Customize your private tour of Hakone, a popular destination in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park known for its hot springs resorts. Visit area attractions with your own professional guide, including Hakone Shrine, the crafts village of Hakone Yosegi Zaiku, and a traditional Japanese ‘kominka’ house. Tea is provided at one of Hakone’s age-old teahouses. Opt for a ride on the Hakone Ropeway cable car with views of Lake Ashi and Mt Fuji, and/or enjoy a riverside soak in a local ‘onsen’ (open-air hot spring).

Private tour of Hakone with a personal guide
Visit Hakone Shrine and Hakone Yosegi Zaiku
Relax in the tranquil ambiance of a traditional teahouse
Ride the Hakone Ropeway cable car (if option selected)
Soak at a riverside onsen (if option selected)
Hotel or railway pickup and drop-off included from Odawara or Hakone

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Unlike typical Hakone tours, this private option comes with the freedom to customize your itinerary.

What's Included

Nationally Certified Pro Guide
Beverages at a local tea house
Lunch

Optional admissions fee to open-air Hot Spring by a stream (extra cost)
Private transportation
Ticket for the Komagatake Ropeway
Local Bus Fares

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Hakone-Yumoto Station
Yumoto, Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa 250-0311, Japan
I'll be holing your name board in front of the ticket gate.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

09:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Departure Point: Your hotel in Hakone area, Odawara Station or Hakone Yumoto Station Dates: Daily, except weekends Return point: Your hotel in Hakone area, Odawara Station or Hakone Yumoto Station

What To Expect

Hakone Shrine / Kuzuryu Shrine Singu

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Onshi Hakone Park

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Hakone-machi

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Amasake Tea House

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Komagatake Ropeway Top Station

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Not wheelchair accessible
A maximum of 5 people per booking
Private hot spring experience is optional. Please make your selection at the time of booking

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

60 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-7 of 60 reviews

Spending the day enjoying nature sights

Andrew_O, Feb 2024

Wonderful day trip to explore Lake Hakone area. Our tour guide, Hiroko, was excellent! She was efficient, thorough in explaining logistics, had a wealth of information she shared, planned very well, and was fun to hang out with for the day on the tour. She helped to customize our day by asking what our interests were and adjusting along the way. I would highly recommend this tour and Hiroko since it provides a nice day trip to explore and enjoy the nature scenes. We did the add on onsen (outdoor hot spring) at the end of the day. Nice way to relax after a day of walking. Hiroko was very helpful to explain all the logistical transportation steps to get us back to the hotel afterwards. This made everything so simple! I highly recommend this tour and Hiroko and will definitely request her on subsequent tours upon return to Japan.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear Justin and Andrew, Thank you very much for such a brilliant review! I’m completely overwhelmed. I enjoyed your company as you are good listeners and interested in everything you experienced during the tour. I thoroughly enjoyed answering all your questions and our conversation about your lifetime enjoyment and passion. Your talks stimulated our discussion and shared knowledge! I’m looking forward to your returning to Hakone to walk in nature together as your guide! In the meantime, please take care and enjoy your life.

Hakone

Valerie_S, Nov 2023

We had a magical day with our guide Koto. She was delightful and informative. And as a bonus, we had the opportunity to meet her family at their tea house. It was a memorable day we will not forget.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Dear Valerie and Jeff, How extraordinary I could join your 50th wedding anniversary trip! Not only your smiles but also your back somehow show how happy you two are, which made me smile at all times. I wish I could've taken you to more places. Well, I guess I should put it off to the next time. There's always 'next time', isn't there? Please come visit us again with your daughter and lovely Ryan. "Ichigo Ichie" Koto

Wonderful experience in Hakone!

Gabriel_C, Oct 2023

We had an amazing day in Hakone! Shin is a wonderful guide! He is very knowledgeable, patient, and informative. Hakone is amazing! All the sites he selected for our tour, including our lunch spot with delicious soba, udon, and tempura were perfect. He even helped us organize our travels for the next day after leaving Hakone. I highly recommend him and this tour. Subete ga subarashikatta (everything was fantastic)!

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you so much for sharing your experience Gabriel! It was such a great opportunity for me to guide both of you and very honored to hear that you enjoyed the day. So did I! Subete ga subarashikatta :) I hope to see you again!

