Kanagawa in One Day: Stroll around Owakudani — Guide Naoki

November, 2025

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

  • 9:00 Hotel
  • 10:00 Arrive at Lake Ashi, stroll through Onshi Hakone Park
  • 10:40 Board pirate ship (Hakonemachi Port – Motohakone Port), board pirate ship (Motohakone Port – Togendai)
  • 11:30 Ride Hakone Ropeway (Togendai Station – Owakudani Station)
  • 11:50 Stroll around Owakudani
  • 12:40 Ride Hakone Ropeway (Owakudani Station – Sounzan Station)
  • 12:50 Hakone Tozan Cable Car (Sounzan Station – Gora Station)
  • 13:10 Hakone Tozan Railway (Gora Station – Chokoku-no-Mori Station)
  • 　　　Visit The Hakone Open-Air Museum, lunch
  • 15:00 Disband at Gora Station

Can You Do a Private Day Trip to Hakone from Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guest was a visitor from North America, traveling in Japan. The guest was on a three-day trip to see the sights of Hakone. Under clear skies, the views of Mount Fuji and Lake Ashi were excellent, and the guest seemed very satisfied. Since the guest had a Hakone Free Pass, I suggested routes covered by the pass as much as possible. Our loop route ran Gora – Lake Ashi (Hakonemachi Port – Moto-Hakone Port – Togendai – Owakudani – Sounzan – Hakone Open-Air Museum). Departing the hotel at 9:00, we managed to stay a step ahead of the crowds. The view of Lake Ashi and Mount Fuji from Onshi Hakone Park was wonderful. On the pirate ship, we were able to relax and enjoy the scenery from the deck seats. At Owakudani, the guest was very interested in the black eggs. At this point, the guest mentioned it would be better to head from Sounzan to Gora, so we moved to Gora. We then visited the Hakone Open-Air Museum, where the guest took time to look at Tetsuya Noguchi's "A Dream Seen Wearing Armor." We had lunch at the restaurant inside the museum, where the curry rice was well received. The guest said, "I'm staying in Hakone for two more days. It was great to learn about the sightseeing spots."

Click here for more details: Hakone Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1BusMiyaginobashi / Hakone Tozan Bus～In front of hotel / Hakone Tozan Bus260JPY
Section 2BusIn front of hotel / Hakone Tozan Bus～Hakonemachi Port / Hakone Tozan Bus930JPY
Section 3OtherHakonemachi Port～Motohakone Port600JPY
Section 4OtherTogendai～Sounzan2,000JPY
Section 5TrainSounzan～Gora Station / Hakone Tozan Bus430JPY
Section 6TrainGora Station / Hakone Tozan Bus～Chokoku-no-Mori Station / Hakone Tozan Bus160JPY
Total4,380JPY

Tour Report by Naoki

English / Guide in English and German / Guiding areas are in Tokyo, Yokohama and my home town Okayama. (Since I’m based in Tokyo, I might not be able to guide in Okayama, depending on the timing.) My profile in German follows!
First of all, thank you very much for your taking time to have a look at my profile. My name is Naoki Shimono. Naoki would be fine. I’m a certified tour guide in English and German. After long years of work at Japanese electronics manufacturer, always in charge of international marketing, I’m focusing on tour guide and interpreter. As of now, I did tour guide more than 50 times in English and more than 50 times in German. Not only in Tokyo but also other cities, such as Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hakodate, Niigata, Shimizu, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Naha etc. It is always a big pleasure for me to show around Japan to guests from abroad. I’m looking forward to seeing you in Japan!

Deutsch / Reiseleiter auf Deutsch und Englisch / In Tokio und Yokohama sowie in meiner Heimatstadt Okayama. (Da ich in Tokio ansässig bin, kann ich je nach Zeitpunkt möglicherweise nicht in Okayama als Reiseleiter tätig sein.)
Zunächst einmal vielen Dank, dass Sie sich die Zeit genommen haben, mein Profil anzusehen. Mein Name ist Naoki Shimono. Naoki wäre schön. Ich bin zertifizierter Reiseleiter in Englisch und Deutsch. Nach langjähriger Tätigkeit bei einem japanischen Elektronikhersteller, wo ich stets für das internationale Marketing verantwortlich war, konzentriere ich mich nun auf die Reiseleitung und Dolmetschertätigkeit. Bisher habe ich über 50 Mal auf Englisch und über 50 Mal auf Deutsch als Reiseleiter gearbeitet. Nicht nur in Tokio, sondern auch in anderen Städten wie Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hakodate, Niigata, Shimizu, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Naha usw. Es ist mir immer eine große Freude, Gästen aus dem Ausland Japan zu zeigen. Ich freue mich darauf, Sie in Japan zu sehen!

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Oct 16, 2025
Songqi_L
Highly recommend!
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Oct 11, 2025
Gizelle K
Wonderful Experience
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