Hakone Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Hide
October, 2024
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
- 11:00 Meet up @ Kowakien Tenyu
- 11:29 – 11:34 Tenyu → Sounzan Station entrance (Transport: Izuhakone Bus) (CU-MO, taking photos on the terrace, etc.)
- 11:50 – 12:05 Sounzan → Owakudani (Transport: Hakone Ropeway)
- 12:05 – 12:35 Strolling around Owakudani & taking photos and buying black eggs
- 12:35 – 13:00 Owakudani → Togendai (Transport: Hakone Ropeway)
- 13:15 – 13:40 Togendai → Hakonemachi Port (Transport: Hakone Pirate Ship)
- 13:45 – 14:20 Lunch @ Fujimiya
- 14:30 – 14:50 Fujimiya → Motohakone Port (Transport: via the Hakone Old Highway cedar avenue)
- 15:03 – 15:18 Motohakone Port → Ninotaira entrance (Transport: Hakone Bus)
- 15:18 – 15:25 Ninotaira entrance → Hakone Open-Air Museum (Transport: on foot)
- 15:30 – 16:30 Strolling around the Hakone Open-Air Museum
- 16:45 Disband @ Hakone Open-Air Museum
What Is a Private Hakone Day Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Lake Ashi, Owakudani, and the Open-Air Museum
It had been a while since I guided guests from Europe, who were traveling in Japan on this occasion. The weather was generally good but with many clouds, and it was nice that Mount Fuji could be seen briefly through a gap in the clouds from Hakonemachi Port on Lake Ashi. At Owakudani, as always, every tourist let out exclamations and took photos at the dramatic change of scenery just before arriving at Owakudani Station on the ropeway. Regarding the cold, the guests said it was about the same as back home and completely fine. This felt quite different from my own sense of the temperature, but I was glad they were not sensitive to it. Also, like other guests, they seemed to find the scenery of the old Tokaido cedar avenue beautifully Japanese, and they were very pleased with it this time as well. The Hakone Open-Air Museum afterward (although one of the guests said they generally did not care much for art museums) turned out to be a place they felt was truly wonderful, and both of them were greatly delighted.
On a separate note, regarding the special cabin on the pirate ship, we were told that it would not be free of charge without documents from the travel agency. I am not sure whether the "booking confirmed" email would be acceptable. I have not yet shown it to confirm, but it seemed basically difficult. I intend to check again.
Click here for more details: Hakone Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Bus | Tenyu～Sounzan entrance | 220JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Sounzan Station～Owakudani | 1,500JPY |
| Section 3 | Ferry | Togendai～Hakonemachi Port | 1,200JPY |
| Section 4 | Bus | Motohakone Port～Ninotaira entrance | 650JPY |
| Total | 3,570JPY | ||
I registered as a national guide in February 2015 and began working as an interpreter guide in 2019. I have been guiding throughout Tokyo (I was born and raised in Setagaya and went to elementary and junior high school in Aoyama, Minato-ku. I am familiar with sightseeing spots and gourmet food in this area, including Shibuya), and I now live in Kanagawa (Yokohama where I have lived more than 30 years, and Kamakura, Odawara, Hakone)
I worked for the Japanese branch of an American advertising company for over 30 years and, thus, have deep knowledge of marketing and branding.
My hobbies are travel (domestic and international) and bicycling (I have participated in the Tour de Okinawa citizens’ race every year since 2017. I ride approx. 7,000 kilometers a year). When traveling in Japan, I enjoy traditional crafts, local products, food, and sake from each region. I am also active in a band as a third hobby, performing live once a year for ten years.
As a guide, I mainly guide small groups (about 4-5 people), where I can communicate more closely and politely with them, rather than large groups.
My activity aims to deepen the understanding of Japanese traditional culture and the Japanese people among foreign visitors and to make a small contribution to making Japan the number one country to revisit in their hearts.
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Carol_S
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Great way to start a trip
Hidecki reached out a couple of…
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Carol_S
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Great way to start a trip
Hidecki reached out a couple of days to ask what landmarks we wanted to see, and then
came up with a great itinerary. Hidecki was an amazing guide, he was brilliant in imparting
the history of the areas. Cannot thank him enough. This was a great way to start our trip.
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Alain_V
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Belle visite
Merci beaucoup à notre guide Ideaki qui nous a permis…
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Alain_V
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Belle visite
Merci beaucoup à notre guide Ideaki qui nous a permis de découvrir Yokohama. Toujours
bien présent pour parfaire nos demandes.
素晴らしい訪問でした。
横浜を案内してくれたガイドのIdeakiさんには大変感謝しています。私たちの要望にしっかり応えてくれ、常にきめ細やかに対応してくれました。
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Excellent Guide made for an Excellent Tour
We enjoyed our tour because of the outstanding guide we had. Hide, our guide, contacted us in advance to determine what we wanted to see and do. Because we wanted a special lunch, he sent links for three restaurants that fit our criteria so we could select which would be best for us. He easily adjusted our itinerary if we wanted to spend a little more time somewhere or make a quick stop to buy a snack or souvenir. He gave great explanations of what sights we were visiting.
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Jeff_M
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Jeff_M
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Short tour of a huge city
Hideiki obviously wanted to give us the best experience possible, asking many questions
about our interests and priorities.