This chartered car trip followed a designated Route C. Initially, the itinerary included (order not important): Kamishikimi Kumanoza Shrine, Kusasenri, Komezuka, Mount Aso, Daikanbo, and Shirakawa Spring Water if time permitted. On July 15th, our driver and guide, Mr. Zhang, advised us not to go to Daikanbo and suggested Shirakawa Spring Water instead, saying it was more worthwhile. We agreed to this change. After arriving at Kusasenri, we asked the driver if we could get closer to the volcano. He initially said no due to toxic gases. However, after we showed him photos online, he claimed they were taken by drones. We found this strange, as Mount Aso was on our itinerary, so why stop only at Kusasenri? Later, Mr. Zhang said he would drive over to check, and if we could get closer, we would. Indeed, we found other tourists closer to the crater, and we were able to see the crater up close. We felt that Mr. Zhang seemed unfamiliar with the area and its attractions, and he didn't mention that helicopter tours were available to view the crater. We only found out by seeing helicopters in the sky that day and looking it up. I believe it's not necessary to take a helicopter, but at least more tourist information could be provided so we can make choices and better plan our time at each attraction. Later, we didn't visit Shirakawa Spring Water or Daikanbo because Mr. Zhang said we spent too much time at the crater and wouldn't make it back in time. We returned to the hotel at 4:47 PM, having departed at 7:30 AM. If we calculate based on 10 hours, we actually had another half-hour of travel time. Although we understand that driving times can't be precisely estimated and driving is hard work, we would have been happy to discuss additional charges if we went over time, as your regulations clearly state. Therefore, since we paid for expensive plane tickets to travel abroad and chose a chartered car tour, we still hoped to complete the entire itinerary. We were a bit disappointed not to visit Shirakawa Spring Water. However, the overall trip was very rich! The journey was indeed quite long, from Fukuoka city to Aso. We are grateful for Mr. Zhang's introductions and hard work driving. We saw the beautiful and dreamy cloud-shrouded Kusasenri and the magnificent crater – truly wonderful scenery!
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