Kanagawa in One Day: Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu — Guide Masa
November, 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
- 10:00 Meeting place: Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu
- 10:00 Depart Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu
- (Taxi)
- 10:10 Arrive Gora
- Gora Gora Park / Hakuun-do
- 10:40 Depart Gora
- (Taxi)
- 11:00 Arrive Hakone Open-Air Museum
- Open-Air Museum Hakone Open-Air Museum
- 12:00 Depart Hakone Open-Air Museum
- (Taxi)
- 12:20 Sounzan Station
- (Hakone Ropeway)
- 12:40 Arrive Owakudani Station
- Owakudani Owakudani
- Kurotamago-kan
- 13:30 Depart Owakudani Station
- (Hakone Ropeway)
- 13:40 Arrive Togendai Station
- 13:55 Depart Togendai Port
- (Hakone Pirate Ship)
- 14:30 Arrive Hakonemachi Port
- Hakonemachi Hakone Checkpoint Ruins
- Old Highway Cedar Avenue
- Late lunch: Tori-ten Ichiya
- 15:10 Depart Hakonemachi Port
- (Taxi)
- 15:30 Hotel
- Hotel Short break in the lounge
- 15:45 Hotel
- (Taxi)
- 16:00 Arrive Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu
- 16:00 Disband: Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu
Tour Itinerary in Detail
This private tour of Kanagawa began at 10:00, when the guide met the guests at Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu, and finished at 16:00. The day ran to 6 hours from start to finish.
From there the group visited Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu at 10:00, Gora at 10:10, Hakone Open-Air Museum at 11:00, Sounzan Station at 12:20, Owakudani Station at 12:40, Togendai Station at 13:40, Togendai Port at 13:55, Hakonemachi Port at 14:30 and Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu at 16:00.
Travel between the sites was by public transport: Sounzan to Togendai (1,500JPY); Togendai Port to Hakonemachi Port (1,200JPY). Across 2 sections the fare came to 2,700JPY per person.
Private Hakone Day Tour Report: What Can a Licensed Guide Show You in One Day?
The guest was a visitor from North America who runs a travel company, in Japan on a research trip to promote Japan tourism from North America. The guest was staying in Japan for three weeks, visiting Tokyo, Nikko, and Hakone, as well as Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe, and Hiroshima, before returning home. The guest had arrived in Hakone the previous day and planned to take the Shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto the next morning.
At the guest's request, the plan was to visit as many spots as possible, keeping the time at each location short. The guest had emigrated to North America many years ago from Asia. The arrangements for this tour had been made through a friend based in Oceania who also runs a travel company, with the comment that there were no travel companies well-versed in Japan travel in their home region.
It was a tour that took place amid lingering mist after the rain, though we were not caught in any rain.
At the guest's request, we visited "Hakuun-do Chaen" in Gora Park, where the guest experienced matcha and traditional sweets. After that, we went to the "Hakone Open-Air Museum." Although the scenery could not be enjoyed in the mist, the guest commented, "Of all the museums I have seen around the world, this is the most wonderful." As a souvenir, the guest purchased an art book covering the works in the grounds.
After that, we continued to "Owakudani" and the "Pirate Ship," both of which the guest had requested. Saying "I knew about it from SNS," the guest bought and tasted the black eggs. On the pirate ship, the mist began to clear, and the scenery was reasonably good.
The guest asked, "Is Hakone a national park?" and "Can an individual buy land and build a villa in Hakone?"
From there, we briefly toured the "Hakone Checkpoint Ruins" and the "Old Highway Cedar Avenue," which the guest had said they definitely wanted to see. The guest asked, "What was the checkpoint for?" and I explained about "the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration," "the Tokugawa shogunate system," and "the Five Highways."
Saying "I'm getting hungry," the guest had a late lunch.
Saying "I definitely want to see the hotel where John Lennon and Chaplin stayed," we went to the Hotel and rested in the lounge. The guest asked, "When did it open?" "Why was a hotel built here so long ago?" and "Who is the owner of the hotel?" I explained about "the Meiji Restoration and its aftermath."
The guest commented, "Everywhere in Japan, the towns are orderly and clean. There's no litter." "Everyone is polite." "I felt safe everywhere." The guest also said, "The trains run precisely. I feel I can send travelers here with confidence."
I saw the guest off to the hotel where they were staying, and we parted ways.
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 Port～Hakonemachi Port | 1,200JPY |
| Total | 2,700JPY | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does this Kanagawa tour start and finish?
The guide met the guests at Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu at 10:00, and the tour finished at : Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu at 16:00.
How long does the tour last?
About 6 hours in total, from 10:00 to 16:00.
Which places does this itinerary cover?
This tour visited Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu, Gora, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Sounzan Station, Owakudani Station, Togendai Station, Togendai Port, Hakonemachi Port and Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu.
How much did transport cost on this tour?
Public transport came to 2,700JPY per person across 2 sections. Transport fares are paid by the guests and are not included in the guiding fee.
Is the guide licensed, and what language is the tour in?
Masa is a government-licensed national guide-interpreter of Japan and guided this tour in English. Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.) works with more than 1,000 licensed guides across all 47 prefectures. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Can the itinerary be changed for my own trip?
Yes. This report describes one private tour as it actually ran. Every Kanagawa itinerary is built around the guests, so the places, the pace and the starting point can all be changed before the tour.
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.
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
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Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and…
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and lovely company. My 13-yr-old daughter and I had a great day walking around the sites we had picked with him. He tooks his time to explain all the history and then kindly walked us to the spot of our next booking as it was quite confusing. I would very highly recommend him. Of all the tours we did in Tokyo Masa Sam was my favourite tour guide.
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an…
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an amazing tour guide that communicated extremely well ahead of time about the sites we would like to see in Tokyo, picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel, was very friendly and well prepared and finally but most importantly made our day in Tokyo very memorable.
We went to the Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Meiji Shinto Temple, imperial Palace, Shinjuku Gyoen National Gatden, and Shibuya Crossing. All were great and amazing suggestions by Masa.
Would highly recommend this tour as it was a private tour guide for a full day and provided discretion on which 5-6 sites you want to see. Also highly recommend our tour guide Masa who was a wealth of knowledge and very friendly and charming.
15/10 would do again.
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
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Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our…
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
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Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our guide, Masa was really great. Although it was raining, he had no
hesitations in completing his tour and showing us great places around Tokyo. If you are still
on the fence about this, please don’t, you won’t regret it. Thank you, Masa!
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
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Our tour with Masa was…
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
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Our tour with Masa was incredible and filled with interesting facts and history, he gave us incredible insight on each location. We loved that we were able to choose 3-4 sites from a large selection and really spend enough time at each spot. Masa was kind and knowledgable and even helped us with a restaurant reservation for later in the evening when were unable to find one.