Having never been to Kumamoto before, this day tour gave me a deep understanding of the city. The tour guide even shared stories on the bus about Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto Prefecture's mascot, and its precious, unique water sources! The commentary on the bus was far from boring; in fact, it was quite touching. Our tour guide, Sun Peng, even gave us friendly tips on what not to buy to avoid traps. He mentioned that since souvenirs on the mountain are not tax-free, we should only buy items unique to the mountain and save other purchases for the tax-free shops at the bottom!! It was so conscientious. You could really feel their dedication to promoting Kumamoto's tourism rather than just trying to make money off tourists. If you have a choice, I strongly request tour guide Sun Peng! I also highly recommend looking into my itinerary: fly into Kumamoto, spend the first day exploring, shopping, and eating around the Shimotori shopping arcade, and stay at a hotel near Kumamoto Station since the day tour meets very early right inside the station. On the second day, you can just walk to the station to join the tour. When the day tour ends, you can dine right at the station. Plus, the adjacent department store has both Uniqlo and GU, allowing you to shop to your heart's content without waiting in long lines (Fukuoka can get crazy, but Kumamoto is so smooth and quick at checkout!). After shopping, you can head upstairs in the department store to try the Katsuretsu-tei tonkatsu and fried shrimp recommended by our guide. I truly recommend it! Kumamoto Prefecture's mascot should give Sun Peng a raise—he is amazing! This itinerary made me fall in love with Kumamoto 😍