[Kyushu Chartered Free Travel] Kumamoto One-Day Tour｜Mt. Aso, Kusanagi, Urumasa Shrine, Shirakawa Water Source, Kurokawa Hot Spring, Kumamoto Castle｜Free to choose the attractions you want to visit!

【Grand View Peak】 It is about 50 meters high and looks like an upside-down rice bowl. It is a very beautiful mountain. Especially in spring and summer, the entire mountain is rendered with greenery, forming a beautiful scenery.

【Aso Nakadake Crater】 Mount Aso is one of the few active volcanoes in the world and has the largest caldera in the world. Fire eruptions began about 300,000 years ago, and the current crater was formed in four major eruptions up to 90,000 years ago. There are countless old and new craters in Mt. Aso, as well as large and small ones. The crater, rolling plateaus and mountain scenery make Aso Nakadake Crater one of the most popular mountaineering tourist attractions in Japan.

【Shirakawa Water Source】 The Shirakawa water source is an underground spring that gushes out of the Aso Crater, and is one of the spring water groups in Minami Aso Village. It is the source of the first-class river "Shirakawa" in Kumamoto City, and is a well-known water source selected as one of the "Top 100 Famous Waters" by the Environment Agency (now the Ministry of the Environment). The water quality is medium hard water containing trace amounts of carbon dioxide, and its mellow water quality is widely recognized. It is also the raw water used for local famous wines and commercial bottled water. Anyone is free to take water back, and many travelers come here just to get water. There is no water inlet, and it is quite rare to get spring water directly from the pool.

【Sage Mamano Ursa Shrine】 Sagemi Kumanoza Shrine is the prototype of the story of the popular Japanese girl manga "Hotfire Forest (荍火の多へ)", and it is the place where the girl and Gin met. In recent years, it has become a popular check-in attraction in Aso.

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【Kurokawa Hot Spring】 Kurokawa Onsen is a hot spring resort in Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture, with thirty inns surrounded by lush mountains. On the open-air bath hot spring tour, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery that changes with the seasons and the rich qualities of spring. You can also enjoy bathing while enjoying the scenery♨️

【Kikuchi Valley】 Located in the corner of Aso Kuju National Park, the Kikuchi Valley is formed by the flowing water of Mount Aso Waiwa. It is about 4 kilometers long and is also called the Kikuchi Water Source (one of the top 100 famous waters in Japan). The spring water here has a water temperature of about 13 degrees even in midsummer, making it a very suitable place to escape the heat. The red leaves in autumn also have a special flavor.

【Asuka Deli Paradise】 This is a theme park where you can meet bears and various animals from all over the world. In Kyushu, you can only experience hugging bear cubs here, and you can interact with dogs from all over the world. The "interactive area" where cats, alpacas and capybaras interact is also popular. You can also watch performances by Coach Miyazawa and the chimpanzee "Pudding", as well as exciting performances by animal trainers and animals active in the world.

【Pot Waterfall】 Local thoughtful people have reorganized the trail leading to the waterfall, giving everyone the opportunity to appreciate this spiritual space. The waterfall is 9 meters high and 20 meters wide. Compared with the height of the waterfall, the wide river surface feels softer, so the figure in the new green season gives people a more graceful feeling.

【Suizenji Chengqu Garden】 With its clear springs and swimming carps, Suizenji Jojoen (commonly known as Suizenji Temple Park), a famous garden representing Kumamoto, is a Momoyama-style pond and spring garden located in the Izumi Shrine that enshrines the Hosokawa clan. It was built about 360 years ago. Suizenji Seriquen Garden originated from the "Suizenji Ochaya" built by Hosokawa Tadayoshi, the 1st generation lord of Kumamoto, in 1636, as a place to entertain guests and have banquets. After adding springs and mountains, it became its current appearance.

【Kumamoto Castle】 Kumamoto Castle is a castle that was started in 1601 and completed in 1607 by Kato Kiyomasa, the general under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was named the lord of Kumamoto Castle. Kumamoto Castle, Nagoya Castle and Himeji Castle are collectively known as the three most famous castles in Japan. Because there are many ginkgo trees planted in the city, it is also called Ginkgo Castle. When it was first completed, Kumamoto Castle was 9 kilometers in circumference and covered an area of about 980,000 square meters. It had 3 castle towers, 49 oars, 18 oar gates, and 29 gates. It was quite spectacular in scale.

【Kumamon Plaza】 As the sales director and happiness director of Kumamoto Prefecture, he is the base for "Kumamon" activities at home and abroad. It is also a place to spread information about Kumamoto Prefecture’s tourism and products. Here, the world's only "Kumamon Sales Director's Office" sells souvenirs limited to the plaza, and has rich and interesting contents such as a food menu using ingredients produced in Kumamoto Prefecture. When Minister Kumamon is around, you can also interact with Kumamon and watch Kumamon’s stage performances.