Tour Itinerary
- 9:00 Meeting point: Hotel Hakone Kowakien
- 9:10 Depart Kowakien bus stop
- (Hakone Tozan Bus)
- Gora Station
- (Hakone Tozan Railway)
- Sounzan Station
- (Hakone Ropeway)
- 10:00 Arrive Owakudani Station
- Owakudani Kurotamago-kan
- Hakone Geomuseum
- 11:00 Depart Owakudani Station
- (Hakone Ropeway)
- 11:15 Arrive Togendai Station
- 11:25 Depart Togendai Station
- (Hakone Pirate Ship)
- 12:05 Arrive Motohakone Port
- Motohakone Hakone Shrine
- Cedar Avenue
- 12:45 Depart Motohakone Port bus stop
- (Hakone Tozan Bus)
- 13:00 Arrive Amazake Chaya bus stop
- Amazake Chaya Amazake Chaya
- Hakone Old Highway
- 14:00 Depart Amazake Chaya bus stop
- (Hakone Tozan Bus)
- 14:30 Arrive Hakone-Yumoto bus stop
- Hakone-Yumoto Lunch: Hakone Cafe
- 15:10 Depart Hakone-Yumoto bus stop
- (Hakone Tozan Bus)
- 15:30 Arrive Kowakien bus stop
- 15:30 Dismissal: Kowakien bus stop
Title: What Is a Private Full-Day Hakone Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report The guests were a group visiting Japan from Oceania. For some of them it was their first visit to Japan, while another had visited once before. This time they were on a trip of about two weeks. After arriving at Haneda Airport, they traveled through Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Hiroshima, then went to Mount Fuji. After that, they moved to Hakone the previous evening. Following this tour, they planned to stay in Hakone for three days and then return home from Haneda Airport. Interestingly, everyone in the group loved history and had researched Japan in various ways before the trip. They said they planned to visit the art museums of Hakone the following day. It was a tour under a perfectly clear sky, almost hot. As the guests said they were not used to walking for long periods, the tour proceeded at a relaxed pace. The tour followed their wish to "make a full loop of the main spots in Hakone." We met at their accommodation, the Hotel. First, we took the Hakone Tozan Bus to Gora Station. From there, we took the Hakone Tozan Cable Car via Sounzan to Owakudani. We took commemorative photos at Sounzan. Unfortunately, Mount Fuji was hidden by clouds and could not be seen. I explained the overview and history of Owakudani. The group tried the "black eggs" together and also visited the Geo Museum. There were questions such as "Is Owakudani an active volcano? Has it ever erupted?" and "Is Mount Fuji also an active volcano?" We took the ropeway, changing lines, to Togendai. After a short wait, we boarded the "pirate ship." From the boat, Mount Fuji finally appeared, and the guests took commemorative photos many times. We disembarked at Motohakone Port and strolled around Hakone Shrine and the cedar avenue. They said, "Japan has so much greenery, which is calming. Where we live it is hot all year round, with nothing but barren land and no greenery." We then changed buses to visit the Amazake Chaya, which they had requested. It was not very crowded, and each of them tried "amazake," "tokoroten," "miso dengaku," "mochi," and more, then strolled again along the nearby mountain path. From there, we took a bus to Hakone-Yumoto. We had a late lunch at a café near the station. They also bought and tried soft-serve ice cream. They commented, "Everywhere in Japan the towns are orderly and clean. There is no litter." "Everyone is polite." "The trains are quiet, with no one making noise." "We don't see homeless people. Why is that?" They also said, "Kyoto was crowded with tourists, but it left the strongest impression on us." I saw them off at the Kowakuen bus stop, and we parted ways.
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 | Bus | Kowakien bus stop～Gora Station | 5,000JPY |
| Section 2 | Other | Gora Station～Sounzan Station | 0JPY |
| Section 3 | Other | Sounzan Station～Owakudani Station | 0JPY |
| Section 4 | Other | Owakudani Station～Togendai Station | 0JPY |
| Section 5 | Other | Togendai Station～Motohakone Port | 0JPY |
| Section 6 | Bus | Motohakone Port bus stop～Amazake Chaya bus stop | 0JPY |
| Section 7 | Bus | Amazake Chaya bus stop～Hakone-Yumoto bus stop | 0JPY |
| Section 8 | Bus | Hakone-Yumoto bus stop～Kowakien bus stop | 0JPY |
| Total | 5,000JPY | ||
Guiding career:
Guide work started in July 2022. A guide focused on FIT compliance.
FY2022 results: 17 cases, FY2023 results: 97
Destinations: Various places in Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura and Nikko
As a recent group travel record, in October 2023, we have a track record of guiding a group of 33 people from Singapore to Narita Airport transfer plus sightseeing in Tokyo.
Self-introduction:
In the past, I was stationed in Canada, the United States, and Mexico as an expatriate of a Japanese bank for over 11 years.
Since I have been mainly involved in the financing business in the United States for a long time, I think I am able to provide interpretation and translation services related to business and finance.
I am a certified CPA in the United States.
In addition, for three years from April 2016, I will be engaged in Japanese-English translation work (part-time), and I can also handle translation work.
Although I don’t have a qualification in Spanish, but I think I can handle day to day conversation in Spanish without any problems.
My hobby is trekking and from time to time, take a walk around mountains near Tokyo like Mt. Takao, Tanzawa, etc. I think it is possible to provide tourist information here as well.
Since April 2015, I have been working as a Tokyo Metropolitan Tourism Volunteer and Tokyo Metropolitan Disaster Prevention Volunteer.
One more, I have a separate house near Asuka Village, Nara prefecture, and I stay there for a total of about 30 days every year and have been enjoying sightseeing personally in the vicinity. Therefore, I think in the Kansai region, especially in Nara, Asuka, Yoshino, Koyasan, Kumano Kodo, etc., where I think I will be able to tour guide with confidence.
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and…
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and lovely company. My 13-yr-old daughter and I had a great day walking around the sites we had picked with him. He tooks his time to explain all the history and then kindly walked us to the spot of our next booking as it was quite confusing. I would very highly recommend him. Of all the tours we did in Tokyo Masa Sam was my favourite tour guide.
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an…
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an amazing tour guide that communicated extremely well ahead of time about the sites we would like to see in Tokyo, picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel, was very friendly and well prepared and finally but most importantly made our day in Tokyo very memorable.
We went to the Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Meiji Shinto Temple, imperial Palace, Shinjuku Gyoen National Gatden, and Shibuya Crossing. All were great and amazing suggestions by Masa.
Would highly recommend this tour as it was a private tour guide for a full day and provided discretion on which 5-6 sites you want to see. Also highly recommend our tour guide Masa who was a wealth of knowledge and very friendly and charming.
15/10 would do again.
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our…
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our guide, Masa was really great. Although it was raining, he had no
hesitations in completing his tour and showing us great places around Tokyo. If you are still
on the fence about this, please don’t, you won’t regret it. Thank you, Masa!
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Adler Family Tour
Our tour with Masa was…
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Adler Family Tour
Our tour with Masa was incredible and filled with interesting facts and history, he gave us incredible insight on each location. We loved that we were able to choose 3-4 sites from a large selection and really spend enough time at each spot. Masa was kind and knowledgable and even helped us with a restaurant reservation for later in the evening when were unable to find one.
