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
- 10:20 Depart from the hotel
- 10:40 Hakone Open-Air Museum
- 12:05 Ride the ropeway to Owakudani
- 13:15 Pirate ship cruise, introducing Kuzuryu Shrine, Komagatake, Onshi Hakone Park, etc.
- 14:00 After stopping by a souvenir shop, guide through the Hakone Checkpoint, and take a short stroll along the cedar avenue of the old Tokaido road
- 14:55 Lunch
- 15:35 Hakone Shrine, Kuzuryu Shrine
- 16:40 Arrive at the hotel, end of the guide
Title: What Is a Private One-Day Hakone Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The tour was originally assigned to start at 11:00, but taking the opening hours of the destinations into account, I wrote 10:00 on the shared itinerary given to the driver company. The driver received the itinerary but had not reviewed its contents, so after an urgent phone call, the guiding began about 20 minutes late. (The driver was excellent.) I reflected that I should have sent a short confirmation message the night before. The weather was beautiful, and at the Hakone Open-Air Museum the guests were able to appreciate sculptures by Rodin, Picasso, and others. At Owakudani, the guests were amazed by the vivid crater seen from the new observation deck, and were delighted to see a splendid view of Mount Fuji. Since we were able to catch an earlier pirate ship, we stopped by a souvenir shop at Hakonemachi Port, then I introduced the Hakone Checkpoint, and we walked along the old Tokaido road, reflecting on times gone by. For lunch, I discovered that the restaurant I had reserved was mainly curry-focused, so I canceled it and we enjoyed Italian food instead. At Hakone Shrine and Kuzuryu Shrine, everyone offered a coin and prayed earnestly.
Click here for more details: Hakone in 1 Day by Private Car with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Other | Sounzan～Togendai | 1,500JPY |
| Section 2 | Other | Togendai～Hakonemachi Port | 1,200JPY |
| Total | 2,700JPY | ||
My name is Shuji, meaning “Excellent Manager” in English. I was born in Hiroshima 1952. I have 2 children and 3 grandchildren.
After graduating Kyoto Univ. I joined Mitsubishi-UFJ Bank, Osaka Branch where I met my wife who was a master of Englsih, so I started studying English.
The bank allowed me to go to Columbia Graduate business school in New York and got MBA Degree there. I worked in London and Manchester Branch.
During staying in U.K., I was introduced by BBC and Financial Times News Paper about my achievement there. I was selected as a personal assistant and interpreter for the President of the Bank.
I made many business trips with him to overseas countries. I experienced as an interpreter for meeting late Henry Kissinger and the President of Citi. Corp.
I changed the job to ORIX corporation, there I was promoted to a Board Member. When the company had acquired Dutch company, I was a member as an accountant to check the Dutch company’s statements of accounts.
My hobbies are cooking, singing a song, playing tennis & golf, enjoy seeing arts especially opera & musical, travel. I am also busy with taking care of grandchildren. I passed Government Licensed Guide Exam. in 2016. After I retired in 2017, I started guide job as a part timer. So far, I accomplished guide job more than 500 times.
My area coverage is from Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji to Kyoto, Nara, Oaka, Hiroshima. I am also able to guide Tea Ceremony, Maiko/Geisha, Sushi Making, Calligraphy, Sumo, Samurai, etc. I can speak excellent English. My knowledge is very wide and deep about not only sightseeing places but Japanese History, Culture, Religion, Daily Life. I know many foreign countries and people. I love talking with all kinds of people including babies with interesting humor.
By the way, I look young for my age of 74.
Jul 16, 2026
salomons666
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Amazing with our guide Shuji very kind and acknowledge
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A great day
A great day in the Company of mr. Shuji.
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AmyfromPlano
Shuji is the best! Once we booked this tour, he reached…
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AmyfromPlano
Shuji is the best! Once we booked this tour, he reached out immediately to make sure that we had a customized tour of what we wanted to see and do in Nara. The level of details in his emails was incredible! Not only did Shuji plan a great tour but he also went above and beyond by explaining the Japan rail system, the public transportation cards (Suica, Pasmo, etc.) and even told us exactly what trains, times and gates to exit so that our meetup was seamless. Been on a lot of tours around the world and have never had this level of communication. Once we started our tour, Shuji was articulate, knowledgeable and so much fun! Nara is amazing and Shuji made it so much better – please request him!
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yeseniag981
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Our tour guide Shuji was amazing. He was…
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Our tour guide Shuji was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and made sure we were able to see everything that we wanted while in Osaka. He even took my 5 year old into consideration and took us to the Pokémon store since he is a Pokémon fan. I would definitely recommend him as a tour guide.