Create Your Custom Private Hakone Tour with a Certified Local Guide (Kanagawa)

Summary: Our guide was Kotoyo and we took a trek down the Tokkaido road. We stopped at a soba noodle bar and enjoyed a tasty lunch. We met a wood craftsman who demonstrated his work. Later we had a special rice tea at the oldest tea house and met the master tea maker. Our guide had a special secret she shared here but I won’t spoil the surprise. Our guide was very engaging and shared lots of stories and history. Her English was excellent and she taught us some Japanese too. Most of all she was a nice human being to spend the day with. Charming!

Summary: I had the absolute pleasure of touring Hakone with Hiroko, and I can’t recommend her enough! From the moment we met, she was warm, welcoming, and incredibly knowledgeable. She tailored the day perfectly to our interests, blending history, culture, and stunning scenery in a way that made Hakone come alive. Hiroko’s insights gave so much more depth to each stop—from the shrines to the parks and breathtaking views of Mt. Fuji. She also knew the best hidden spots away from the crowds, and even helped me navigate local transportation with ease. Her English was excellent, and her stories made everything feel personal and memorable. It was extra special to see Hiroko’s personal relationships with locals every step of the way. This was one of the highlights of our trip to Japan, and I’m so grateful to Hiroko for making it so special. If you’re visiting Hakone, do yourself a favor and book a tour with her—you’ll come away with amazing memories and a much deeper appreciation for the area.

Summary: One of our best days in Japan! Shin was a knowledgeable and experienced guide who led us on a hike around Lake Ashi. He was fun to be with and gave us many great suggestions beyond the hiking trail. We loved the day we spent with him!

Summary: My friend and I travelled to Japan for two weeks from mid April to early May, 2025. A close friend had recommended that we book a private tour of Hakone with Shin Kaneko of Explore-Hakone, and he did not disappoint. It was one of the most magical days we had in Japan, even though it rained and we did not see Mount Fuji. From the moment we met Shin in our Ryokan, he first described all of the places we could see with modification, given the weather, and was a very attentive listener to our interests, which shaped our day. Shin is very educated and knowledgeable, not just about Hakone, but its history, topography, vegetation including plants and flowers, but also issues affecting Japan in general. We learned so much from him about Japan, saw 8 different species of cherry blossoms in one day even though cherry blossom season was over, and had a fairly relaxing Zen day walking through beautiful gardens full of azaleas, understanding the history of the imperial family and its summer home in Hakone, having fermented tea in a 400-year-old teahouse located on a road that is 5 days from Tokyo and 10 days from Kyoto, learning to pray at a shrine and ending our day in Hakone so relaxed on such a high. We also learned about Shin’s family, and sharing stories made our experience even more special. The next day on our own, we walked through the beautiful open air art museum in Hakone before travelling to Kyoto. We had 4 private tour guides during our 2 weeks in Japan, and Shin was by far the most special and best tour guide we had. Shin and his company are experts in the Hakone area and I would recommend to anyone considering a private tour in Hakone, that they not only do so, but they try and book Shin as early as possible, or any of the other guides in Explore-Hakone.

Summary: Our guide was great! Hiroko lived over twenty years abroad and speaks fluently Engish. Enthusiastically she guided us through the Hakone area. We weren’t lucky with the weather, but had a fantastic day anyhow.

Summary: Absolutely lovely tour. We saw Mt. Fuji, the best parts of lake Ashi as well as the stunning park around Benten-no-hana. The weather was foggy/rainy, but our guide still made the best of it, making sure that even under these less than ideal circumstances, we had an amazing experience. Furthermore, our guide was well informed (local), spoke great english and made on the fly adjustments to the tour in accordance to our needs and the unexpected weather. I doubt that we would have come close to this kind of an experience if we explored Hakone without a guide. I am very glad we did this tour.

Summary: She was absolutely amazing and made a rainy day into a wonderful day. She knew some secret places to take us out of rain. She was so knowledgeable about the region and shared personal experiences with us.

Summary: We had an amazing tour with Shin who customized the tour to our needs and saved our day. Without him we probably would’ve missed the amazing view of Mt Fuji. Due to the weather conditions he changed the itinerary last minute so we could see Fuji first and did other stops later. The weather turned really foggy at noon but we had already seen all the stunning views and were ready for the Japanese garden and craft shop. Guess what? The Japanese garden looked even more magical with all the fog and we got to see it all. It is also worth mentioning that Shin was really friendly and great at conversation in various topics (he did not even shy away from critical historical conversation). As a local he knew lot about Hakone history but also due to his time abroad was highly fluent in English. We really could not have wished for a better guide and it was the highlight of our trip.

Summary: We had a lovely time with Hiroko! She was so friendly and knowledgeable! She was able to customize our tour and adjust according to the weather. Despite rain, we had a great time!! We had a delicious lunch and she assisted us with luggage and train transfers! Our experience was relaxing and gave us the opportunity to spend quality family time!!!

Summary: Koto was an excellent guide. Her English was terrific and we had a lovely day chatting away. She knew the way to make our tour as efficient and enjoyable as possible. We were lucky enough to see Mount Fuji making the day more spectacular. We also enjoyed stopping by the authentic old tea house and meeting the owner who was our guide’s brother. Overall it was a wonderful day.