Hakone Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Shinji
February, 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 Meet at Odawara Station 10:00 Drop off luggage at hotel in Gora 10:25 Hakone Open-Air Museum 12:30 Owakudani 13:20 Lake Ashi Cruise 14]00 Motohakone Port
- 14:15 Hakone Shrine 15:30 Disband at Kowakidani Station
Title: What Is a Private Day Tour of Hakone Like from Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report
The private tour of Hakone was originally set to start with a 9:00 meeting at Odawara Station, but it turned out that the guests were planning to arrive on a bullet train from Tokyo Station at 8:00, so I moved my arrival earlier and reached Odawara Station at 8:00. However, the guests missed their train at Tokyo Station, so in the end I waited until 9:00 before we were able to meet. At my suggestion, we first dropped off their luggage at the hotel and then started the tour from there. At the open-air art museum, the guests showed a great deal of interest and kept taking many photos of the artworks, which put us behind schedule, so we decided to skip lunch at a restaurant. At Owakudani, the cold and strong wind kept us from going outside, but the guests were delighted to see Mount Fuji from the ropeway. At Togendai, we hurriedly ate a light meal in the short time before the sightseeing boat departed. The guests were very satisfied to be able to visit Hakone Shrine, which they had wanted to see most of all. One of the guests had a lot of energy and walked quickly throughout, while another seemed a little tired, but all's well that ends well, and we parted with everyone looking satisfied. Afterward, I received a message of thanks from one of the guests.
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～Gora | 5,000JPY |
| Total | 5,000JPY | ||
Before I started the guiding job in 2022, I had worked for private companies and been engaged in overseas business, which led me to be stationed in various English-speaking countries. Taking advantage of such experiences and also wishing to reciprocate the kindness extended to me during my career, I have decided to help visitors to Japan enjoy their stay and obtained a national guide license.
I am very honored and pleased to assist guests from overseas and enjoy seeing them having a great time visiting interesting spots in Japan and learning about the country. I look forward to serving more new guests and seeing them smile at the end of my private tours.
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For those not wanting to read my entire post, let me say if you are going to Hakone, consider hiring Shinji. He is marvelous!
We went to Hakone, a notable spa town and a popular tourist destination due to its many hot springs being within view of nearby Mount Fuji, the most visited mountain in Japan. With our guide Shinji we visited the Hakone open air Museum, Hakone Shrine, Lake Ashi, Hakone, Japan, and took the Lake Ashi Cruise. Shinji’s knowledge about the sites, trains, cable cars, cruise, history, culture and languages (Japanese and English) made for a most efficient and memorable experience. Lastly, Shinji was very patient, as our getting to Hakone took more time than we expected, and adaptable, as we made the necessary adjustments to visit every relevant site we had hoped for. Great trip with a great guide!