Hakone attract many people because of great view of Mt. Fuji, volcanic activity in front of you, various transportation, hot spring, historical site and etc. If you want to enjoy everything, you need to stay in Hakone at least 3 days. But you can enjoy Hakone even one day by taking golden route.
Odawara station or Hakone-Yumoto station. If you are staying in Hakone area, at your hotel
This is the gateway of Hakone. From this station, we will start to take a bus to Hatajuku, the first destination of this tour
We learn how to make a wood combination pattern from real producer. Items he produces are sold only in Hakone area. It is impressive to learn how to make this Hakone Yosegi-zaiku which is listed as a traditional craft item by government.
This is an old tea house found more than 400 years ago and one family succeed this business. Current owner is 13th generation.
Amazake is a non-alcoholic beverage made from Koji( a mold used in fermentation) and rice. This tea house has a small museum related to travel in Hakone in old days. Addition to it, there is an old road used for 400 years. It means you can see how people travelled in old days.
Lake Ashi was created by eruption of volcano about 3100 years ago and is never be frozen even in winter. There are some spots to enjoy very nice view of Mt.Fuji. We will take lunch around this area
This is the oldest shrine in Hakone found about 1300 years ago. Approaching road to the main building was covered by cider trees and you can enjoy nice atmosphere which Japanese love.
This Lake Ashi cruse is very enjoyable one to see Hakone mountains from different angle.
This is one of the hi-lights of Hakone sightseeing. You can see actual volcanic activity in front of you and smell surfur.
Here you can find a very unique item which is an egg with black shell. It is a normal boiled egg but color of shell is black.
It is said that this one egg extends your life by 7 years.
After Owakudani, we will take rope-way (cable car) to Sohunzan station where you can enjoy hotspring for your feet if you wish.
On the way, you can enjoy nice view of Hakone mountains and feel you are flying.
From this station, we will take a train to Hakone Yumoto. Because this train pass very steep slope, train is special and change train direction 3 times (switch back).
End of this tour
At your hotel, Hakone Yumoto station or Odawara station
We will start our tour from Odawara station or Hakone Yumoto or hotel you stay in Hakone area. We will take a bus from Hakone Yumoto to Moto-Hakone. This is the same route of marathon runners run in very new year. You will be surprised by the steep slope. After arriving at Moto-Hakone, we walk to Hakone shrine on a road beside Lake Ashi. Or on the way to Lake Ashi, we can stop at a traditional craft shop where you can see demonstration and hear explanation directly from National certified craft-man who produce Yosegi-zaiku(wood combination pattern)
At Hakone shrine, you may feel Japanese religious atmosphere. After Hakone shrine, pirate ship takes us to the other side of Lake Ashi. If the weather is good, you can see Mt.Fuji from the boat. But please remember, during summer time, visibility is very low. It means possibility to see Mt.Fuji is not high. After cruising Lake Ashi, rope-way is the next ride. This rope-way gives great view of Mt.Fuji and Lake Ashi. You may feel as if you are walking in the air. At Owakudani which was called "Big Hell" in old days and you can see volcanic activity. Here you eat lunch and famous "black egg" which is made in hot spring, to extend your life for 7 years. After Owakudani, we will take rope-way, cable cars towards Gohra where we take mountain train. If we have time, I take you to Open air museum where sculptures are displayed in outside. Then again, we take mountain train back to Hakone Yumoto.
guide fee only
transportation cost from my home to the meeting point
all transportation, lunch, entrance fee for you and guide.
My recommendation is to purchase Hakone free ticket for 2 days. It cost ￥5000 for an adult and ￥1000 for a kid (under 12 years old). This ticket covers all transportation from Odawara to Hakone area including bus, train, pirate ship, cable car and rope-way.
This is one typical route to enjoy Hakone. But there are many other places which is unique in Hakone for example many museums and historical sites.
For example, there is a famous "Open Air museum" where all sculptures are displayed in open air. If you wish to visit any specific place, please advice me. I will arrange this tour to meet your request.
If you can see Mt.Fuji depends on the weather condition. And please note that during summer, visibility is low and in winter it is high. It means chancesis to see Mt.Fuji in summer is low and in winter is high
Also, transportation in Hakone is affected by weather condition, especially cruise ship and rope-way ( cable car)
Hiroshi was so great. He is incredibly knowledgable and his English is excellent. He packed in everything we wanted to see in Hakone and more while keeping us on a schedule. Prior to the trip he was extremely communicative and answered all my questions super quickly. I could not recommend him more highly as your guide in Japan.
Hi John. Thank you for your quick and good comment about me. I wished to show you Mt.Fuji, but weather could not be controlled by anybody. Please make a plan to come to Japan again to enjoy our beautiful country. For next time, I recommend in fall.
Hiroshi did what he could do considering the tough weather conditions in Hakone during our tour. He is incredibly knowledgable and very personable. Thank you Hiroshi San for showing us a good time. We will be back in Hakone for some unfinished business like eating the Black Egg, seeing Mt Fuji on a clearer day.
Dear Shiva san. Thank you very much for the evaluation of our tour in Hakone.Sometimes the weather is much worse than expected. If possible, I like to be your guide again in Hakone to see your family' smile by tasting an black egg. Thank you again chose me your guide in Hakone. Best regards Hiroshi
We just wrapped up our day long tour with Hiroshi and we couldn't have had a better guide! Hiroshi was very knowledgeable, absolutely hilarious, patient with us and just a pleasure to be with! An absolutely phenomenal guide and day with Hiroshi! We definitely recommend him!
Dear Stephan Thank you for your review. I enjoyed today’s tour with you very much. It was my first time to visit Marathon Expo and learned a lot. I hope your business will be successful and comeback to Japan many times. Thank again and please enjoy your stay in Japan. Best regards Hiroshi
Hiroshi was just the best guide. We saw fascinating places and had amazing unexpected experiences . Thanks Hiroshi
Thank you for youe very good review. I enjoyed a lot with you I hope you will have good time in Naoshima. If you need any help, please contact me. I will try to help you. Best regards