Hakone is a mountainous hot spring resort town located an hour or two from Tokyo at the top of the Izu Peninsular. For centuries the town has bustled with life. In the Edo period (1603-1867), Hakone was a town on the Tokaido, an ancient road from Tokyo to Kyoto. At that time it was significant because of its checkpoint, or sekisho, which guarded the capital of Tokyo against outside threats. After the Edo period, the imperial family built a villa in Hakone at what is now Onshi Hakone Park and Hakone transformed into a place for rich and important Tokyoites to mingle and bathe in hot springs together. Today Hakone maintains somewhat of that image. It boasts huge amounts of hot springs and some of the most luxurious onsen ryokan in the country.

This one-day trip is a chance for you to see as much of Hakone as possible in a single day. It is designed for the traveler without much time to spare. By its very nature, it is a customized trip and shows you all the highlights of Hakone, plus a few of its lesser-known secrets in one whirlwind day. The tour will start at Hakone Yumoto Station which is accessible by direct train from Shinjuku in less than two hours. This is a private tour, so if this arrangement doesn’t work for you or you would prefer to be picked up, please let us know and we can customize the tour to fit your needs. Then we will travel to the hot spring town of Gora via the Hakone Tozan Railway., we will catch the Hakone Tozan Cable Car to Souzan Station before boarding the Hakone Ropeway. You can enjoy stunning views of Mount Fuji on a clear day and there are a couple of optional stops that you could get off and see including Owakudani, otherwise known as the valley of hell. After finishing the Ropeway you will then cross the infamous Lake Ashi by boat, with Mount Fuji again being one of the stars of the show.

After crossing the lake, the mandatory, logistically necessary part of the tour (of course it is beautiful and fun too!) is finished and this is where the tour becomes highly customized. You can choose from the following:

• Hakone Checkpoint History Museum: Hakone thrived in the Edo period (1603-1867) mainly because of this checkpoint. Learn about the history here.

• Onshi Hakone Park: This beautiful park sits in front of Lake Ashi, is the site of a former imperial villa, and is one of the best places to look at Mount Fuji.

• Hakone Shrine: Dating back to the year 757, this is the lower shrine, with the upper shrine being on top of Mount Hakone.

• Hiking the Tokaido Ancient Road: (3km/2miles) - The most important road in Japan during the Edo period was the Tokaido between Tokyo and Kyoto. You can still hike it today with its ancient relics and cobblestones.

• Amazake Chaya (an ancient tea house): Visit this ancient tea house which has been in business over 400 years and has been in the same family for 13 generations.

• Yosegi Zaiku (traditional woodcraft): The ancient craft of Hakone is yosegi-zaiku, a craft that creates patterns using different colored woods. Learn about the craft from master craftsmen and try the art for yourself.

• Hot Springs: Every trip to Hakone should include a visit to a hot spring. There are many to choose from.

Contact us and together we can customize your very own Hakone tour.