Takachiho

Tour guide Han Xue served and explained things to everyone with great dedication. The boating was so much fun and the scenery was exceptional. If you choose this tour, make sure you have enough stamina!

The app's emails, which were in Chinese, could use some improvement, but I received one in Japanese three days before the trip. We were supposed to meet near the bus rotary at Hakata Chikushiguchi and head for the yellow flags, but when we got there, there were a lot of people with yellow flags. I checked with one of them, and he was fluent in English, Japanese, and Chinese, directing us. Since the tour is run by a Chinese company, the tour conductor was a Chinese national, Mr. You, a 10-year veteran guide. When we gathered in the medium-sized bus, we realized we were the only two Japanese people there—everyone else was foreign. Conversely, we were treated specially, sitting in the front row. The tour was a speedy, efficient day trip. I imagined a Japanese travel agency would have allowed a little more time, but the time was perfectly timed. However, after the trip, I realized they were trying to accommodate foreigners, since they couldn't always visit at their leisure, by showing us as many places as possible. At the iconic Takachiho waterfall in Miyazaki, we even enjoyed rowing our own boat. I couldn't paddle well, so I plunged into a waterfall. Getting wet was a good memory. The Miyazaki beef for lunch was seriously delicious.

Takachiho Gorge is located in a remote area, and the tour we booked this time was quite pleasant. Although the tour was during the holiday traffic peak, our tour guide, Wang Qi, managed the time very well and arrived at Hakata Station on time at 18:00. During the tour, he did not skimp on introducing the scenery and taking good care of our group. The whole trip was very relaxing and comfortable.

As it was a long holiday, the place was packed early in the morning. We spent a while looking for the meeting point and our guide, Roger. He was a really nice, warm-hearted guy. Since the hike was quite challenging, he kept encouraging everyone and reminded us of little details. Back on the bus, we all said, "Welcome back, you've worked so hard!" We felt right at home. Our first stop was Kamishikimi Kumanoza Shrine, which was truly beautiful no matter how we photographed it. The misty green gave it a mysterious feel, but because there were so many people, we were bound to miss people in our photos. Our second stop was Amayasu River, a hiking trail focused on seeing a large cave and Amano Iwato Shrine, a true wonder of nature. Our third stop was Takachiho Gorge, a canyon formed by basalt on both sides. The deep green river channel is slightly translucent, making it one of the most famous gorges in the world. It also features the Shinmeiji Falls, with a 17-meter-high column of water cascading down. We could also sign up for a boat cruise, a truly rare experience. Finally, the tour company gave each of us a box of Takachiho souvenirs, which made the trip well worth it.