Things to do in Kumamoto Prefecture

This trip was perfect. I was worried about the weather, but luckily, it only started to drizzle a little after we finished visiting Takachiho, so it wasn't a big deal. Japanese weather forecasts aren't always accurate. I'm also grateful for the itinerary planning; if we had gone in the afternoon, we might have gotten rained on, haha, mainly because I was afraid it would affect the scenery. Overall, it was worth visiting, and the value for money was great. The tour guide was also very professional. I was worried the day before that it wouldn't be reliable, but I felt relieved after contacting Jimmy. He speaks English, Chinese, and Japanese very well, is straightforward, efficient, and takes care of everyone meticulously. There were friends from various countries on the trip, and everyone was very friendly and well-mannered. You don't have to worry at all about going alone. Just go for it! There was also a little surprise, haha. I don't know if anyone noticed that the bus that day was a normal tourist bus. Maybe they were worried that the steps were a little high and difficult for the elderly to get on, so they put a small wooden stool outside the door to step on. Normally, other large buses wouldn't have this, which was so cute. And after getting on, the driver was a young Japanese guy (I used to remember them being older or energetic octogenarian grandpas). As expected, Fukuoka is a great place. The food is delicious, and the people are gentle. Hehe, I want to come back!

This tour is a must if you are in Fukuoka! 💜 Our tour guide (Nicole) is very kind and very helpful. She is also very good in speaking english ✨💜All of the places we visited are great! The highlight is the Amaterasu Railway ride that is absolutely picturesque. You should visit is during sakura season 🌸

So happy and fun!! Xiao Wang is very handsome and a good person, he also allows plenty of time, and doesn't disappear to hide somewhere and steal salary after dismissing the group. He's also easy to talk to, and proactively offers to take pictures for everyone. And this time, I was the only one traveling solo, and when kayaking he even asked if I needed help, saying he could accompany me, so warm! Although I refused haha I wanted to take pictures myself, you can see he takes leading the group seriously~ 😙👍🏻 One of the few great guides with nothing to criticize‼️ Highly recommend 🤚🏻🔥 Although it was a pity this time because the Aso volcano viewing area was closed due to the helicopter accident, the itinerary was changed to Takachiho Shrine ⛩️ which was also beautiful! This accident was very serious and may close the area for quite a while, maybe two or three months, so people who want to go should pay attention!

Sun was a very informative guide and I learned alot .The castle is impressive and well worth visiting but the view from the Aso plains is amazing.Such a strange landscape I would highly recommend this trip.

Experience: If you're planning a visit to Kumamoto, this is a must-see destination. My visit to Kumamoto was specifically to see Kumamoto Castle. After visiting, I felt it was definitely a worthwhile choice. However, it was unfortunate that Kumamoto Castle was partially destroyed by the earthquake in 2016. It was also impressive to see them taking a long-term approach to properly restoring the cultural heritage site. Tip: If you purchase your admission ticket in advance on Klook, you can enter quickly by showing it directly to the staff without having to purchase or exchange tickets, so avoid the long lines and buy your tickets in advance!

Although we couldn't visit Mount Aso's crater due to the recent helicopter crash, the course was quite satisfying. However, a major downside was the short free time in between, which meant we couldn't experience everything ㅠㅠ. Still, Nicole, our guide, was super friendly and shared many helpful tips, so we had a fulfilling trip ㅎㅎ. Thanks to the gift Nicole prepared near the end, we were able to finish with a good feeling 😊😊.

Sun was an amazing tour guide. He's informative, helpful, and went above and beyond to make sure we understand everything and have the best time on the trip even in such a cold weather. He took pictures of everyone, gave us snacks, and even shared a list of restaurants to try around Kumamoto. Our driver was impressive as well, it started raining on our way home (with almost zero visibility) but he's able to drive us back to the city safely.

It was so rare that it started snowing right as we departed from Kumamoto ❄️. The beautiful Takachiho Gorge was a different kind of beautiful, even though the trees were more barren in winter. Along the way, sometimes there was sunshine, sometimes there was heavy snow; it was truly a super special and unexpected treat. Although we couldn't go to the planned Mount Aso due to the heavy snow, the tour guide skillfully arranged other great locations so we could see the beautiful scenery of South Aso! Many thanks to our guide, Jiang Cui, for her kind guidance and introduction, her enthusiastic help with taking photos, her detailed answers to our questions, and her warm greetings and farewells. She really added a lot of warmth to this trip. The Japanese driver always greeted us when we got on and off the bus and was very polite. It was truly an unforgettable memory in the snow that left a deep impression!

I highly recommended this tour, vakue for money indeed. And our tour guide Melo is very nice and informative, speaks english very well. She took care of everyone. Arigatou! You can check my post on IG of the places we've visited: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQzXDxpAbhV/?igsh=MW1xOXo5dzd3eTRuZw==