What You Will Do
The ideal tour for independent travelers that wish to discover Hakone on their own, but prefer the ease of travelling in a private vehicle with an English-speaking chauffer. Enjoy a breath of fresh air outside of Tokyo and visit beautiful shrines, an active volcano, and a picturesque lake, all with gorgeous views of Mt. Fuji without worrying about public transportation. Take in the sights and relax as you enjoy the beautiful views in a private vehicle. Afterwards, visit the Gotemba Premium outlets to enjoy some shopping before you head back to your hotel in Tokyo. Bring your passport to take advantage of the tax-free shops available!
Your English-speaking chauffer will fully support your Hakone and Gotemba Premium Outlets Shopping tour. We hope to guide you soon!
Tour details may change depending on traffic conditions. Vehicle types include Crown, Alphard, Hi-Ace. Specific vehicle types are not available for request. Tour not does include guide. Maximum number of passengers: 7
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Itinerary
1
Tokyo
2 hours
Your driver pick you up at your hotel or your preferred location around Tokyo.
2
Yumoto
15 minutes
Notable for its high-quality onsen, this is an ideal place to relax before or after seeing other parts of Hakone.
It is also convenient and fun to explore without entering the hot springs. Souvenir shops and the beautiful mountain scenery around the station attract a lot of visitors every day.
3
Owaku-dani Valley
15 minutes
Owakudani, formed from volcanic eruptions around 3,000 years ago, allows you to see the continuous active volcanic activity in Hakone. White smoke from the ground billows around this area. Due of its unique landscape, it was called the “Valley of Hell” back in the Edo Period. You can reach Owakudani by riding the Hakone Ropeway. On clear days, you can see Mt. Fuji from the ropeway and Owakudani area.
4
Hakone Shrine / Kuzuryu Shrine Singu
15 minutes
Hakone-jinja shrine dates back to the year 757. Many military commanders prayed at this shrine devotedly, which brought it fame throughout the country. Another group of worshippers were travelers, who regularly visited the Hakone area, and often came here to pray for a safe trip. Even today, the shrine boasts numerous visitors from various places, who have the chance to learn about the shrine's history at the shrine treasure house (homotsuden), or see the “red gate of peace” (heiwa no torii) standing proud and tall in Ashinoko Lake. Also, besides the monthly and seasonal festivals and celebrations, a special event, Ashinoko Summer Festival Week, is held every year from the end of July to the beginning of August, during which visitors get to observe a magnificent fireworks display with as many as 18,500 fireworks dancing in the night sky above Ashinoko Lake.
5
Hakone Ropeway
15 minutes
The Hakone Ropeway (箱根ロ－プウエイ) is part of the Hakone Round Course, a popular way to visit Hakone. It connects Sounzan Station (at the terminus of the Hakone Tozan Cablecar) with Togendai Station (at the shore of Lake Ashinoko) and stops at Owakudani and Ubako stations on the way. The ropeway is fully covered by the Hakone Free Pass.
The ropeway's gondolas depart every minute and fit around ten people each. Traveling the full length of the ropeway takes around 30 minutes. Along the journey, passengers can enjoy views of the active, sulfuric hot spring sources of the Owakudani Valley between Sounzan and Owakudani and of Lake Ashinoko and Mount Fuji between Owakudani and Togendai if visibility allows. A transfer of gondolas is necessary at Owakudani, but no transfer is needed at Ubako.
6
Gotemba Premium Outlets
30 minutes
The Gotemba Premium Outlets are Japan's most popular outlet mall, located in Gotemba City at the base of Mount Fuji, not far from Hakone. The mall features around 300 stores and restaurants, a food court, a hotel and a public hot spring bath.
The stores found at the Premium Outlets are the outlets of internationally known brands of fashion, sports, food, household goods and electronics, and range from everyday items to luxury goods. You can do tax free shopping at the outlet for many goods.
7
The Hakone Open-Air Museum
30 minutes
The Hakone Open-Air Museum is the first open-air art museum in Japan, built in Hakone with the aim of harmonizing nature and art. Art works are placed everywhere on the vast site of about 70,000 square meters, surrounded by beautiful trees, grass, and moutains.
It can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages, from families with children to adults traveling alone.
