Kumamoto Prefecture Day trips

Overall it was a great trip. The whole day was overcast. Mt Asp unfortunately was foggy and we can’t see much. Additionally, I’ve booked the boat ride but the water was high and we weren’t allowed to do any boating activities therefore, the whole thing will be refunded as per what being said to us.

Our tour guide, Sun Peng, was humorous and engaging, making the trip very enjoyable. He provided thorough explanations at each location and even pointed out great spots for photos, demonstrating true professionalism. On this trip, we visited: Takachiho Railway (at the highest point, a young man blows bubbles before the train returns; personally, I don't think it's a must-do), Takachiho Gorge (you can see beautiful scenery from above without needing to row a boat, and the miso grilled dango there is delicious), Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine (a mysterious forest shrine that is incredibly beautiful and definitely worth the climb; the water there is safe and very refreshing to drink), and Kusasenri (where you can see Mount Aso and enjoy matcha pudding). The entire trip was very worthwhile, though I only wish we had more time at each stop.

Today was perfect, with an incredibly kind guide and even ideal weather. Mount Aso was so beautiful, and the grandeur of Takachiho Gorge, along with the mysterious scenery of Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine, was all wonderful. Our guide was attentive to each person, even with a large group! I'm usually a big fan of independent travel, so I didn't have high expectations for this tour, but the itinerary was so well-planned that it was a great experience. Most of the group was Chinese, and I was the only Korean, but I was so well taken care of, and I'm very grateful. If the weather is good, you absolutely must go on this tour!!👍👍

It was hot, but the weather was so nice that it made the experience even better. First, the melon ice cream and tomato cola recommended by our guide were absolutely delicious! Climbing up to the Kusasenri Observatory was a bit tiring, but once we got there, the panoramic view was amazing. It was truly refreshing and wonderful. I highly recommend that anyone visiting go up there! Although Koreans were a minority and most of the other participants were from different countries, everyone was punctual, and we were able to relax comfortably on the bus, which was great. You should definitely go on this tour. I highly recommend it!

Very well planned tour, we didn’t feel rush and were lucky enough to see all the sights under great weather. Our tour guide was Kevin and we couldn’t ask for a better one, he has great humor, explanation and very responsible to ensure everyone is taken care of. It’s one of the best day tour you can get if you have a free day in Fukuoka area to experience the nature! (But definitely check the weather first!)

Due to the earthquake in the Kyushu region, we changed the tour to Miyazaki for safety reasons. I am Korean, and the guide was fluent in English, Japanese, and Chinese, so if you know a little of any of those three languages, you'll have a comfortable trip. Also, it seems like the guides are assigned randomly, but the guide I had was very kind! Oh, and since you'll be walking quite a bit, I recommend wearing comfortable shoes. For dining, it's a good idea to research restaurants in advance or consider bringing a packed lunch.

Juju Guide! You're fluent in all languages, so communicating in Korean was no problem at all. We encountered some difficulties, but you helped us resolve them over the phone, allowing us to complete our entire trip perfectly. The itinerary was also excellent. We traveled with our baby and parents, and everyone had a beneficial and enjoyable time. The next time we come to Fukuoka, we'd love to use Gogostory again and meet Juju Guide! Thank you so much.

We really like our guide Carson!! He asked about our preferred language when we first met, since my Chinese speaking skills are pretty bad lol so we were gonna talk to him in English but surprisingly he could speak Cantonese as well! during the intros he would speak in Chinese and English (we could understand both) and if we had any questions we could use Cantonese which was just perfect. I really liked the mountains and had time to do some shopping and take photos. I personally don’t really enjoy onsens but I was happy to see a chubby cat there and those unique buildings. Carson also reminded us about snakes because it was the first sunny day after days of raining. Carson was very helpful and full of information, we really liked him as our guide which was one of the main reasons we trusted this company and went on another trip.

Although the guide primarily provides information in Chinese, if you can speak a little Japanese or English, there won't be any issues with the itinerary. They even used a translator and made a tremendous effort to communicate. We were very grateful. I tried to close the air conditioning vent on the bus, but one side of the plastic was broken, so it couldn't be fully closed. While this was a minor inconvenience, I don't think it's significant enough to negatively impact the overall rating. It seems that the parking lot at Kusasenri, or whatever that rest stop is called, gets quite congested if you drive there, as there are often no available spaces. I think taking the bus and enjoying a more comfortable journey is a better option.