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

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

The guests were a group visiting Japan from Oceania. It was the first visit to Japan for all of them. This trip to Japan was a three-week journey. Although school was in session, one of the guests had been brought along in the sense of "gaining broad experience."

One week earlier, they arrived at Narita Airport. After sightseeing in the city, the previous evening they took the Shinkansen via Odawara Station and arrived in Hakone. The next day, they planned to travel from Odawara Station to Kyoto. They would stay in Kyoto for a week and visit Nara, Hiroshima, and Osaka. After that, they planned to return home from Kansai Airport.

They commented, "Tokyo was fun, but there were too many people," and "Buying Shinkansen tickets was very difficult."

In the morning, the tour took place under clear skies that were almost too hot, while in the afternoon the clouds thickened and it occasionally rained. In the end, we were unable to see Mount Fuji.

From the Hotel to Hakone-Yumoto Station. Taking the Hakone Tozan Railway, we first went to the Hakone Open-Air Museum.

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

One of the guests said they were "a fan of Picasso," and they enthusiastically admired the sculptures and took many photos.

They also wanted to try the "foot bath."

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

From here, we transferred between the cable car and the ropeway to reach Owakudani.

I explained "the origins of Hakone," "its history as a hot spring and summer retreat," 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 tasted the "black eggs," commenting, "The smell of sulfur is amazing."

Then, by ropeway, we went on to Togendai Port.

We boarded the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise. At this point, it began to rain.

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

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

We arrived at Moto-Hakone Port. At the strong request for lunch, we went to a bakery and restaurant.

After that, in the light rain, we went to Hakone Shrine.

They also commented, "Everywhere in Japan the streets are clean. There is no litter." "There are no trash cans." "It is quiet inside the trains."

There were also many questions such as "What is the annual income of Japanese people?" and "How do taxes and social insurance work?"

I saw them off at the public bus stop at Hakone-Yumoto 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.