Hakone Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Hiro
September, 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.
Tour Itinerary
- 9:00 Meet at Hotel From Sounzan, take the ropeway to Owakudani, then ropeway to Togendai 10:45 Take the pirate ship and disembark at Hakonemachi Port Sightseeing at Hakone Checkpoint Ruins Move by bus to Moto-Hakone Visit Hakone Shrine From Moto-Hakone Port, take the bus to Kowakudani Take the train and get off at Chokoku-no-Mori After guiding to near the ticket office of the Hakone Open-Air Museum, disband at 15:00 After that, the customers will return on their own via Gora by hotel shuttle car (from Gora, it is said to be the same course as yesterday)
What Is a Private Hakone Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Owakudani, Lake Ashi, and Hakone Shrine
The guests were visitors from North America. When I created a celebratory board to welcome them, they were delighted. They had a strong interest in religion, culture, nature, and art — so much so that they were also visiting Mount Koya. They thoroughly enjoyed the natural scenery of Owakudani and Lake Ashi, and at the Hakone Checkpoint and Hakone Shrine, they connected with history and touched on Japanese religion. I also gave a simple explanation about Shinto, Buddhism, everyday Japanese life, and kanji, which they listened to with great interest. The guests were very sociable and enjoyed conversations with travelers from other countries at various points along the way. In the end, they said they would like to see the Hakone Open-Air Museum on their own, so I guided them to near the ticket booth and we parted ways. They mentioned they would return to their accommodation from Gora along the same route as the previous day.
Click here for more details: Hakone Customized Private Tour in 1 Day 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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Aug 24, 2026
Deb_K
Viator review: Hakone Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Well organised tour
Hiro is obviously an experienced guide.…
Aug 24, 2026
Deb_K
Viator review: Hakone Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Well organised tour
Hiro is obviously an experienced guide. He answered any question we asked. He was well organised in dealing with our preferences and was able to taylor our itinerary to our interests. Overall a very enjoyable day. Would definitely recommend.
Aug 6, 2026
Marcus_J
Viator review: Hakone Full-Day Customized Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Had an amazing day with…
Had an amazing day with Hiro.…
Aug 6, 2026
Marcus_J
Viator review: Hakone Full-Day Customized Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Had an amazing day with…
Had an amazing day with Hiro. He gave us very comprehensive tour of Hakone. Did great explanation of history and explained a lot about culture of Japan. Very comprehensive.
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