Kikuchi Gorge and Kurokawa Onsen Tour

• Take a walk & experience the very relaxing Japanese custom of ‘Shinrinyoku’ (forest bathing) at Kikuchi Gorge 
• Time to enjoy a relaxing outdoor hot spring bath in the charmingly traditional village of Kurokawa Onsen. Choose from a private bath, a public bath, a mixed sex bath or even just a foot bath. If you don’t want a bath that’s fine too.
• Free time for lunch and to explore the village of Kurokawa with it’s winding streets, shops and cafes.
• Nabegataki Falls – enjoy a visit to a unique curtain waterfall formed from an ancient volcanic pyroclastic flow that you can walk all the way behind
• Daikanbo Viewpoint  – a gorgeous panoramic viewpoint on the edge of the Aso caldera, one of the world’s largest volcanic craters with views of Mount Aso; one of Japan’s most active volcanos 
• Small group tour with dedicated transport
• Highly rated, friendly and informative English speaking guide. 

Kikuchi gorge & Kurokawa Onsen Tour Details

Meeting Point: The tour begins and ends from Higo Ozu Station, a 35 to 40 minute train ride from Kumamoto City. 

Tour duration: 09:00 to 17:30 (8.5 hours)

No. of guests: Minimum 1 person, maximum 6.

Activity Level: Moderate, the tour does involve quite a lot of walking but the pace is gentle and not up any steep hills at Kikuchi Gorge. The Nabegataki falls are reached by a wooden staircase

Tour Inclusions:

English guide fee, dedicated transport, parking fees, entrance to Kikuchi Gorge

Tour Exclusions:

Lunch is not included in the tour price. But please notify us of any special dietary preferences when booking so we can advise you where to eat.

Weather: Depending on the weather forecast the itinerary may take place the opposite way round to ensure we can make the best of the day. The tour can go ahead in most weather, however in the case of heavy snow or rain it may be cancelled. 

Drop off: The drop off is at Higo Ozu station around 17:30. Trains back to Kumamoto City run approximately every 20 minutes

A drop off at Kurokawa Onsen may also be possible with advance booking. Please contact us with your hotel details to find ou

Kikuchi Gorge & Kurokawa Onsen Tour itinerary

Timings are approximate and the schedule and itinerary order may change according to the weather and time constraints.

*It is possible to customise the tour schedule if you request a private tour or are the only participants, there may be extra charges for this. Contact us to find out more.

09:00 Meet up with your guide in front of Higo Ozu Station 

17:30 Arrive back at Higo Ozu Station

Kikuchi Gorge & Kurokawa Onsen Tour Pricing                                           

1 person –         38,000 Yen                                        

2 people – 20,000 Yen per person

3 people – 19,000 Yen per person

4 people – 18,000 Yen per person     

5 people – 17,000 Yen per person

6 people – 16,000 Yen per person

Includes entrance fee to Kikuchi Gorge and Nabegataki falls.   

These prices refer to the total number of people on a tour. So if you book a tour for 1 person and no-one else joins then your price is 38,000 yen, if 2 more people join then your price is 19,000 Yen per person etc.                  

Private & customised tours available

Family discounts available. (Please contact us with your children’s ages to find out more)

All tours are paid for in cash on the day, no deposit is required. 

Cancellation Policy

Free up to 7 days before, 50% up to 24 hours before the tour and 100% on the day of the tour.

Background: Kikuchi Gorge, known as Kikuchi Keikoku 菊地渓谷 in Japanese. The gorge is renowned as one of Japan’s 44 ‘Shinrin Yoku’ or ‘Forest Bathing’ sites. The Japanese developed Forest bathing in the 1980s, the idea being to boost your health and well being by engaging with nature using all five senses, luxuriating in the sights, sounds and smells of the forest. The forest of the Kikuchi Gorge valley is particularly good for forest bathing, its rare virgin forest being high in phytoncides which infuse the air due to the natural mists which form from the many small falls and natural springs. 

The Aso caldera has abundant spring waters, giving birth to 6 different rivers, one of them is the Kikuchi river which flows out across the fertile plains of northern Kumamoto. Kikuchi Gorge is near the source of the river, where the water is at its purest and cascades over pyroclastic flows through a lush, green native forest. It’s beautiful in every season and sublime in the spring and autumn.  Kikuchi Gorge is a popular spot for keen photographers, botanists and bird watchers, in the summer many families visit to enjoy playing in the cooling waters.

Background: Kurokawa Onsen is not just one of Japan’s top hot spring resorts but also one of the least touristy, famed for its charmingly traditional and isolated setting in a lush green valley hidden away in the hillsides of Minami Oguni in Kumamoto Prefecture. Its history goes back over 300 years when the hot spring waters were first discovered and the village of Kurokawa became a convenient rest stop for Lords travelling between Hita and Taketa in Oita.

Nowadays Kurokawa Onsen’s claim to fame is down to its many traditional ryokans and the large number of ‘lotenburo’ outdoor hot springs, each in its own uniquely beautiful natural setting. There are 25 hot springs to choose from each boasting outside baths in a range of settings, offering different kind of baths and a variety of waters  each with its own distinct health benefits.

Background: Nabegataki Falls

 A 20 minute drive from Kurokawa Onsen the Nabegataki Falls are a curtain waterfall with a beautiful 20 m wide cascade which you can walk behind all the way to the far river bank. This rare geological feature is due to its formation during the huge pyroclastic eruptions of Mount Aso over 90,000 years ago.

Background: Daikanbo The highest point on the northern edge of the vast Aso Caldera which measures around 100 km in circumference – the entire area is volcanic making it Japan’s largest volcano. A volcanic mountain range rises in the center of the caldera cutting the caldera into two halves. From Daikanbo you can look down into the larger northern half. The volcanic peaks in the center are said to resemble a giant sleeping buddha. In the center of this mountain range is the still active Nakadake Volcano, Japan’s second most active volcano and one which has been worshipped as a deity for thousands of years.