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
- 7:30 Hotel Tokyo Ginza
- 9:25 Arrive at Odawara Station, purchase Hakone Free Pass
- 10:55 Gora Park
- 11:30~12:40 Lunch @ Hyatt Regency Hakone (reserved)
- 13:00 ~13:30 Owakudani
- 13:55 Pirate ship departs Togendai Port
- 14:20 Arrive at Hakone-machi Port
- 14:25~14:50 Hakone marquetry souvenir shop
- 14:58 Hakone-machi Port, Hakone Shindo Line bus
- 15:24 Arrive at Hakone-Yumoto Station
- 15:37 Depart Hakone-Yumoto Station, board mountain railway
- 15:53 Arrive at Odawara Station
- 16:11 JR Tokaido Main Line, Platform 5, board mid-train
- 17:09 Yokohama Station (tour ended at customer's request, after which they returned to the hotel on their own)
What Is a Private Hakone Day Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report from Japan Guide Agency
[Japan Guide Agency](https://www.j-g-a.org/) guide led a private tour of Hakone for a group visiting from North America. The guests had arrived in Japan a week earlier and toured Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Tokyo, choosing Hakone as their final destination because they wanted to see Japan's natural scenery. We began at Gora Park, where the roses were in full bloom. When I mentioned, "The rose is the national flower of the United States," one of the guests replied, "I didn't know that!"
For lunch, I had heard that one of the guests needed to avoid gluten, so I researched restaurants in the area that could accommodate this and reserved the one I felt would be the most reliable and safe. The guide who had led the Tokyo tour the previous day, Narita, kindly shared information about the guests, including their meals, which was a great help.
On the day, the guests mentioned it was a special occasion, and they enjoyed some drinks and a lively conversation on a variety of topics. The weather was cloudy all day, but they cheered at the sight of Mount Fuji peeking through a gap in the clouds from the train on the way, and at the view of Owakudani seen from the ropeway. One of the guests had been looking forward to trying the black eggs, so I purchased some for them.
In Hakone-machi, at the guests' preference we did not enter the checkpoint, but I gave a brief explanation of the importance of the Hakone Checkpoint during the Edo period in front of the gate, and then took them to a Hakone marquetry (yosegi-zaiku) shop. A craftsman happened to be about to give a demonstration, which the guests watched with great interest, and afterward they purchased a number of high-value items such as puzzle boxes and sake cups.
Thanks to the guests' cooperation, we progressed slightly ahead of schedule overall, which allowed me to take them to places that had not been included in the original itinerary. When it came up in conversation that I live in Yokohama, they kindly suggested that the tour end in Yokohama and that they would return to their hotel on their own afterward. I sent them a text with directions from Yokohama to their hotel, got off at Yokohama, and ended the tour.
Click here for more details: Hakone Day Trip from Tokyo: Customized Tour, Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Subway | Ginza～Shimbashi | 178JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Shimbashi～Odawara | 1,518JPY |
| Section 3 | Free Pass | Odawara～Gora | 5,000JPY |
| Section 4 | Free Pass | Sounzan～Owakudani | 0JPY |
| Section 5 | Free Pass | Owakudani～Togendai | 0JPY |
| Section 6 | Free Pass | Togendai Port～Hakone-machi Port | 0JPY |
| Section 7 | Free Pass | Hakone-machi～Hakone-Yumoto | 0JPY |
| Section 8 | Free Pass | Hakone-Yumoto～Odawara | 0JPY |
| Section 9 | Train | Odawara～Yokohama | 990JPY |
| Total | 7,686JPY | ||
Hi, my name is Ken. I am a National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter in Japan.
I’ve been living in Yokohama, west of Tokyo, for more than 20 years.
Since 2018 I have been enjoying guiding guests from all over the globe to various attractive places in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji, and so on.
I can also bring you unique experiences such as sake tasting, car factory, beer brewery, fish markets as well as rural town in Miyagi pref., where I was born, by riding on the Shinkansen bullet train.
Please think I’m your friend in Japan. Tell me where you want to go, see, or experience. I can customize the tour for you.
My hobby is walking and jogging. I made 42K runs 9 times so far but I take it easy now.
Having worked globally in the food industry for 35 years, I love local foods of Japan and other countries.
I’ll try my best to make your visit a memorable one.
I’m looking forward to meeting you soon!
Oct 4, 2025
Ivette_S
Tour in Tokyo
Viator review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Licensed Guide from Yokohama
Our guide, Ken, kept in touch with…
Oct 4, 2025
Ivette_S
Tour in Tokyo
Viator review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Licensed Guide from Yokohama
Our guide, Ken, kept in touch with me from the moment he was assigned to our group. He is
courteous, attentive, friendly, helpful and very attentive. Would highly recommend him.
Jun 25, 2025
DTLALynn
The best tour & guide we had!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Tokyo was our last stop…
Jun 25, 2025
DTLALynn
The best tour & guide we had!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Tokyo was our last stop for our trip. And what a fantastic end it was thanks for JGA and our guide, Ken! We did a 2-day tour of Tokyo with Ken. Even prior to our tours, Ken was on top of our communication and our needs. He went out of his way to book lunches for us based on what we liked. He was rightly concerned that our party was too large for some restaurants to be able to accommodate. He adjusted our pickup time when we informed him we would not be disembarking our cruise ship at the time we had previously stated. His knowledge of Tokyo and Japan history was incredible. We learned and saw so much during our two days with him. He was very thoughtful, kind and considerate and answered all of our questions including questions from my 8 year old twin boys. At the end of our three weeks, we had visited nine cities in two countries with private tours and transportation at most of those stops. Ken was by far the best we had! Thank you Ken for making our trip unforgettable!
Jun 8, 2025
christophern458
Amazing time in Hakone
Tripadvisor review: Hakone Full-Day Private Tour(Tokyo DEP.) with Government-Licensed Guide
My family and I can not speak…
Jun 8, 2025
christophern458
Amazing time in Hakone
Tripadvisor review: Hakone Full-Day Private Tour(Tokyo DEP.) with Government-Licensed Guide
My family and I can not speak more highly of Ken. Prior to the trip, he was in contact with us finding out what we wanted to do in Hakone as well as any food allergies, which he sought out gluten free lunch options as my daughter has celiacs. He met us at the hotel and from the very beginning he was engaged. He made sure that we had the proper seats or positions for all the best views – and thankfully we were able to see Mt. Fuji. He even took care of arranging transportation from a park to the restaurant and then to the cable car. After the boat ride, he took us to a shopping area (very small) which was run by locals that my daughter was able to buy handcrafted gifts made from wood. We have already said that when we return back to Japan, we will definitely try to book him first for anything we do in the Tokyo or surrounding area. Please note that the trip to Hakone is long and that you are going for the scenery, which is spectacular. Our family is quite active, so we had no problem keeping us. However saying that, knowing Ken, if the family was not as active, he would definitely accommodate.
Apr 5, 2025
lisajayneherewini
Happy happy happy
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Instagram Highlights Private Tour with Licensed Guide
We had a lovely half day with…
Apr 5, 2025
lisajayneherewini
Happy happy happy
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Instagram Highlights Private Tour with Licensed Guide
We had a lovely half day with Ken guiding us around Tokyo. The communication before the
trip and during the trip was excellent; Ken was very personable and knowledgeable. We
would highly recommend.