Kanagawa in One Day: Senkyoro-mae Bus Stop — Guide Masa

Title: What's a Private Day Tour of Hakone Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on the Full Loop from Gora to Hakone-Yumoto

The guests were a family group visiting Japan for the first time from Oceania. This was part of an approximately two-week trip to Japan. After arriving at Kansai Airport, they traveled through Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Hiroshima before coming to Hakone. They had arrived in Hakone the previous night, and after this they planned to go to Tokyo the next day, stay one night, and then return home from Narita Airport.

They mentioned, "Kansai was very hot and humid. Coming to Hakone, we can finally relax." The tour took place under perfect, almost hot, sunny weather. With a group of this size, it was difficult to keep everyone moving at the same pace, so it was a leisurely tour.

The tour followed their request: "We just want to go all the way around the main spots of 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 Cablecar to Koen-kami Station. We strolled through the museum and garden inside Gora Park.

One question was, "What is the best season to visit Hakone?"

We then continued by cablecar via Sounzan to Owakudani. Unfortunately, Mount Fuji was hidden behind clouds and we could not see it. I explained the overview and history of Owakudani. Everyone tried the "black eggs," and we 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, transferring to reach Togendai. After a short wait, we boarded the "pirate ship." From the boat, we were finally able to see Mount Fuji appear, though a little blurry, and took many commemorative photos.

We disembarked at Moto-Hakone Port and strolled through Hakone Shrine and the cedar avenue. We bought sandwiches at a convenience store for a light lunch.

They said, "Japan has so much greenery and it feels calming. Where we live, it is hot all year round and there is only barren land with no greenery."

We then transferred by bus to the Amazake Chaya, which they had requested. It was not very crowded, and they each tried "tokoroten" and "miso dengaku," followed by a short walk along the nearby mountain path.

From there, we took the bus to Hakone-Yumoto, where they bought and tried soft-serve ice cream.

They also commented, "Everywhere in Japan, the towns are orderly and clean. There is no litter." "Everyone is polite." "The trains are quiet and no one makes noise." They also said, "Kyoto was crowded with tourists, but it still made the strongest impression on us."

I saw them off at the Sengokuro-mae bus stop, and we parted ways.

Additional note: The following booking was confirmed on March 10, and finally, at 07:30 on July 1, a cancellation notice was received. Since I had reserved round-trip limited express tickets for Nikko in advance, I went to the Tobu Asakusa Station on July 3 to cancel them. I would like to request payment of my cancellation fee of 200 yen through some means. Thank you.

Booking number: JGA-T90006153 Identification number: 1234293177 Scheduled date: 2025/07/04 07:30 Tour name: Nikko Full-Day Private Walking Tour with Government-Licensed Guide (Tokyo DEP.) Type: Private

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

Tour Report by Masa

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.