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Hakone & Gotemba Private Tour: Experience Scenic Beauty and Shopping with English-Speaking Chauffer
5.0
1 Rating
Tokyo
Experience the scenic beauty of Hakone and enjoy shopping at the Gotemba Premium outlets on a private tour with an English-speaking chauffeur. No worries about public transportation or guides!
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Tokyo - Your driver will pick you up from your hotel or any preferred location in Tokyo.
- Yumoto - Renowned for its top-notch onsen, this is a perfect spot to unwind before or after exploring other parts of Hakone. It’s also enjoyable to explore without entering the hot springs. Souvenir shops and the stunning mountain scenery around the station draw many visitors daily.
- Owaku-dani Valley - Formed by volcanic eruptions around 3,000 years ago, Owakudani showcases ongoing volcanic activity in Hakone. White smoke billows from the ground in this area. Due to its unique landscape, it was dubbed the “Valley of Hell” during the Edo Period. You can reach Owakudani via the Hakone Ropeway. On clear days, you can see Mt. Fuji from the ropeway and the Owakudani area.
- Hakone Shrine / Kuzuryu Shrine Singu - Dating back to 757, Hakone-jinja shrine was a place where many military commanders prayed, gaining fame nationwide. Travelers visiting Hakone often came here to pray for a safe journey. Today, the shrine attracts numerous visitors who can learn about its history at the treasure house (homotsuden) or see the “red gate of peace” (heiwa no torii) standing tall in Ashinoko Lake. Besides monthly and seasonal festivals, the Ashinoko Summer Festival Week, held from late July to early August, features a spectacular fireworks display with up to 18,500 fireworks lighting up the night sky above Ashinoko Lake.
- Hakone Ropeway - The Hakone Ropeway (箱根ロ－プウエイ) is part of the popular Hakone Round Course. It connects Sounzan Station (the terminus of the Hakone Tozan Cablecar) with Togendai Station (on the shore of Lake Ashinoko) and stops at Owakudani and Ubako stations. The ropeway is fully covered by the Hakone Free Pass. The gondolas depart every minute and can hold around ten people each. The full journey takes about 30 minutes. 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, weather permitting. A gondola transfer is required at Owakudani, but not at Ubako.
- Gotemba Premium Outlets - Located in Gotemba City at the base of Mount Fuji, the Gotemba Premium Outlets are Japan’s most popular outlet mall. The mall features around 300 stores and restaurants, a food court, a hotel, and a public hot spring bath. The stores include outlets of internationally known brands of fashion, sports, food, household goods, and electronics, ranging from everyday items to luxury goods. Many items are available for tax-free shopping.
- The Hakone Open-Air Museum - Japan’s first open-air art museum, the Hakone Open-Air Museum, was built in Hakone to harmonize nature and art. Artworks are displayed throughout the vast 70,000 square meter site, surrounded by beautiful trees, grass, and mountains. It can be enjoyed by all ages, from families with children to solo travelers.
- Lake Ashinoko - Created from an ancient volcanic eruption, Lake Ashinoko is the largest lake in Kanagawa Prefecture. One of the best ways to enjoy the lake is by taking the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, which features pirate-themed boats offering scenic views around the lake.
- Pola Museum of Art - Opened in 2002 by the POLA group, a skincare and beauty products company, the Pola Museum of Art (ポーラ美術館, Pōla Bijutsukan) displays the extensive private art collection of the company’s late owner, Suzuki Tsuneshi. Built amid a forest of 300-year-old beech trees, the museum is designed to blend with its natural surroundings, with most of the building located underground. The museum features modern and contemporary paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and glassware by Japanese and European artists. In addition to temporary exhibits, the museum displays rotating exhibits from its permanent collection, including works by Cezanne, Monet, Picasso, and Renoir. Admission is 1800 yen (1600 yen with the Hakone Free Pass).
