Hakone in 1 Day by Private Car — Guide Hiro
July, 2024
This is a private guided tour report by Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.), a network of 1,000+ government-licensed, English-speaking local guides across all 47 prefectures of Japan. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- All transportation by Hakone Mobility, Mr. Okuba
- Waiting at Ten-yu 11:06 Received an email from John requesting pickup from Kowakidani Station. Met the driver and headed there. After meeting, returned to Ten-yu, stored luggage, and discussed the itinerary.
- Hakone Open-Air Museum and lunch. Then Sounzan, ropeway, Owakudani, Mt. Fuji and black eggs. By ropeway to Togendai 7. 15:10 pirate ship cruise, disembark at Hakonemachi Port.
- At Maruyama Bussan, presentation experience and yosegi marquetry shopping. Then returned to the hotel, dismissed at 16:45
Title: What's a Private Day Tour of Hakone Like from Odawara? A Licensed Guide's Report
The pickup point was originally set for Odawara at 9:30, but at the guests' request it was changed to a hotel meeting at 11:00, and ultimately the pickup took place at Kowakidani Station. [Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.)](https://www.j-g-a.org/) guide led this private tour for a group who were in very high spirits. Naturally, they were hungry, so we headed first to the Hakone Open-Air Museum, but the buffet was temporarily closed to new entries due to a large group. Since they preferred not to spend too much time and were interested in something quick, we had lunch at a café instead. Inside the museum, they enjoyed themselves, including interacting with some kindergarten children. At Owakudani, Mount Fuji unexpectedly came into view, so they took many photos and tried the famous black eggs. On Lake Ashi, they thoroughly enjoyed the pirate ship cruise on deck. At Maruyama, after a presentation on yosegi marquetry woodwork, they tried opening a puzzle box, each purchased items to their own liking, and also took photos with the shop staff, all of which they enjoyed. They were looking forward to the hot spring tonight. They kindly invited me to join them, but of course that would not be appropriate.
Click here for more details: Hakone in 1 Day by Private Car with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Free Pass | Odawara Station～Odawara Station | 5,000JPY |
| Total | 5,000JPY | ||
I am Hiroki Morikawa :Hiro:, English guide living with my wife ,just a hop skip and jump from Hakone, Kamakura, Tokyo and the Mt. Fuji.
I am a friendly grandfather of 4 grandchildren.
I would love to help you enjoy Japan, using my 3 strong points.
First: I am used to dealing with any kind of matters. I have experienced various situations in the 40 years of my working life.
Second: I am good at making a friendly atmosphere between you and local people to help you enjoy Japan. I was raised in western Japan, studied in northern Japan and now live in central Japan. So I know various local cultures and dialects to communicate with a wide variety of people.
Third: I can explain things from a technical point of view.
For example, how the Great Buddha was constructed, because I am a master of engineering graduated from Hokkaido University.
Please enjoy Japan with me. See you soon!!
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Jun 30, 2026
G2432BLtimothyc
Tripadvisor review: Hakone Full Day Tour with Guide and Vehicle
6 hour tour of Hakone
we had a great experience with…
Jun 30, 2026
G2432BLtimothyc
Tripadvisor review: Hakone Full Day Tour with Guide and Vehicle
6 hour tour of Hakone
we had a great experience with our guide, Hiro. Despite the weather not cooperating (rain),
Hiro was great about making adjustments so that we could see as much as Hakone as
possible.
Jun 25, 2026
T7734IPbrandons
Tripadvisor review: Hakone 6 hour Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
First time in hakone
Niro was perfect for us. He was…
Jun 25, 2026
T7734IPbrandons
Tripadvisor review: Hakone 6 hour Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
First time in hakone
Niro was perfect for us. He was flexible for our first time in Hakone and the kids enjoyed it
Jun 8, 2026
JasonB6980
Tripadvisor review: Hakone 6 hour Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Hiro-san knows Hakone!
Our guide, Hiro-san, did a wonderful job introducing…
Jun 8, 2026
JasonB6980
Tripadvisor review: Hakone 6 hour Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Hiro-san knows Hakone!
Our guide, Hiro-san, did a wonderful job introducing us to the area of Hakone – leading us on a great tour of several requested destinations. We were lucky to see Mt. Fuji at the top of the ropeway, had a fun ride on a pirate ship on Lake Ashi, enjoyed a fantastic lunch at a local restaurant, and picked up some great souvenirs at a puzzle-box store which have wowed our family and friends. One of the great things that Hiro did throughout the day was to educate and amuse us with numerous pictures, stories, and lessons from his backpack. It felt like Hiro-san was part of our family that day and we can’t imagine having tried to experience Hakone’s great sites without him.
Jun 7, 2026
Tourist31988989961
Tripadvisor review: Kamakura 8 hr Private Walking Tour with Licensed Guide from Tokyo
Great Day and Tour
Kamakura was amazing. Enjoyed…
Jun 7, 2026
Tourist31988989961
Tripadvisor review: Kamakura 8 hr Private Walking Tour with Licensed Guide from Tokyo
Great Day and Tour
Kamakura was amazing. Enjoyed visiting the beautiful gardens and shrines. Hiro was a great guide. Having him guide us made the day stress free and much more enjoyable. It was interesting learning about Japan and the culture. I would definitely recommend this tour and visiting Kamakura.