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One-Day Hakone Nature and History Expedition (Owakudani, Boat Cruise on Lake Ashi, Hakone Sekisho)

Owakudani Valley

Owakudani Valley : Statue of Black Egg

Mt. Fuji from Gondola

Cruise Boat on Lake Ashi

Mt. Fuji from Lake Ashi

Hakone Sekisho (Checkpoint)

Hakone Sekisho (Checkpoint) : View from the Lookout

Hakone Shrine

Hakone Shrine : Heiwa-no-Torii

Hakone Open-Air Museum

Hakone Open-Air Museum : Picasso Pavilion

One-Day Hakone Nature and History Expedition (Owakudani, Boat Cruise on Lake Ashi, Hakone Sekisho)

Highlights

Joined 2018

Hiroshi S.

4.92 / 5

(59 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

Hakone

Japanese (Native), English

9 hrs 30 mins

Private tour (only you and Hiroshi S.)

Up to 5 people

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.

Itinerary

This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!

08:00 AM

Meeting Point

Your hotel

- I will meet you near the reception in the lobby of your hotel.

08:00 AM

Your Hotel

Pick up at your hotel.

08:30 AM

Shinjuku Station

Go to Hakone Owakudani by Odakyu Express "Romance Car", local train, cable car, and ropeway.

11:30 AM

Owakudani

Owakudani is an explosion trail of a crater made by the last explosion of Hakone volcano about 3,000 years ago. White smoke has been laid on the desolate ground, and you can still feel the power of volcanic activity.

At Owakudani you can eat a black egg. It is said that if you eat one black egg, you will have a life expectancy of 7 years.

Enjoy the spectacular view of the sulfur smoke rising at Owakudani.

01:30 PM

Boat Cruise on Lake Ashi

Lake Ashi is a long narrow lake with a circumference of about 19km. It was formed about 3,000 years ago in the Hakone volcano's caldera. From the boat you can enjoy beautiful scenery every season.

02:00 PM

Hakone Sekisho

Tokugawa Shogunate placed 53 sekisho (facility to investigate travelers) on major roads across the nation to defend Edo (current Tokyo). Hakone Sekisho (Hakone Checkpoint) was one of the largest checkpoints among them. Hakone Sekisho was placed on the current location in 1619, at the beginning of Edo period. One of the main roles of sekisho was to control "incoming guns and outgoing women", which means to prevent weapons from being brought into Edo, and wives and children of feudal lords from fleeing from Edo.

03:00 PM

Hakone Sekisho

Go back to Tokyo by bus and Odakyu Express "Romance Car".

05:30 PM

Your Hotel

End of the tour.

Ending Point

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

What‘s included

1. Guide fee

2. Hotel pick-up

* Hotel pick-up is included if your hotel is located near a station on JR Yamanote Line or inside the circle of JR Yamanote Line. If extra transportation fees are necessary for hotel pick-up, I will let you know.

What‘s not included

1. Transportation fee (you and your guide)：About 8,000 yen/adult including the express fee of Romance Car.

2. Admission fee (you and your guide)：About 500 yen/adult.

3. Lunch (you and your guide)

4. Beverages (beer, juice, etc.)

Tour Important Information

(1) It takes about 3 hours from Shinjuku Station to Owakudani by Odakyu express train, Hakone local train. cable car, and ropeway.

(2) This tour is also available for groups of 6 or more. Please inquire about guide fees for groups of 6 or more.

*** FAQ ***

(Q) Can I use the Shinkansen bullet train to go to Hakone?

(A) Yes, you can. In this case I can meet you at your hotel or JR Odawara Station according to your request.

(Q) Can I add or delete places to visit?

(A) Yes, you can add or delete places to visit. If you have places you would like to visit, please let me know. I will customize the tour.

My recommendations are as follows:

(1) Hakone Shrine

Established in the middle of the 8th century, this shrine was dedicated to all the local gods of eastern Japan, and is believed to have the benefits of road safety, wish fulfillment, and warding off evil.

You can get to the red torii gate, Heiwa-no-torii, at the lakeshore of Ashi. This place is a good photo spot for travelers.

(2) Hakone Open-Air Museum

The Hakone Open-Air Museum opened in scenic Hakone in 1969. It is the first museum in Japan devoted to sculpture in the open-air. Situated on roughly 70,000 square meters of parkland, it harmonizes with the Hakone mountains and offers different scenery with each season.

Important message from the supplier

Nothing speceial.

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 2018

Hiroshi S.

4.92 / 5

(59 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide Hiroshi S.

Hello, I'm Hiroshi.

I am a National Government Licensed Tour Guide Interpreter in English. I received a master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the U.S.

I have lived in a city of Fujisawa, which is a city next to Kamakura, for more than 20 years, and also used to live in Kamakura for more than 10 years. So far, I have visited almost all the temples and shrines in Kamakura. I am sure I can offer you a pleasant trip to the historical city!

