Hakone Full-Day Customized Private Tour — Guide Akey

Can You Do a Private Hakone Day Tour with Young Children? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting from Oceania for their first trip to Japan. The weather was fine, and on the way to Yumoto, Mount Fuji was clearly visible, so I anticipated it would be a good tour where the guests could enjoy views of Mount Fuji. I met them at the Hotel and presented a two-piece Mount Fuji tumbler glass gift set in a mist-box package. Since some of the guests were traveling with a very young child, I brought a single-lens reflex camera and told them I would take many photos throughout the day and give them the SD card at the end. At the Hakone Open-Air Museum, the guests were delighted, enjoying the various installations, and I took many photos there. As some of the guests were very small, I had purchased two "pero pero chocolate" candies and two "Puccho" sweets each the day before and gave them as gifts. For lunch, I went to the sushi restaurant I had visited the previous week, but they said they could not accommodate our group size, so we went to a Japanese restaurant and ordered tendon, katsudon, and beer.

Because the guests came from a French-speaking background, some of them did not speak English, and English communication with the group was limited. Since I speak a little French, I spoke to the guests using some French as well. Due to the large number of foreign tourists, it took 50 minutes to board the ropeway at Sounzan. There was also an announcement that the ropeway would suspend operations if the wind became any stronger, and I worried about a repeat of the previous week, but luckily we were able to ride.

At Owakudani, Mount Fuji was beautifully visible without a single cloud, so I took many commemorative photos and was also able to capture close-up shots of Mount Fuji with a telephoto lens. I bought two bags of black eggs for 1,000 yen as a gift, and we all sat together eating them while looking at Mount Fuji. The guests also enjoyed the pirate ship and took in the scenery from the deck.

Since the Hakone Checkpoint had just closed for the day, we only viewed the exterior before heading back. The Mount Fuji glasses, sweets, black eggs, and SD card came to about 4,600 yen in expenses, but since bringing joy to the guests is a guide's duty, I do not mind at all.

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Tour Report by Akey

Hello, new friends! I’m Akio Yasui. I was born in Kyoto City and graduated from Doshisha University in Kyoto and moved to Tokyo for working. I used to work for international companies as a marketing advertising specialist. I have been to fourty five different countries until now and been to all prefectures in Japan.
I have deep knowledge of both traditional and modern culture of Japan based on my experience in Kyoto, Tokyo and their surrounding areas such as Kamakura, Nikko, Nara, Osaka. I can design exclusive and the optinum itineray for you and guide you not only to ordinary tour courses but also casual or hidden locations. My task is making you enjoy Japan and like our culture and people. Let me guide you any where you want to visit and enjoy Japan together.