Coisas para fazer em Aso, Kumamoto

Thanks to Mr. Ohashi, it was a truly fulfilling and enjoyable day-long trip! As a solo traveler, I was incredibly happy to be able to see Mount Aso, which I thought would be difficult to visit due to transportation challenges. The weather was clear and there was no fog, so I could see all the scenery, and I was happy to take a light stroll while eating cool milk ice cream. It was great that he explained the characteristics and introduction of each destination in an interesting way before we arrived, and also introduced local restaurants and Kumamoto's unique specialties that shouldn't be missed! Most of all, he used the language so freely that it was a truly comfortable trip without any inconvenience. Thank you!

I do not speak Mandarin Chinese, only English. but the guide Kong was so helpful and she is friendly. she tries her best. I recommend the tour. there was not any other English tour I could find so I came here. It was amazing. we were unfortunately unable to ride the train as it was storming and with the rain, no one could ride the boat + cannot go on the mount aso as it is closed. despite this, it was a really good experience in the end. I highly recommend it.

Sun Peng, our guide, deserves full marks! He was incredibly knowledgeable about Kumamoto throughout the trip, explaining the unique features of each attraction. To be honest, the Aso Boy train wasn't really worth it, haha. 2300 yen per person just to see a mountain; it's not as beautiful as the Ghibli train I rode in Hakone, Tokyo. It was a shame we couldn't go boating in Takachiho Gorge today, but the scenery was still good, though slightly less impressive than Hokkaido's Blue Pond. However, my only complaint about the guide is that he sent us to Takachiho Shrine. It's fine to go, but the path is genuinely difficult, so be prepared. But on the way back to the parking lot, the guide told us to follow Google Maps to the third parking lot, which would have been a disaster! You absolutely must return to that slope and head straight for the third parking lot. When you go to the shrine, there's a fork in the road on that slope; pay attention to the sign indicating the direction to the third parking lot. It's only 300m that way. Do NOT follow the map! A large group of us followed the map, but luckily I had seen the sign on the way there, otherwise, we would have been completely lost trying to find our way back! The cheese mini-bread recommended by the guide was decent, and the cream puffs were also good, filled with ice cream. I didn't try the summer iced tea special. The horse sashimi and barbecue were okay, but don't have high expectations; it's not as good as grilled beef. Next, regarding the guide's recommendations at Kusasenri: I didn't buy the keychains, didn't buy the horse oil cream, but I did buy a fridge magnet. The green house was a bit hard to find, so look carefully. The beef burger was sold out. The only thing I think is worth recommending, which the guide didn't, is the ice cream. If you go, remember to try the ice cream at the museum! Oh, and I also want to mention that the time at Kusasenri is actually very short. If you climb to the observation deck and then come down, and also want to eat and shop, it might be quite rushed. Be prepared to just have ice cream! The fridge magnet is very cute and worth buying for 800 yen! Finally, the Tenkaippin ramen was a bit disappointing; the firm noodles were very salty and not as good as Ippudo in Osaka, haha. Ippudo is also salty (apparently ramen is meant to be paired with sake). As for the Osmanthus fried rice: it tasted like something any Chinese restaurant could make; no need to specifically try it in Japan, hahaha! Overall, this group tour was actually pretty good, just a bit rushed. Of course, that's because there were many places to visit, and it wasn't a self-guided trip, haha! I would still consider a group tour again if I have the chance!

We visited many places during the tour and had time to browse many souvenirs and food throughout. Mount Aso crater was unfortunately closed, but we were still able to enjoy and take in the amazing views. Our guides, especially Sun, were so accommodating, even though my friend and I were the only two English-speaking people on the trip. They were both really jolly and provided good information about the places, and also gave tips on food and where else to visit around Fukuoka. So, thank you so much to them :)

This tour was really good if you love animals and want to see them up close. I enjoyed the guide Zhu Zhu was so sweet and even she spoke little English she was so great and made sure I was able to follow along with rest of the group. She was so delightful and kindhearted, helped me order all the foods form all the shops and stores and offered me her umbrella and even the sweet apples. I highly recommend this route you get to see lots in one day!

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.

We gathered at 7:50 AM, and our guide for the day was Xiao Chen. We thank him for giving us a wonderful day trip experience. Xiao Chen's explanations were very professional and clear, and he also recommended delicious food. This itinerary actually involves a very long time in the car and does not include meals, but Xiao Chen arranged rest stops in between for everyone to take a break and replenish their supplies. The first leg of the journey: Hakata to Takachiho (2.5 hours); the second leg of the journey: Takachiho to Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine (50 minutes). The Aso red beef rice burger at the shrine's parking lot was about 200 NTD, and it was really delicious. The third leg of the journey: Shrine to Kusasenri (1 hour). Unfortunately, due to an incident in January, we were unable to go to the crater, so we went to Kusasenri instead, staying for about 30 minutes, which was a bit rushed. This itinerary involves a lot of walking, so be mindful of your physical stamina!

Although the guide primarily provides information in Chinese, there will be no issues with the itinerary if you can speak a little Japanese or English. They even used a translator and made immense efforts to communicate. We were very grateful. I tried to close the bus air conditioner, 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. At Kusasenri, or the rest stop there, it seems like the parking lot gets quite crowded, causing delays if you drive your own car. I think taking the bus and going more comfortably is also a good option.

The trip was good, but unfortunately it was raining. However, the itinerary was well planned, but a little short of places to visit besides the gorge and Mt Aso. Minna, our tour guide, was good at explaining the locations in both languages. Thanks, Minna, for the guidance and our driver for a safe journey.