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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.

4.93 / 5

(46 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

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 Ohwakudani 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, and have lunch.

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

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

*** 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.

4.93 / 5

(46 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 have got a master's degree in Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the U.S.

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

In addition to Kamakura, I can also guide Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Nikko, etc. because I have visited many places in Kanto area. For example, in Tokyo I can show you around the 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

Jason O.

5 / 5

Aug 4, 2025

One-Day Ancient Wonders in Kamakura and Enoshima (July 20th)

Aug 4, 2025

Kamakura

8 hours

Customized

“Kind, knowledgeable and full of energy”

Hiroshi was thoughtful and kind. Good with the teenagers. Kept going in high heat with smart adjustments to make it comfortable. He knows the area and shared history and interesting info. Great clear English.

Hiroshi S.

Thank you for taking your time to write a review. I had a wonderful time with all of you. We visited Kamakura and Enoshima. Kamakura is a historic city with many shrines and temples, and we were able to feel the atmosphere of the samurai era. Enoshima has also long been worshipped as a sacred island, and I believe you were able to experience its mystical atmosphere. As it was Sunday, both Kamakura and Enoshima were very crowded, and we had to change our plans slightly, but I hope you enjoyed the ancient capital of Kamakura and the sacred island of Enoshima. I hope I can see you again in the near future in Japan!

Girish A.

5 / 5

Aug 4, 2025

Kamakura Half Day Customized Tour (July 27)

Aug 4, 2025

Kamakura

5 hours

Customized

“Tokyo, kamakura and Hakone trip”

Hiroshi showed us around in 3 cities and was very knowledgeable about all of them. He showed us all the sights and had material on all of them. We got to know him well over 3 days and made us feel very comfortable with the culture and history of all the places. He made sure that we reached back safely and would recommend him highly for any of the trips.

Hiroshi S.

Thank you for writing a review. We toured Tokyo, Kamakura, and Hakone, each in one day. It was hot and humid all three days, but we were able to enjoy the tour without being defeated by the Japanese summer. We enjoyed the fish market in Tsukiji, drew omikuji in Asakusa, enjoyed the beautiful beach scenery in Kamakura, and saw the sulfurous smoke rising from Owakudani in Hakone, etc. I’m very happy you enjoyed the three-day tour. I look forward to meeting you again in Japan in the near future. Please feel free to contact me again if you have the opportunity to visit Japan.

Zachary H.

5 / 5

Jul 26, 2025

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

Jul 26, 2025

Hakone

8 hours

“A wonderful trip to Hakone”

Hiroshi was a great guide and companion for our trip to Hakone. The day was completely stress-free because Hiroshi had everything taken care of. We will definitely book another tour with Hiroshi if we're back in the area!

Hiroshi S.

Thank you very much for the review. I had a great time in Hakone with all of you. At Owakudani, we could smell sulfur and feel the volcanic activity of Hakone. At Hakone Sekisho, we learned about the lives of travelers in the Edo period. It was unfortunate that Mount Fuji was covered by clouds and we couldn't see it, but I hope you enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the lake from the Ashinoko sightseeing boat. If you have another chance to visit Japan, please contact me. Let's enjoy the beauty of Japan's nature together again!