What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Great personal guide

  Austourist2011,,Jan 4, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Hiroko Omori was our guide, as a couple, for a day (organized through Inside Japan). It was a great experience – she was informative, knowledgeable and helpful, and paced the day according to our interests. We saw things we would not have found without her. She even managed to part the clouds long enough for us to see Mount Fuji. But perhaps most important on a holiday, she was simply good company for the whole day. Highly recommended

  

  

  

  

• Amazing day in Hakone with Koko

  414christopherr,,Nov 18, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We spent a full day touring Hakone with Koko and it was honestly one of the best parts of our Japan trip. The coolest part was definitely visiting her brother’s tea house - it’s been in operation for 400 years, which is just mind-blowing to think about. We tried genmaicha (rice tea) for the first time there and really liked it. There’s something about being in a space with that much history that you can’t quite put into words, but it was really special. Koko took us to all the main Hakone spots - the art museum, rode the cable car up to see the sulfur vents at Owakudani, and walked part of the old Tokaido road including the checkpoint where they used to inspect women during the shogun era. She knew so much about each place and explained everything in a way that was really interesting without being like a textbook. What I appreciated most was how easy she was to talk to. We spent a lot of the day just chatting and learning about each other’s cultures, which made everything feel more personal. She’s knowledgeable but also just a genuinely nice person to spend the day with. Highly recommend booking with Koko if you’re heading to Hakone!

• Fun foggy day in Hakone

  anna d,,Nov 7, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We had a wonderful Hakone tour with Hiroko. The weather was very cloudy and windy with limited visibility and changes in public transportation options, but she adjusted quickly to make it the best day possible! We learned a lot about Hakone’s history and traditional crafts. We ate at a tasty local restaurant. When the weather cleared the next morning, she messaged us about Mt Fuji’s full visibility (something we had been hoping to see for several days) and we were able to take the ropeway up to see it.

• Historical walking trek

  carolined991,,Oct 10, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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!

  

• Fantastic day with Hiroko!

  michaelvA6675GY,,Sep 21, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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.

• A great hike with Shin

  nancyrbreck,,Sep 3, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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!

• Magical day in Hakone with Shin Kaneko (Explore-Hakone)

  AR1961CDA,,Jul 22, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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.

• Great tour!

  raymieker,,Jun 10, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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.

• Amazing tour, no matter the weather

  564ruslang,,May 26, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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.

• She was absolutely...

  Steven R,,May 24, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  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.

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