Aso County Päiväretket

An unforgettable experience exploring some of Kyushu’s most beautiful natural attractions! Mt. Aso was breathtaking, and the vast Kusasenri grasslands offered spectacular scenery. Takachiho Gorge was another highlight, with its dramatic cliffs, beautiful river, and stunning waterfalls. Every destination was worth the journey! Our tour guide, Daisy, was fantastic! She gave informative explanations about the places we visited and was very lively, cheerful, and entertaining. Her enthusiasm and friendly personality made the long journey enjoyable. She certainly added something special to the whole experience. she even gave us hot spring powder as a token after the tour. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to discover the natural beauty of Kyushu. A memorable tour from beginning to end!

Tour guide Ms. Kong was humorous, engaging, and very knowledgeable about local customs and traditions. The driver was extremely polite and friendly, and greeted every passenger each time we got off the bus! Everything has returned to normal following the Kumamoto earthquakes! Sightseeing and tourism are completely fine, there aren't many tourists, and the attractions are very pleasant to walk around. Joining a day tour when traveling independently allows you to visit many places that are inconvenient to reach by public transportation! The itinerary was Aso Kusasenri -> Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine -> Takachiho Torokko Train -> Takachiho Gorge stroll. The Takachiho Torokko Train requires an additional payment of 2,300 yen per person! The weather was still quite hot in late October, so everything was lush and green, but the local scenery was great to see! Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine was my absolute favorite—it has such an amazing atmosphere!

It was a wonderful schedule, but the weather~ ㅠㅠ It rained a lot. Still, it was okay to enjoy the scenery. It's a shame that the fog was so dense we couldn't see the grasslands of Kusasenri or the smoke from the Aso crater at all. The stairway leading up to Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine had a mystical atmosphere, and the scenery seen from the Amaterasu mini-train while wearing raincoats in the rain was nice, but... considering the high price, it was just so-so~~ Finally, Takachiho Gorge was truly wonderful. The scenery is breathtaking enough to make you exclaim. The forest path beside the gorge was great, and the espresso coffee at the cafe at the end of the path was also lovely. Our lovely Chinese guide explained things very diligently.. but since I couldn't understand Chinese, I managed to get the gist of it through Google simultaneous interpretation. She told us the meeting places and times in English and Chinese. It would have been nice if she spoke a little Korean, too. Still, thank you for guiding us so diligently~ I highly recommend the tour. (It would be even better to skip the train and give us more time at the shrine.)

Saavuimme etuajassa Kumamoton aseman Shinkansen-länsisisäänkäynnille. Matkaoppaamme Sun Peng tuli paikalle kokoamaan ryhmän. Koska meillä oli matkatavarat mukana ja tarkoituksena jäädä pois ryhmästä Kurokawassa, opas kysyi oma-aloitteisesti, olemmeko sopineet kuljetuksesta hotellin kanssa. Vaikka olisimme voineet hoitaa asian itse, opas auttoi meitä ottamaan yhteyttä hotelliin. Koska Kurokawassa on useita pysäköintialueita, meidän turistien olisi luultavasti ollut vaikea sopia noutopaikasta selkeästi hotellin kanssa. Iso kiitos oppaan tarkkaavaisuudesta! Päivä oli täysin aurinkoinen ja jokaisesta nähtävyydestä sai upeita valokuvia. Turistin näkökulmasta kokemus oli todella hyvä. Opas Sun auttoi myös valokuvaamisessa, selitti nähtävyyksiä hauskasti ja humoristisesti, piti meistä hyvää huolta ja muistutti etukäteen kaikista tärkeistä asioista. Tämä retki on loistava valinta päiväretkeksi, paljon helpompi kuin oman matkan suunnittelu ja toteutus. Voin sumpitella lämpimästi!

We spotted tour guide Nana's flag first thing in the morning. She was sweet and extremely dedicated, and she didn't waste any time talking when it was time for us to rest and catch up on sleep! Her Mandarin and English were both fluent, so there were zero communication barriers. Since I easily get motion sick, I had added a note requesting a front-seat before joining the tour, and they saved a seat for me. The scenery along the entire way was truly gorgeous, and everywhere we went had a wonderful, comfortable energy. Because we joined the Takachiho Gorge boating activity, our schedule required precise timing. As soon as we arrived at Takachiho Gorge, Nana gave instructions on the meeting time and place for those not boating, and then rushed forward with the nine of us who were participating in the boating activity! It turns out that boating time is limited, and failing to return within the designated time results in extra fees charged by the boat rental shop! The boats are not the easiest to steer, but it is a lot of fun. I highly recommend trying it out if you aren't traveling with very young children or elderly family members—since you're already there, you might as well! I highly recommend this tour and am very grateful to our guide, Nana, for giving us such a wonderful day! By the way, the mango shaved ice has very poor value for the money, so skip it! The soft-serve ice cream should be worth a try, though!

Traveling with the tour was very convenient. The guide took good care of us and provided great recommendations, allowing us to visit a variety of places in just one day. For those who prefer not to rent a car and drive, having 2 hours at the Takachiho Gorge, including the round-trip walk, was more than enough time. In the afternoon, we visited Mt. Aso. Even though the crater was closed, we were able to see the views up close at two different spots. Kusasenri offered beautiful scenery, though 1 hour might be a bit tight for sightseeing, having a meal, and shopping for souvenirs. Overall, it was a very worthwhile and convenient experience with everything covered, including a stop at a service area along the way.

The guide could only speak Japanese and English, but we were able to talk to be each other via translation apps. He also had updates and messages for the English speakers ready in every stop (for timeline, return times per location, and info). we rode a bus, and it was comfy. each location was really nice! although we couldn't really stay too long, which is too bad, but understandable since it's so far away. I was still so happy to be able to visit all these places, and I knew being able to go here on my own (without the tour) would've been very diffifuclt if 8 didn't have a car). All of the places we went to were great, and also wanted to note we had bathroom breaks both going to and from the locations.

Matka oli todella vaikuttava. Olin ainoa englanninkielinen osallistuja, mutta opas, Zhu Zhu, piti minusta hyvää huolta ja varmisti, että ymmärsin kaiken kiertomatkaan liittyvän. Kokemus ylitti odotukseni kirkkaasti.

The package was well-organized and great. The guide gave briefings in Chinese with brief explanations in English, so it wasn't hard to understand. I was so grateful that they took pictures for us along the way and took good care of us. In Japan, you wouldn't even cover transportation costs for this price. It is an amazing value for the money. We also tried milk ice cream, plain milk, yogurt, horse meat bowl, and Akaushi beef. Kurokawa Onsen is wonderful. Next time, I'd like to stay at a ryokan. Thank you, Mr. DELONG. I hope to see you again next time.