the abundance of Japanese style breakfasts – fish, meat, veggies, eggs…everything’s there.
日式早餐的豐盛，不用多說了 – 蔬菜、魚肉、牛肉、蛋料理應有盡有。
I remembered fondly, from 7 years ago, of the perfectly cooked rice with onsen tamago and seaweed soy sauce, and it was one of the things I really looked forward to coming back to. What a simple yet perfectly comforting combination! Served with miso soup and pickled vegetables, just this alone was enough to make me happy.
七年前在這里吃早餐時就對套餐里的溫泉蛋+白飯印象深刻，這次訂房後，一直心心念念想要再嚐到它。完美的米、完美的溫泉蛋，再淋上海苔醬油，絕妙。配上味噌湯和漬菜，讓我心滿意足。
Before checking out, we tried the 撫で杉（nadesugi）activity as suggested by the hotel. Using sandpaper in various coarseness, we were to polish a piece of Aso’s local Oguni pine wood to as smooth a state as possible. It was a fragrance-filled and rather soothing activity, and though mainly designed for adults, Em also enjoyed it very much in her own way.
Check-out之前，在飯店的建議下嘗試了 “撫で杉”（nadesugi）的活動。原材料是阿蘇山著名的雪松品種 “小國雪松”和不同粗細的磨砂紙，通過磨製，讓木頭變得光滑柔順，是個被雪松香氣包圍、相當療愈的過程。雖然說是給大人的活動，但Em也在一旁瞎攪和，以她自己的方式認真參與了 ，玩得很開心。
In the photo below, the piece on the back was the finished product from an artisan, the front one being ours…a huge difference in smoothness, indeed. If we weren’t getting ready to check-out (we had wanted to stay a second night but alas no room was available), we would’ve happily stayed longer to work on polishing the wood as a method to quiet the mind (or, just have another long soak in the onsen…)
後方是職人的作品，前面是我們磨的，果然相差甚遠。若不是因為當天必須要check-out了（很想再住一晚但預定時已無空房🥲），其實可以靜下心來慢慢磨，多享受一下在平時忙碌的日常生活中難以擁有的閒暇時光。
While the two KAI resorts we visited on this trip each has its own exceptional characteristics, I would personally choose KAI Aso over Yufuin for its more remote location in the woods and an onsen bath experience that truly connects with nature. As the hotel has very limited number of rooms, do book early if you are interested.
雖說這次來九州入住的兩間 “界” 各有特色，但以我個人來說，若只能選一家，那會毫不猶豫地選擇在山林里、有著與世隔絕仙氣的的界 阿蘇。這家的房間很少，有興趣的人一定要提早訂房喔。
界 阿蘇 KAI Aso
地址：879-4912 628-6 Senomoto, Yutsubo, Kokonoe-machi, Kusu-gun, Oita
價格：每晚37,000日幣/人 起
官網：https://hoshinoresorts.com/zh_tw/hotels/kaiaso/