- Okada Museum of Art - Opened in 2013, the Okada Museum of Art is a privately-owned museum showcasing a wide collection of art pieces from antiquity to the modern era. The museum features East Asian ceramics, sculptures, and paintings in a spacious, modern facility surrounded by expansive grounds with a Japanese garden, a teahouse, and a cafe with a hot spring foot bath. The museum’s collection includes a large array of Chinese and Japanese ceramics and sculptures, with the first two floors dominated by ancient Chinese bronzes, Tang and Ming porcelain, and early Japanese pottery. The upper floors focus on Japanese art from various periods. Most items are labeled with basic information in English, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.
- Sengokuhara - A field known for its long pampas grass, which is most beautiful in the fall.
- Choanji Temple - Choanji Temple (長安寺, Chōanji), a Soto school of Zen Buddhism temple, was established in 1356 in the Sengokuhara area of Hakone. The temple features pleasant walking trails through its wooded grounds and cemetery. The temple’s charm lies in its over 200 statues of rakan (Buddha’s disciples) scattered around the grounds. The statues, which began appearing in the 1980s, each have unique faces and shapes, ranging from contemplative and serious to casual and humorous. The temple grounds are also a nice spot to enjoy autumn colors, with peak color usually around mid-November.
- Hakone Museum of Art - Founded by Okada Mokichi in 1952, the Hakone Museum of Art (箱根美術館, Hakone Bijutsukan) in Gora displays mainly Japanese ceramics from prehistoric times through the Edo Period (1600-1868). The collection includes large earthenware and ceramic vessels, such as a haniwa burial statue classified as an Important Cultural Property.
- Gora Park - Gora Park (強羅公園, Gōra Kōen) is a western-style landscape park located on a steep slope above Gora Station. It features a large fountain, a rose garden, two greenhouses (one with a tropical botanical garden and the other with a flower garden), a restaurant overlooking the main fountain, and the Hakuun-do Chaen teahouse. The Crafthouse offers craft activities like glass blowing, glass etching, pottery, and dried flower arrangement, with activities ranging from 1000 to 5000 yen and taking 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
- Narukawa Art Museum - The Narukawa Museum of Art (成川美術館, Narukawa Bijutsukan) is dedicated to nihonga, a style of painting that adheres to traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques, tools, and materials. The museum features a panorama lounge and cafe with large windows offering one of the best views of Mount Fuji, Lake Ashinoko, and the floating torii gate of Hakone Shrine on clear days.
What's Included
- Private transportation
- English Speaking Driver
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Highway fee
- Surcharges on fuel
- Parking fees
- Tokyo Pick up and Drop-off
What's Not Included
- A Private Guide (English-speaking driver only)
- Food and Drink (for yourself)
- Enterance fees where applicable (for yourself)
- Any other personal expenses
Additional Information
This is an optimal trip for self-guided explorers interested in experiencing Hakone at their own pace, but who appreciate the convenience of private transport and an English-speaking driver. Take a breather from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, immerse yourself in scenic shrines, an active volcano, and a tranquil lake, all offering stunning vistas of Mt. Fuji, all the while skipping the complexities of public transit. Absorb these wonderful sights at leisure in the comfort of a private vehicle. Following this, stop by the Gotemba Premium outlets for some retail therapy before returning to your Tokyo hotel. Don’t forget your passport for tax-free shopping opportunities!
Your English-speaking driver will provide full support throughout your Hakone and Gotemba Premium Outlets Shopping adventure. We look forward to hosting you soon!
Please note that the details of the tour can fluctuate based on traffic. Available vehicles include the Crown, Alphard, Hi-Ace, but specific requests cannot be guaranteed. The tour does not provide a guide. The maximum capacity is seven passengers.
Location
Tokyo
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(1 Rating)
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Ashishanjul
May 2, 2023
Fuji five lakes the place to go when I’m japan - The Best Trip to be in Japan - the Fuji five lake region - the Fuji is incredible the areas around are incredible
Review provided by Tripadvisor
