Best Memories of Hakone
Joined 2014
Hakone is very popular place for one day trip from Tokyo. We will take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Odawara and a mountain train, a ropeway and cruise Lake Ashi by the Pirate ship to enjoy her various scenery. Hakone is famous for hot spring public baths, you can try one if you want. If the weather is fine, you can see the magnificent view of Mt. Fuji from several places. I've been to Hakone more than 100 times and can help you to make best memories.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At your hotel
- I will meet you near the reception. I will show your name on my iPad.
The following is a standard plan with optional places you can choose. There also shown approximate time duration.
At your hotel
I will pick you up near the reception.
9:30-11:00 AM: Transportation to Hakone Yumoto, purchase Hakone Free Pass
Transportation: Taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Odawara which runs about 280 Km/h (about 8,000/4,000 JPY for a round trip per adult/under 12 ) It is very impressive to observe other express Shinkansen passing by at Odawara station. We will buy the Hakone Free Pass (5,000/1,000 JPY per adult/under 12) which is a very economical pass to travel Hakone. The we will take a local train to Hakone Yumoto; the entrance of Hakone. If you are staying near Shinjuku station and not interested in taking the Shinkansen, you can take the Romance car from Shinjuku station directly to Hakone Yumoto about 5,000/2,500 JPY for a round trip per adult/under12). This express train is not so rapid, but you can save the time to go to Tokyo station and change trains at Odawara station.
11:00-12:00 AM: Transportation to Lake Ashi by a bus
Transportation: Taking a bus from Hakone Yumoto to Lake Ashi to view Mt. Fuji as early as possible when it is clear (We will take the mountain train in our return trip.)
12:00-12:30 PM Hakone Shrine
Hakone Shrine; We will walk to the Hakone Shrine, which was established in 757. You can see the Torii gate for peace on the lake and the sanctuary of the nine headed dragon which used to suffer people.
12:30-13:20 PM: Lunch
Lunch; I will take you to my favorite Japanese restaurant where you can eat Tempura, Japanese noodle, Katsudon, etc. (about 2,000 JPY per person).
13:25-13:50 PM: Cruising Lake Ashi
Cruising Lake Ashi; We will take the popular pirate ship (Included in Hakone Free Pass).
14:00-15:00 Ropeway via Owakudani volcano
15:30-16:30 PM: You can choose one place from Options #A to #C shown below.
You can find pictures of these places in the following URL.
Please check out their homepages shown after HP on each place.
Option#A. Gora park
Option#B. Hakone Open Air Museum
Hakone Open Air Museum; The most popular spot for local Japanese. Many unique sculptures, funs for children and Picasso Gallery. Admission for adult/student/child: 2,000/1,800/800 JPY, Guide: free
Option#C. Hakone Museum
Hakone Museum; Popular for autumn leaves, closed on Thursdays, Admission (adult/student/child/senior): 1,430/660/free/1,210 JYP
16:30-17:30 PM: Transportation to Hakone Yumoto by a bus or the mountain train.
17:30-18:30 Return to Tokyo
Return to Tokyo by the Shinkansen or Romance car.
At your hotel
End of the tour
Special orders : You can order the following places #1 to #5
I will offer you a modified plan with necessary trade offs/ additional charge. You can find pictures of these places in the following URL.
Special#1. Narukawa Art Museum instead of Hakone Shrine
Narukawa Art Museum with good view of Mt. Fuji and fine Japanese paintings . ; Admission fee: 1,200 JPY, Guide: free, good place to view Mt. Fuji
Special#2. Old Tokaido road walking instead of Hakone Shrine
Old Tokaido road including Hakone check point museum during Edo period; 30 min walk, Admission for adult/child: 500/250 JPY
Special#3. Taking a hot spring bath at Hakone Yumoto with one hour extension
Public outdoor bath:2,000 JPY or Private indoor bath :about 10,000 JPY per bathroom per 90 min.
If you have a large tattoo, you may not be allowed to enter.
If your tattoo is small, you can cover it up.
You have to pay one hour extension fee of 5,000 JPY to take this option.
