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

What's a Private Day Trip from Tokyo to Hakone Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting Japan for the first time from Europe.

Three days ago, they arrived at Narita Airport via connecting flights and took a taxi to their hotel. They are staying at a hotel in Shinjuku.

Today was a day trip to Hakone from Tokyo.

Until yesterday, they had been sightseeing around the city.

This is a 12-day visit to Japan. Tomorrow they plan a day trip to Nikko. From the day after next, they will travel around Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara, and plan to return home from Kansai Airport.

They said, "We really wanted to see Mount Fuji from Hakone," and "We wanted to go somewhere a little quieter rather than Tokyo."

We were not caught in the rain, but the clouds were thick, so we were unable to see Mount Fuji.

First, we went to the Hakone Open-Air Museum.

I explained "the origins and current state of the Open-Air Museum."

Since one of the guests loves art, the sculptures were viewed with great enthusiasm. In particular, they mentioned being a fan of "Henry Moore," who is from England, and eagerly took photographs.

At the shop, they purchased "postcards" as a souvenir.

After this, we went to Owakudani via Gora and Sounzan.

Mist had settled in, and the weather was almost cold.

I explained "the origins of Hakone" and "an overview and history of Owakudani."

There were questions such as "Is Owakudani an active volcano? Has it ever erupted?" and "Is Mount Fuji also an active volcano? When did it erupt?"

They purchased and sampled the "black eggs." They said, "The smell of sulfur is incredible."

Furthermore, we took the ropeway to Togendai Port.

We boarded the Hakone Pirate Ship.

I explained "the history and current state of Lake Ashi." Although it was a little chilly, we went up to the topmost observation deck.

They said, "It's a beautiful lake and it feels wonderful."

There were also questions such as "Can you swim in it?" "What kind of fish are there?" and "Does it freeze in winter?"

We arrived at Moto-Hakone Port and had a light lunch.

After this, we walked to Hakone Shrine.

I explained "the history of Hakone Shrine."

We visited the main hall, and I explained the method of worship. The torii gate on the lake had a long line of people waiting their turn for photographs, so we took photos from the side.

They asked, "Why do so many people line up just to take a photo?"

They also commented, "Everywhere in Japan the towns are clean. There's no litter lying around," and "Everyone is so polite."

Since they said, "We have a JR Pass, so we'd like to return by Shinkansen from Odawara," I saw them off at the Shinkansen entrance of Odawara Station, 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.