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

  • 9:50 Meet 10:13 Depart Yumoto Nakajuku by bus via Motohakone Arrive Hakone Sekisho-ato 11:05 Hakone Checkpoint Old Tokaido cedar avenue After Maruyama Bussan 13:10 Pirate ship from Hakone Port 13:50 Togendai By ropeway via Owakudani Depart Sounzan 15:03 cable car via Gora, Arrive Hakone Yumoto 16:08 Walk to hotel, after picking up luggage 17:05 Depart Hakone Yumoto by bus, Arrive Odawara 17:25 After guiding to the Shinkansen platform 17:35 Dismissal The guest, after dining, 19+:35 to Kyoto by Kodama

What Is a Private Day Tour of Hakone Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests had traveled to many places around the world, but Japan was their first destination in Asia. They had studied a great deal using Japanese guidebooks. In that sense, Hakone was an ideal place from both a historical and natural perspective, and they enjoyed it very much. In particular, they were delighted by the marquetry (yosegi-zaiku) presentation at a local specialty shop, and they purchased souvenirs. It was a shame that only a small part of the foothills of Mount Fuji was visible, but I told them the legends of Mount Fuji and Lake Ashi, and they also listened with great interest to talks about Shinto, Buddhism, the Japanese way of life, and kanji, so we spent a pleasant day together. After consulting with the guests and receiving their consent, we skipped lunch to focus on sightseeing.

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1Free PassOdawara Station~Odawara Station5,000JPY
Total5,000JPY

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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