Tokyo to Hakone: Private & Personalized Day Trip with a Local
Description
You’ll join one of our hosts on a trip to the beautiful Hakone, a small town in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Gaze at the majestic snowy peak from various points across Lake Ashinoko and witness the famous red torii gate of the Hakone Shrine. Once you’re feeling Zen again, head back into town - Hakone is filled with quaint curio stores and authentic Japanese tea houses. If you’re feeling adventurous, why not submerge away your stresses in one of the onsens (hot springs) or ride the Hakone Ropeway. Within 24 hours after booking you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do.
Tour Options
Itinerary
View the majestic snowy peak of Mount Fuji from various points across Lake Ashinoko and experience first hand why this place is so enchanting and magical IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Witness the famous red torii gate of the Hakone Shrine - it’s even more spectacular in real life IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Stroll through Hakone and browse its quaint curio stores and authentic Japanese tea houses, or soak up some history by visiting the Odawara Castle IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Ease away your stresses in one of the onsens (hot springs), like Yumoto IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Ride the Hakone Ropeway or board the sightseeing pirate ship. Not a real pirate ship, obviously IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalised experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note that weather conditions may impede from having clear views of Mt Fuji from Hakone. If 4 days before your day trip date the weather forecast shows bad weather conditions we will let you know and you can cancel for a full refund or an alternative experience and part-refund.
- On the day of your trip, the weather conditions may change and we cannot guarantee that you will see Mt Fuji as beautifully as it can be seen on clear days.
Reviews(3)
We did a day trip to Hakone and Fuji with our guide Mari. What a wonderful experience! We met Mari at the Shinjuku station just west of our hotel, and hopped on the 2 hour train to Fuji. Visitors to Fuji don't always see the peak but we knew we had a good chance as it was a bright sunshine filled day. Mari seated us on the right of the train and on the ride up, Fuji burst into view in all its glory. We then transferred to a special railcar that climbs the mountain switchbacks to Hakone. We were there mid April and cherry blossoms in Tokyo were starting to fade, but at the higher altitude and cooler temps of Hakone they were in full bloom! We took a break and Mari walked us around some cherry blossom stands near the Hakone station, then next, a short ride up the steep hill on a funicular. At the top we disembark to transfer to cable car gondola for the final ascent to Fuji - Mari knew just where to stand and sit for the best views - and mid way along the Ropeway, Fuji appeared from behind a ridgeline - huge and snow covered. The ropeway ends at a large viewing station - we spent awhile walking around, admiring the unobstructed views of Fuji and taking plenty of pics. Despite the warm temps of Tokyo, and the sun, at Hakone it was cool and very windy - so if you are going be prepared and bring down jackets or raincoats against the wind. The winds built up to point that the Ropeway was shut down, resulting in a huge line for busses - but with Mari's help, we called a cab and got back home at a reasonable time. A great day with lots of memories.
We're so happy that you had such a memorable day with Mari, and that Mt. Fuji made a stunning appearance. Sounds like a perfect mix of adventure, cherry blossoms, and great guiding! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful experience!
We wanted to spend the day with a local and take a day trip from Tokyo to Hakone. Our goals were to see the old town, the shrine, Mt Fuji and enjoy an onsen. We were staying in center city Tokyo and took the subway to the train station (30 minutes), then we had to wait to take the 1.5 hour train to Hakone, where we promptly boarded a bus that took us on a 30 minute ride to the town of Hakone and the launch to the boat. We waited in line for 20 minutes to ride a 30 minute boat ride across the lake. Once we got off the boat we had to take a tram to the top of the mountain. After 45 minutes on the mountain top looking at Mount Fuji and the sulphur hot spots, we had to turn around and do the same travel to get back to Tokyo. We didn't have time for a leisurely lunch or a visit to an onsen. The scenery was beautiful and we were lucky to have seen Mt Fuji. We heard from many, that they weren't as lucky. On another note, our local host was not what we expected. She didn't seem interested in showing off her area and wasn't very organized. Maybe we wouldn't have had to wait in some many lines, if she had planned our journey a bit better. I spoke to City Unscripted afterwards and the representative was completely understanding and has offered us more than adequate compensation. Based on their follow up, I will use City Unscripted again, because I really like spending time with a local.
The tour was great as well as the tourguide. I would suggest to do this tour in two days. For one day to get there and back is to far. But overall a great experience.
Thank you for your feedback! It’s wonderful to hear you enjoyed the tour and your guide. Splitting the experience into two days sounds like a great suggestion for making the journey more manageable. Glad it was a memorable experience overall!