8
Lake Ashinoko
15 minutes
Lake Ashinoko is a lake created from an ancient volcano eruption and is the largest in Kanagawa Prefecture. One of the best ways to enjoy the lake is by riding the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, pirate-themed boats that let travelers see the view around the lake.
9
Pola Museum of Art
15 minutes
The POLA group, a skin care and beauty products company, opened the POLA Museum of Art (ポーラ美術館, Pōla Bijutsukan) in 2002 in order to display the extensive private art collection of the company's late owner, Suzuki Tsuneshi.
The museum was built amid a forest of 300 year old beech trees, and although constructed of concrete and glass, it is designed so as not to disrupt the natural environment that surrounds it. To achieve this, the majority of the building is located underground.
The museum features modern and contemporary paintings, sculptures, ceramics and glassware by mostly Japanese and European artists. In addition to temporary exhibits, the museum displays rotating exhibits drawn from its permanent collection which include works by artists such as Cezanne, Monet, Picasso and Renoir.
Admission
1800 yen (1600 yen with the Hakone Free Pass)
10
Okada Museum of Art
15 minutes
The Okada Museum of Art is a privately-owned museum showcasing a wide collection of art pieces dating from antiquity to the modern era. Opened in 2013, the museum features a large array of East Asian ceramics, sculptures and paintings, all housed in a very spacious, modern facility surrounded by expansive grounds that feature a Japanese garden, a teahouse and a cafe with hot spring foot bath.
The heart of the museum's collection lies in its huge collection of Chinese and Japanese ceramics and sculptures, which dominates the first two floors, including ancient Chinese bronzes, Tang and Ming porcelain, early Japanese pottery and more. The upper floors focus on Japanese art, with a variety of art forms and time periods represented. Most items on display are labeled with basic information in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
11
Sengokuhara
15 minutes
A field famous for long pampas grass that is most beautiful in the fall.
12
Choanji Temple
15 minutes
Choanji Temple (長安寺, Chōanji) is a temple of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism in the Sengokuhara area of Hakone. Established in 1356 in a quiet area at the base of a hill, the atmospheric temple has a small network of pleasant walking trails which wind through its wooded grounds and cemetery.
What lends Choanji its particular charm, however, are the over two hundred statues of rakan (disciples of Buddha) scattered around the temple grounds. The statues began appearing in the 1980s and have been accruing ever since. Each statue has a unique face and shape, some contemplative and serious, others casual and humorous, and many show a modern edge in their artistic style and expressiveness compared to other collections of rakan statues.
In autumn, the temple grounds are also one of Hakone's nicer spots to enjoy the autumn colors. The many color-changing trees here usually reach their peak color around mid November.
13
Hakone Museum of Art
15 minutes
The Hakone Museum of Art (箱根美術館, Hakone Bijutsukan), located in Gora, was founded by Okada Mokichi in 1952. Its sister museum, the MOA Museum of Art was later built in Atami City on the Izu Peninsula.
The museum displays mainly Japanese ceramics from prehistoric times through the Edo Period (1600-1868). These include a number of large earthenware and ceramic vessels such as a haniwa burial statue classified as an Important Cultural Property.
14
Gora Park
15 minutes
Gora Park (強羅公園, Gōra Kōen) is a western style landscape park located on the steep slope above Gora Station. It is a relaxing place to unwind and enjoy the scenery and views of Hakone.
Gora Park is primarily a French styled landscape park featuring a large fountain and a rose garden. The park also has two greenhouses, one housing a tropical botanical garden while the other contains a flower garden. Additionally, there is a restaurant overlooking the main fountain, as well as the Hakuun-do Chaen teahouse.
In the Crafthouse visitors can take part in craft activities such as glass blowing, glass etching, pottery and dried flower arrangement. Activities range in cost from 1000 to 5000 yen and take from 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
15
Narukawa Art Museum
15 minutes
The Narukawa Museum of Art (成川美術館, Narukawa Bijutsukan) is a contemporary art museum dedicated to a style of painting known as nihonga. Literally meaning "Japanese-style painting", nihonga are paintings that adhere to traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques, tools and materials. The label was originally meant to simply distinguish the art from Western-style paintings, but artists have since expanded the scope of nihonga to also include Western techniques.
Besides the art collection, the museum features an impressive panorama lounge and cafe with large windows overlooking Lake Ashinoko. On a clear day, it affords one of the best views of Mount Fuji, the lake and the floating torii gate of Hakone Shrine.
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