In addition to Kamakura, I can also guide you around Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Nikko, etc. because I have visited many places in Kanto area. For example, in Tokyo I can show you around many sightseeing spots, such as Asakusa, Tsukiji, Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, Tokyo Skytree, etc.

I like baseball and used to play baseball, but now enjoy watching professional baseball games. And I like watching Rakugo, Japanese traditional story-telling performance.

Of course, I also like travelling very much, and am interested in Japanese culture and history. So I would like to show you Japanese tradition and culture.

Let’s enjoy a trip in Japan together.

I am looking forward to seeing you soon.

Reviews

Cheryl D.

5 / 5

May 14, 2026

One-Day Spiritual Highlights of Nikko (Toshogu Shrine, Rinnoji Temple, Taiyuin, Futarasan Shrine)

May 14, 2026

Nikko

12 hours 30 mins

“Marvelous tour!”

We(6) had an extraordinary, all day tour, with Hiroshi yesterday to Nikko, Japan. He met us at our hotel in Tokyo and escorted us to subway, then train, then bus to Nikko. He was with us all day and escorted us back to our hotel. He answered all of our questions, and there were many! He was very attentive, knowledgeable, patient and kind. Nikko was so beautiful. We saw shrines, temples and The Botanical Garden. We walked in the stunning forest along the stream! Gorgeous! We were so very pleased with every aspect of our tour. We highly recommend Hiroshi!

Hiroshi S.

Thank you for taking your time to write a review. I also had a great time with all of you yesterday! It was sunny in Tokyo in the morning, but it started raining shortly after we arrived in Nikko. The weather wasn't great, but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. At Rinnoji Temple, we were able to watch the Goma ritual. I think you got a sense of the temple's solemn atmosphere. At Toshogu Shrine, we saw the Yomeimon Gate, said to be the most magnificent in Japan, as well as the famous Three Wise Monkeys and the Sleeping Cat. We also enjoyed the riverside promenade and the botanical garden, which offered a different atmosphere from the temples and shrines. I will continue to deepen my knowledge about Japanese history, culture, customs, etc., so please feel free to ask me anything if you have the opportunity to come to Japan again. Let's enjoy Japan together!

Steve B.

5 / 5

May 2, 2026

One-Day Historic Tokyo and Sky Adventure (Tsukiji, Asakusa, Tokyo Skytree, Boat Cruise)

May 2, 2026

Tokyo

9 hours

“This was a fantastic tour and our tour guide, Hiroshi was amazing. ”

Let’s just say the day started out terrible, we got off a cruise ship to a downpour, but Heroshi was there to meet us and help us plan the day. He bought tickets ahead of time for later in the day, when the weather had cleared, for the Skytree and had everything planned out perfectly. He shared just enough information without overloading and taking too much time. It was a fun day but be prepared for a fair amount of walking. Heroshi, made a great tour into a fantastic tour.

Hiroshi S.

Thank you for taking your time to write a review. The tour got off to a terrible start. Even though we had a tent, we had to wait for a taxi for almost an hour in a pouring rain. However, I enjoyed talking with you while we waited. The rain stopped by the time we took the Sumida River cruise in the afternoon. We were able to enjoy views of Tsukiji, the Ryogoku Kokugikan (sumo stadium), and the Tokyo Skytree from the boat. From the Skytree, at a height of 450 meters, we could see Shinjuku, Tokyo Bay, etc. If you ever plan to come to Japan, please contact me again. Besides Tokyo, there are many other wonderful places like Nikko, Kamakura, Hakone, etc. Let’s enjoy Japan together again!

Bernd W.

4 / 5

Apr 30, 2026

One-Day Historic Tokyo and Sky Adventure (Tsukiji, Asakusa, Tokyo Skytree, Boat Cruise)

Apr 30, 2026

Tokyo

8 hours

“A lovely day ”

It was a lovely tour. We saw a lot. Hiroshi is a good guide. Unfortunately, there was also a very unpleasant incident. Hiroshi had bought the wrong tickets for the Skytree for us in advance. As it took nearly an hour to sort it out, we were unable to go up the Skytree. That is extremely frustrating. As a result, we had no other way of visiting the tower. It would have been the highlight of our trip. Very sad.

Hiroshi S.

Thank you for the review. I am very sorry that you were not able to go up the Skytree. But I did not buy the wrong tickets. I purchased the tickets for handicapped persons at your request, but I learned for the first time that day from a Skytree staff member that tickets for handicapped persons would no longer be sold to foreigners starting in April. Furthermore, there were no descriptions about tickets for foreigners. I purchased the tickets in March, so I explained this to the Skytree staff, had the tickets issued, and gave them to you. I left after confirming that you had entered, but I later heard that you were told you couldn't enter. It's a shame I wasn't there to negotiate. While this was Skytree's fault, I also bear some responsibility. I apologize. I will take the utmost care to ensure this does not happen again. I hope you won't be discouraged by this and will come to Japan again.