OK tour, but nothing special

Boris_N, Jul 2023

In the interest of full disclosure, we did take another half-day tour before taking this tour. This likely limited the sights that Hiroko could show us. That being said, while this tour was OK, it was not all that special or interesting. Communication prior to the tour was good and we arranged a private taxi for the day as well to take us around (at a cost of $600). Our guide, Hiroko, was very nice and pleasant; however, she was a bit boring and a bit too focused on things like - (1) Eat ice cream right by the vending machines next to the toilets, because you should not walk (through the woods) and eat; and (2) Fasten seat belts in all 3 rows of the taxi (which made it very uncomfortable and was not demanded like that in any of our other tours in Japan). Our number 1 goal for this tour was to get views of Mt. Fuji; unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and we did not get a single one. Obviously, the tour company cannot control the weather, but it was still disappointing. Most of the sights we visited were OK, though not overly impressive or exciting. The Open Air Museum was not enjoyable and not all that special. I did not come to Japan to look at art from non-Japanese artists and most pieces at this museum were of very similar theme. The gardens were so-so as well. Overall, given what we saw and what we did not see, this tour was a bit of a disappointment.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Boris, Thank you for your feedback. I’m sorry for not meeting your expectation. I know it was a shame not to be able to see Mt Fuji, and I couldn’t make up for your disappointment with other exciting ideas or talks. We have different cultures as to eating and walking. We generally eat street food on the spot where we purchase the food. Having said that, I should have taken you better seating area. Also, even though fastening seatbelts is a strict regulation in Japan, I'm sorry to annoy you by repeating my warning. I wish you to continue your holiday in Japan with good weather and hope your beautiful choice of Yosegi-zaiku crafts reminds you of a lovely time in Hakone. Hiroko

Great tour despite the weather

Liz_F, Jun 2023

Our guide Hiroko was excellent and even though the weather was terrible we were able to experience all of the beauty and sights of Hakone. My traveling group of 4 included my 3 teenage children ages 17, 15 and 13 and they also really enjoyed it.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Dear Liz, Thank you for having me as your guide in Hakone and for writing a touching review. I’m so grateful. I was lucky to guide such a loving and caring family like yours. Sharing Hakone's beauty, history, culture, and people with you was a great joy, even in bad weather. I hope you keep your secret box filled with many memories in Hakone. Occasionally, open it to remember what they were and return to Hakone to find more! Wish your happiness and health, and I hope to see you again. Please send my love to your children! With warmest regards, Hiroko

Shin best tour guide ever!

sarah_e, Jan 2023

This is a truly amazing tour and this is primarily due to Shin our tour guide. By far our favorite tour in Japan and we did several tours. Shin is amazing. He listened to what we were interested in and we did all of the things we came there for. He knew all of the ins and outs of the area. He spoke excellent English and was so cultured and easy to be around. He was incredibly knowledgeable about so many things and knew just the things to point out. He had great recommendations even after the tour for things we didn’t have time to visit. Btw the open air museum was amazing as this was one of his recommendations. This is a truly extraordinary area and anyone who visits will be very lucky. Shin told us about all of the history of the area and even showed us pictures of people who walked those same paths hundred of years ago. Shin really rolled with the punches and made us so comfortable. He even helped us explain to the hotel that we wouldn’t be attending the meal without offending them. Truly an exceptional human being! If he is your guide no doubt u will have an amazing day!

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Dear Sarah, Thank you so much for visiting Japan and Hakone almost 3 years after the pandemic! It was such a great opportunity for me to meet you and your daughter and guide here in my hometown. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the day. So did I! I hope you also enjoyed the rest of your trip in Japan. I'm very much looking forward to serving you again. Stay warm :)

Awesome Hakone tour!

Diana_L, Jan 2023

This was an awesome tour! Shin was really fun to run around with, we especially liked how the tour was mostly walking rather than riding a bus. The onsen at the end was the best we had ever been to. Be sure to ask Shin about his family’s not-so-secret secret heheh.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you so much for visiting our hometown! It was a cold day but Mt.Fuji was really beautiful. I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour as well as the hot spring. I'm looking forward to serving you again and maybe you'll see my secret in person :)