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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

(51 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.

4.92 / 5

(51 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

Fergal M.

4 / 5

Oct 27, 2025

Half-Day Tokyo Highlights : Tsukiji Fish Market, Vibrant Harajuku, and Trendy Shibuya

Oct 27, 2025

Tokyo

4 hours 30 mins

“Great half day with Hiroshi!”

Hiroshi San was a great guide for us. He came to our hotel and helped us greatly navigate the Tokyo underground. It’s great having a guide for the fist visit to Tokyo. Hiroshi had a great stories of the places we visited and gave everything context. He provided great views of Shibuyo crossing and gave us the time we needed at Shinto Shrines + Buddhist Temples. I have no hesitation in recommending Hiroshi. I would have liked to see the real fish market but sadly that was a little outside city centre. Thank you Hiroshi San!!!

Hiroshi S.

Thank you for writing a review. I was sorry I brought the bad weather on the day:-). But when we arrived in Tsukiji, it hardly rained at all. We were able to enjoy Tsukiji Outer Market. We also visited Tsukiji Honganji Temple and Namiyoke Shrine. I would be happy if you were able to feel the atmosphere of both Buddhism and Shintoism. It started raining in Shibuya, but the rain allowed us to see a beautiful sight: many colorful umbrellas crossing the intersection. I will do my best to get an Excellent review next time, so please let me know if you have another opportunity to come to Japan. Let's enjoy Japanese culture and beautiful scenery together!

Richard K.

5 / 5

Oct 6, 2025

A one-day tour covering major spots in Tokyo for your first visit

Oct 6, 2025

Tokyo

7 hours

“Enjoyable Tokyo Day Tour”

Highly recommend Hiroshi S as your tour guide in Tokyo. A most enjoyable day in every respect. Hiroshi was informative and very helpful. We learned a lot thanks to his knowledge and experience.

Hiroshi S.

Thank you for writing a review. Since it was a holiday, Asakusa, the Imperial Palace, Shibuya, and Harajuku were quite crowded, but I’d be very happy if you enjoyed the day tour of Tokyo. Japan has four distinct seasons. Please visit Japan again in a different season. You might discover a different side of Japan than you did this time.

Howard P.

5 / 5

Oct 2, 2025

Tokyo Half-Day Customized Tour (Oct. 2)

Oct 2, 2025

Tokyo

5 hours

Customized

“A wonderful guide”

Hiroshi was wonderful. He was a pleasure to be with and made the day more enjoyable.

Hiroshi S.

Thank you for writing a review. I'd be delighted if you enjoyed the tour in Tokyo. The samurai ninja experience was truly fascinating. Asakusa was crowded, but I hope you enjoyed shopping. It was only a half-day tour, but I had a wonderful time with you. If you have the opportunity to come to Japan, please contact me again. Let's enjoy Japanese traditions and culture together.