Kumamoto Castle tours

Thank you to our guide, Yingying (Tan Yingying Helen), for her attentive leadership. We were very fortunate to have Yingying on this trip. The pre-trip information provided was very complete and clear, and she thoughtfully provided multiple ways to contact her, accommodating travelers from different countries (such as WhatsApp and Line, which is especially convenient for Taiwanese travelers). Her message responses were very prompt, which was reassuring. During the tour, she provided detailed and informative introductions to the sights, and she flexibly used both Chinese and English to cater to travelers with different language backgrounds. Her speaking pace was moderate, the interaction was natural, and overall, it was very comfortable to be around her. In addition, Yingying herself is pretty and refined, with very expressive eyes, leaving a very good impression 😆.

Although we weren’t able to see the crater, I still really enjoyed the trip. November is a beautiful month to visit Mt Aso, the hills are no longer green but just as gorgeous. The bus ride is scenic, you can enjoy endless slopes covered in golden grass, glowing softly in the sun. There’s an option to try horseback riding, as well as visiting an onsen (or simply a foot bath if you’re reluctant to try that) and at every stop you can taste local delicacies. Additionally, the tour guides are awesome, mad respect to them for conducting the whole trip in four languages - they are my superheroes. Shoutout to Seki, such a wonderful soul, thank you again for all the restaurant recommendations 💛

This was a great tour, visiting many famous attractions such as Kumamoto Castle, Mount Aso, and Kusasenri. However, because the tour was longer, we spent more time on the tour bus. Although we didn't get to ride the Aso Boy train, the Emerald Mountain Emerald train was also very beautiful. Unfortunately, it rained heavily during the train ride, making it harder to see the beautiful scenery outside the window. During the tour, one passenger was more than 15 minutes late returning to the bus. Thank you to our guide, Mr. Sun, for making the decisive decision to have the bus leave. I think our guide, Mr. Sun, was really great. He was able to fluently introduce the various attractions and was also very helpful with the needs of the tourists.

A fully-packed tour bus on a trip where it drizzled in Kumamoto early in the morning. I bought an umbrella at the convenience store, and after getting on the bus, our guide, Sun Peng, said that Aso had been open for seven consecutive days, so we shouldn't worry. Hearing these confident words made me feel much more relaxed. Unexpectedly, about ten minutes before arriving at Takachiho, the weather turned sunny and beautiful, and I took many lovely photos. The next stop was up the mountain, and it started raining heavily along the way. We arrived at Kusasenri for lunch, and it was still raining outside. But after we finished lunch, the rain stopped. Although it was cloudy later on when we went up Mt. Aso, we still saw the blue crater lake. It was a great day! Finally, on the way back, Sun Peng shared his favorite restaurant, Tengaiten Ramen at Kumamoto Station, which became our dinner. The tour guide was humorous and fun. If you have the chance to meet him, you'll have a wonderful trip to Kumamoto.

Excellent guide by Miss Kong ! she is very knowledgeable, friendly and funny ! very clear on all instructions and to me the highlight of our kyushu trip. The reason i chose this trip was due to the difficult public transportation but this tour make it possible for it to be done in one day ! the driving was enjoyable , toilet breaks mentioned by Ms Kong all the time, she also gave heads up if the weather in Mt Aso is good or not. If not good the trip to Mt Aso crater might be cancelled but thankfully the weather was good, and its not anybodys fault if the weather is bad ! Ms Kong speak mainly chinese and due to my limited language she does her best to speak English at times , and we really appreciate her effort. I would definetly recommend this tour to everybody that wants a full Mt Aso tour that leaves from Kumamoto ! FYI i bring a 5 year old and she did enjoy it very much also !

We enjoyed our trip to Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine ，Mount aso and Kusenrigahama very much. Thanks to our driver Hugo who made our trip very pleasant. He picked us up from the hotel on time, and managed the time well so that we did not go overtime at the end of the day. The restaurant recommended by Hugo is also very nice. Additional fees needed for carpark and toll fees are less than 10000 yen.

Most people join this tour for the helicopter experience. The one-hour stop at Kumamoto Castle is not enough time to explore it properly. You can take photos of the castle tower from a distance and then eat and buy souvenirs at Josaien. The raw horse meat is quite unique, costing ¥600 for two pieces. The helicopter ticket price is shown in the picture, but remember that you still need to buy a zoo ticket for ¥2000 per person. The animals' living spaces in the zoo are very small... It seems their main source of income is the helicopter rides... Many of the black bears exhibit stereotypical behaviors. On the day of my visit, the volcanic smoke was heavy due to strong winds, so we couldn't do the full circle tour. However, because there's a timer, the pilot still flew for a certain amount of time, so we saw other areas. The staff will help you take photos. The pilot plus the number of passengers is limited to 4 people. The caldera of Aso Mountain is a beautiful turquoise color and the scenery is magnificent. Later, the minibus drove us directly to Mount Naka to experience the crater up close. Be careful of the pungent smoke and don't stay too long. Everyone in our group was coughing afterwards... Next, we went to buy Aso milk and soft-serve ice cream, which were rich and delicious. The soft-serve ice cream with a cone cost ¥550 and the milk cost ¥280. Kusasenri was bare and yellow because it was winter, so we didn't take any special photos. Also, the stops at each location were very short, so it was mostly a whirlwind tour. The tour guide, Ms. Wang, will contact you via WhatsApp beforehand. If you provided your phone number, remember to check it. The minibus seats 12 people and the space is quite small, but the driver drives smoothly, so if you are prone to motion sickness, remember to take medication beforehand. Ms. Wang basically serves as a timer, reminding us of the stop times and when to get back on the bus. Everyone was sleeping on the bus. If you just want to see Kumamoto Castle and the crater + experience the helicopter ride in one day, you can buy this tour. I don't think it makes much difference whether the tour guide speaks Chinese, Japanese, or English, and almost all of the Chinese-speaking tour guides are of Chinese descent... The members of this tour were all from Hong Kong and Taiwan, so... decide for yourself.

Good experience in booking with Klook for this private car charter. Easy to book and after confirmation, the coordinator connected immediately with us via LINE to link up. The driver assigned to us (小白）was a very hospitable and a safe driver. He introduced us to nice lunch venues and accommodated to some of the minor tweaks to our itinerary. He also provided good insights and explanations to various questions we inquired about the scenic sights we visited.