Visiting Mt Aso area

Hi all,
I will be in Kryushu at the end of the year. I plan to stay a few days in Kumamoto at that time (in part to support the area by spending some tourist dollars there). I was planning to do a day trip from there to the Aso area by train. I understand the crater is currently off-limits and that there is a 1KM exclusion zone. Is there much to see in that area without visiting the crater if travelling by train? Is it possible to see the volcano from Aso town? Is there anything else to see in Aso town worth a visit there if the exclusion zone is still in place at the end of the year? We are generally interested in volcanos, landscapes etc.
Thanks! :)

It is rather inconvenient to get around by just taking a train. Of course you can see the volcano and walk around it. Kusasenri is still open. As far as the crater goes, it is still off limits and likely will stay that way for the foreseeable future. You can see what you'd miss though at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyh_nKrv5tY

If you are willing to rent a car, then the whole area is wide open for you, and there are a number of great places to see - the Daikanbo Lookout when the weather is good has a tremendous view over the whole area. The Nabegadaki Waterfall is beautiful, and the Kuju Flower Park is one of the most beautiful in that part of Japan - except they close in mid-December, so that might not work out for you...
There is also the Kikuchi Gorge with a very nice forest walk beside a stream.
https://youtu.be/1tO4EwRlk_s

The train line between Tateno and Aso was completely destroyed by a land slip. There is currently no time frame to complete the repairs since it will be a mammoth engineering job to fix it.

Access to Mt Aso will be by bus. You can access all the Mt Aso tourist sights fine. Aso Shrine just north of Miyaji Station also suffered quite large damage. Some parts will be close to the public.

As said before don't expect to be able to go to Aso by train even at the end of the year. (maybe even next year to be honest)
Also Japan guide wrote only about the one kilometer exclusion zone but right now you cannot even go to places like Kusasenri, the komezuka and so on, because all the roads to Mount Aso are crushed because of the earthquakes. Even trekking there is actually forbidden. No idea if it will reopen before the end of the year.

Thanks for that information. We will look at an alternative day trip then. We will already be spending time in and around kagoshima, fukuoka, Beppu and Unzen (not in that order). Can you suggest an alternative day trip from Kumamoto if Aso is out of the question? Would be best if it was accessible by train within fairly short distance of kumamoto. Our interests are landscapes, small quaint towns, anything ninja or samurai, historic areas etc but would look at any fun day trip. I am determined to stay 3 nights in kumamoto if I can. We are a family of 2 adults and 1 child.

Train to Misuni, then ferry to Asakusa Islands.

Train to Hitoyoshi. The view out the window is amazing of Kuma River. You can also get a small boat ride on the river.