Special #4. Venetian Glass Museum instead of Owakudani and the optional place
Venetian Glass Museum; It has a beautiful garden with lots of trees made of glass which glitter under the Sun. The museum has a nice collection of Venetian glasses and souvenirs. Note that you can't visit Owakudani volcano with the ropeway if you choose this museum due to the locations of both places. Admission fee: 1400 JPY, Guide: free, good place when you cannot see Mt. Fuji
Special#5. Mishima Sky Walk instead of Hakone Shrine
Mishima Sky Walk; It's a 400m long suspension bridge with the view of Mt. Fuji, the longest walk bridge in Japan. It's a new attraction. (Admission for adult/student/child 1,100/500/200 JPY)
Ending Point
At your hotel
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Guide fee
Hotel pick up near Tokyo
Transportation fee of you and the guide. (about 10,000 JPN/person, including the cruising)
Lunch fee of about 2000 JPN (you and the guide)
Hotel pickup within Hakone, I can pick you up at your hotel in Hakone if you pay me extra 10,000 JPY during the tour as I live about 3 hours away from there.
Tour Important Information
1. View of Mt. Fuji; The possibility of viewing Mt Fuji depends on the season, more than 60% in winter while less than 20% in summer. But there are other interesting places in Hakone such as cruising Lake Ashi and Open Air Museum.
2. Transportations; I usually take public transportations but I can arrange a chartered taxi from Odawara if you want. It will cost about 50,000 JPY per five hours up to 4 persons including me.
3. I will buy our tickets for the Shinkansen about one week before the tour to get good seats. If you are going to use JR pass, let me know by one week before the tour.
4. Congestion of transportations; Hakone will be very crowded during the first week of May (Golden week holidays) and weekend days of November (Autumn color season). But I will choose the most efficient and comfortable way.
5. Suspension of the Ropeway; The ropeway to Owakudani is sometimes closed when the sulfur gas concentration of the area exceeds 0.2ppm or during severe weather conditions. In the case of suspension, I would recommend you to visit the Venetian Glass Museum by a bus.
- The tour guide is not available on Mondays and Fridays.
- Please, send a direct message to the tour guide for confirming the availability before booking
Not available on Mondays.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2014
About Tour Guide Yuki K.
I was born and grew up in Yokohama. I used to work in Tokyo for more than 20 years. I became the National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter in English in 2013. At first, I had attended a volunteer group which provided a tour of the Imperial Palace East Gardens until 2015. I guided more than fifty times in the garden as a volunteer and studied about Japanese history and culture. Based on this experience, I became a tour guide of this online site in 2015.
Since then, I have guided more than 500 tours in Tokyo as well as Yokohama, Kamakura, Hakone, Kyoto, Nikko, etc., while improving my tours. My tours are very flexible and I always do my best to customize them according to the interests of my guests. I studied about the places and will provide you knowledge to appreciate them more deeply than just visiting there by yourself or a member of group tours. I like foods and I know many restaurants which provide typical Japanese lunch with reasonable price without waiting too long. Therefore, I am sure that I can provide you the best tours customized to your interests. It will be my great pleasure to help you to enjoy your stay in Japan. So please be my guest!!
Reviews
Celia K.
“Would have not made it without YUKI!”
Almost overwhelming, but in such a good way! Honestly, we would not have made it through the labyrinth of subways, buses, trains, and train stations without Yuki’s expert guidance. It was so satisfying to do Tokyo like a local!
Yuki K.
Dear Celia Thank you for your review just after our tour to Kamakura. I was worried about Marty for his bad knee but he made it at Hesedera temple to walk up many stairs. I tried to make our public transportations easy but they were crowded sometimes. I'll be glad if my tour helps you enjoy traveling Japan. Thank you for taking my tour. Yuki
Carla E.
“A great day in Japan with Yuki! ”
A huge thank you to Yuki for a wonderful day in Japan! He crafted a personalized itinerary, and the tea ceremony workshop was one of the highlights of our trip. Yuki's extensive knowledge and warmth made the experience truly special. His helpfulness and attention to detail ensured a seamless and enjoyable day. We're so grateful to have had Yuki as our guide.
Yuki K.
Dear Carla Thank you for taking your time to write the review of my tour. I enjoyed the tea ceremony and sushi lunch with your family in Asakusa. The cherry blossoms start to bloom now and I hope you can see their full bloom during your stay. Please make the best of your time in Japan. Please give my best regards to your family. Yuki
Janet H.
“Excellent Tokyo tour either Yuki!”
