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
- 10:00 Ten'yu Meet, 10:17 by bus to Hakone Open-Air Museum, after strolling, 12:01 by bus via Kowakien 12:12, arriving at Checkpoint Ruins 12:40, after lunch at Donburi Chaya
- Maruyama Bussan, after presentation shopping, 13:56 by bus departing Checkpoint Ruins, to Motohakone Port, stopping by Hakone Shrine Red Torii, 14:40 by pirate ship, arriving at Togendai 15:05
- By ropeway, sightseeing at Owakudani, 15:57 departing Owakudani by Izuhakone bus, 16:10 at Ten'yu Station, guests disembark, disband
What Is a Private Day Tour of Hakone Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were a cheerful and lively group who seemed to want to relax and enjoy nature after four busy days in the bustle of Tokyo. Since the bus to Owakudani was delayed and waiting would have wasted time, we quickly changed plans and visited the Hakone Open-Air Museum first. There we happened to come across a group of elementary school children and exchanged some enjoyable words with them. The guests also tried a foot bath and enjoyed ice cream at a café. They were greatly impressed by the yosegi marquetry at Maruyama and made several purchases (such as a puzzle box requiring 21 moves). They also enjoyed lunch with soba and sushi. On the pirate ship they stayed on deck the whole time to take in the scenery, and at Owakudani they fully appreciated the natural beauty created by the volcano. From Owakudani we returned by the Izuhakone bus, which reached the Hotel in about 10 minutes, and we ended the tour by taking a photo of the evening scenery, including me, inside the bus.
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～Owakudani | 5,000JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Owakudani / Izuhakone Bus～Hakone-Yumoto Station / Izuhakone Bus | 950JPY |
| Total | 5,950JPY | ||
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.