Bus ride up the soaring Hakone mountains at the foot of Mt. Fuji, a hot sweet drink at a traditional tea house, walk on a historic stone-paved Hakone path, lunch at Motohakone, sail on a pirate boat, panoramic views from a ropeway, stop at fuming Owakudani Valley tasting black eggs boiled by volcanic heat, cable car descent to Gora, train ride to Tonosawa, Benzaiten Shrine and a dip in a spa.
Just outside the ticket gate of HakoneYumo to Station
Hakone Yumoto Station
guide fee
guide's transportation fee ￥6,170, guide's spa fee ￥1,600, tourist's transportation fee ￥4,740 (starting from Yumoto Sta.and getting to Yumoto Sta. using taxi from Yumoto Sta. to Amasake Chaya ＋public transportations from Amasake Chaya to Yumoto Sta.）, tourist's meal, tourist's drink, tourist's spa fee ￥1,600 per person (if a private bath is used, ￥9,400 for a 2-people room or ￥10,400 for a 4-people room for two hours on a weekday. On weekends, ￥11,400 for a 2-people room and ￥12,400 for a 4-people room.)
1. The fee doesn't include the tourists' transportation fees.
2. The fee doesn't include the tourists' meals or beverages.
3. The fee doesn't include admission charges for visiting places or charges for hands-on activities.
4. Tourists pay the guide's transportation fees.
We walk more than one hour up a stone-paved path and there are some steep slopes. We take a hot spring bath. So we need following things:
1. shoes for walking
2. rain gear (umbrella or raincoat, just in case for the rain during walking)
3. changing clothes for hot spring bath
4. a washing towel and a drying towel for hot spring bath (you can buy a face towel for 250 yen and a bath towel for 450 yen)
We can shorten the tour time by omitting ferry cruising, ropeway, and cable cars.
(What To Expect)
We can experience our simple and basic style of life.
Like the travelers of old days, in a part of our tour, we walk on foot, going on a stone-paved path lined with cider trees and bamboo bushes, filled with nature.
It is dark inside the teahouse. Through the opened doors, the sunlight comes in and washes the wooden floors of the living space, elevated from the earthen floors. A hearth is dug in one wooden floor and we sit around the burning fire and are served with a hot sweet drink made from rice.
At the end of the tour, we relax in a hot spring. This spa is furnished with a variety of hot baths in the open air, facing the garden in the middle.
As means of transportation, we can try multiplicity of vehicles including bus, ferry, ropeway, cable car, and train.
Takao showed us the best day in Hakone! We were in Japan for well over two weeks and this was one of the most memorable days! It was rainy so he adjusted the schedule so we went to the Hakone museum after a tasty lunch with the locals. We also went to the best tea house and it was such a treat! Long day that we ended in the onsen. He is a wonderful guide and he showed us a perfect day that I couldn’t have shown my family on my own with the hike and these particular sights. I spend my money wisely. Hire this guy and you won’t regret it!
Hi, Michelle, Kristine, Aliana and William! Thank you for your nice review. It was such a nice tour for me, too! I really enjoyed talking with you, people from the City of Lawrence. You treated me very kindly and warmly with lunch + Japanese rice wine, Hakone Yuryo spa and dinner + beer! Please keep contact with me. I hope you’ll welcome me when I visit your facebook page soon. See you on the page! Best regards, Takao Mizushima
Highly Recommended! Outstanding knowledge of the area. Very patient and flexible with our needs as tourists, whether on bathroom breaks, change in attractions or extending time. We thoroughly enjoyed his company and unique way of giving information and navigating our itinerary!
Hi, Rod. Thank you for your kind review. I’ll always remember three of you posing surrounding the Black Egg monument with real black eggs in your hands. Beautiful Mt. Fuji welcomed you from behind. I’m happy I was able to help you in Hakone as a guide, thank you again. Best regards, Takao Mizushima
In spite of the unexpected bad weather of cold rain and wind, Takao did his best to provide convenient transportation and take us to most of the organized list of sights planned. He was very polite and attentive.
Hi, Theodore and Liubou. Thank you for your nice review. I didn’t expect to get such a kind and warm words. Yes, it was a challenging day. We were in the clouds and fogs and nothing was visible. I didn’t realize we were past Amasake Chaya Tea House. I kept searching for words to explain things although I was able to see nothing around. Mr. Fuji took a day off and did not show her face. I really enjoyed talking with you. That helped me to change difficulties into happy memories. I’m happy I was able to see you from the country of Cyprus which I would have never had a chance to have connections in my life without you. Have a nice trip in Japan. Best regards, Takao Mizushima
Takao made everything easy for us. He communicated beautifully before we even met him. We saw everything that you need to see in Hakone. He anticipated our needs finding elevators to avoid some steps when we were tired.. I would not hesitate to hire him. He was a joy!
Hi, Larry and Ellen. Thank you for taking time to write a review for me although you’re tired after today’s tour. What a review! It sounds warm to me like today’s sunshine. Larry, you’re a master of jokes. I’d like to be a man like you who can make everyone happy. Ellen, thank you for showing respect to Japanese culture. The god of Hakone Shrine is pleased when he saw you bow even on your way back when you come under the shrine gates. Please keep traveling around the world. I want to try Turkish bath myself. Kyoto cherry blossoms, please welcome warmly these open-minded travelers. Best regards,