My husband and I had the pleasure of touring with Yuki today. We explored the lovely Imperial Palace East Gardens, the Fukagawa Edo Museum, enjoyed a fabulous sushi lunch, the gorgeous Kiyosumi Gardens, and the Hie Shrine. Yuki was especially knowledgeable about the Imperial Palace East gardens. We asked him many questions all day, and he proved patient and knowledgeable. We learned a lot and would definitely recommend Yuki!
Yuki K.
Dear Janet Thank you very much for writing such a good review of my tour. You are the perfect guests for the historical places we visited today. I'm glad if you like the sushi place I found recently. They serve very good fish from Toyosu, the new whole sale market, moved from Tsukiji. Please enjoy your stay in Japan. Yuki
$267/ per group
More tours by Yuki K.
Tokyo tour à la carte
This tour covers my favorite places in Tokyo.You can choose three places from the list of more than 30 places in Tokyo, classified as Temple&Shrine, Garden, Shopping, Observatory, Museum, Experience, and Others.
Best Memories of Kamakura
Kamakura used to the capital of Japan during 12th to 14th century. It was the first period governed by the samurai warriors; Shoguns.Since samurai practiced Zen Buddhism, there are many Zen Temples which were built before those in Kyoto.
Tokyo tour à la carte half day
This tour covers my favorite places in Tokyo.You can choose two places in Tokyo within 4 hours of tour time from the list of more than 30 places classified as Temple&Shrine, Garden, Shopping, Observatory, Museum, Experience, and Others. The following is a typical schedule. 13:00 Hotel pick up 13:30-14:30 Meiji shrine 15:00-16:30 Imperial Palace 17:00 return to the hotel
One day Door to Door tour of Kyoto from Tokyo
This tour is for those who want to visit Kyoto and return to Tokyo within a day. We will use the fastest bullet train "Nozomi" for our round trip to Kyoto station, which costs about 30,000 JPY per adult (you and the guide), in addition to my guiding fee. You can't use the JR Pass for this tour due to its restrictions. You can choose one route from the list bellow. 1. Miyabi route (Most popular places) 2. Golden route (Most scenic places) 3. History route (Most quiet and historical places)
Other Popular Highlights Tours in Hakone
One-Day Hakone Nature and History Expedition (Owakudani, Boat Cruise on Lake Ashi, Hakone Sekisho)
Feel the atmosphere of Hakone volcano, and enjoy the beautiful view of Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi! Owakudani and Lake Ashi were made by the volcanic activity of Mt. Hakone about 3,000 years ago. At Osakudani you can see the sulfur vapor blowing up and beautiful Mt. Fuji on sunny days. From a boat on Lake Ashi you can enjoy beautiful scenery every season. Hakone sekisho, which was built about 400 years ago, was a facility to investigate travelers. You can learn more about it in Hakone.
Enjoy and experience magnificent views of the nature in Hakone!!!
Hakone is one of the most popular destinations among Japanese and international tourists looking for its famous hot springs, natural beauty of surrounding mountains and magnificent views across the Lake Ashinoko. There are many places you can visit in Hakone, such as Gora Park, Owakudani Valley, Hakone Checkpoint and Hakone Shrine. I will take you to elaborate on the most famous places in Hakone in this one-day tour.
Hakone Weekday Highlights w/ Shinkansen ride
As a day trip from Tokyo to view Mount Fuji, I strongly recommend taking my Mt. Fuji's View from Lake Kawaguchiko Up-to-You Tour instead. This tour is suitable for JR PASS holders. We will start from Tokyo or from your hotel in Hakone area and visit the highlights near Lake Ashi. We will finish our tour at your hotel in the Hakone area/at the entrance of Hakone Open Air Museum/at the Shinkansen platform of Odawara/ other places in Hakone.
Hakone entdecken mit Yuki
Hakone ist nur ein Paradies der heißen Quellen und Natur. Besonders beeindruckend sind die atemberaubende Aussicht auf den Fuji vom Ashi-See sowie die imposante vulkanische Landschaft des Ōwakudani. Selbst wenn Sie keine heißen Quellen mögen, können Sie diese in Fußbad-Cafés mit Fußbädern ganz entspannt genießen. Eine perfekte Kombination aus Sightseeing und Entspannung! Hakone ist eine Stadt, die man mit Romance Car (Zug) in 75 Minuten von Shinjuku (Tokio) aus erreichen kann.
