Kanagawa in One Day: Gora Station & Hakone-Yumoto Station — Guide Masa

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

The guests were a group visiting Japan from Europe, all visiting Japan for the first time. The night before, they contacted me asking to move the departure time 30 minutes earlier.

One of the guests is currently studying at a university abroad.

This was a 13-day trip to Japan, with time spent in Tokyo, followed by Hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Osaka, before returning to Tokyo and heading home.

The previous afternoon they had arrived in Hakone and visited Gora Park and the Pola Museum of Art.

They said they wanted to visit places that convey a sense of Japanese history.

I met the guests at their accommodation.

We took the Hakone Tozan Cable Car and the ropeway, transferring via Sounzan to Owakudani.

I explained "the formation of Hakone" and "an overview and history of Owakudani." The guests tried the "black eggs" and also visited the Geo Museum.

They asked questions such as "When were the volcanoes of Hakone formed?", "Is Owakudani an active volcano? Has it ever erupted?", and "Is Mount Fuji also an active volcano?"

We continued by ropeway to Togendai. After a short wait, we boarded the "pirate ship."

They stayed up on the top deck the whole time and took many commemorative photos.

They asked questions such as "How deep is Lake Ashi? What is the water temperature?", "Can you swim in it?", and "Can you fish there?"

They mentioned that in their home country you can swim in lakes no matter how cold the water is.

We disembarked at Hakone Motomachi Port and headed to Hakone Shrine.

I explained "the history of Hakone Shrine."

Regarding the torii gate on the lake, they asked, "Why are so many people lining up to take photos?"

We had a light lunch at a cafe.

After this, we took the Hakone Tozan Bus and the Hakone Tozan Railway to the "Hakone Open-Air Museum."

We walked around the grounds in the hot and humid weather.

They said, "There are many museums back home too, but the exhibits here are wonderful."

They also commented, "Everywhere in Japan the towns are so orderly," "There's no litter on the ground," "Everyone is polite," "There are no trash cans on the streets," and "Security seems very well managed."

They said they wanted to go to Hakone-Yumoto and take a walk, so I saw them off at Hakone-Yumoto and we parted ways.

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.