Hakone Heaven: A pilgrimage to Japan’s peak

I had a fantastic trip to Hakone with Nobu - he was able to plan a great day out giving me lots of options & providing suggestions for the best way to optimize our time & see the best of the beautiful autumn sights. Would absolutely recommend!

We did a day trip to Hakone and Fuji with our guide Mari. What a wonderful experience! We met Mari at the Shinjuku station just west of our hotel, and hopped on the 2 hour train to Fuji. Visitors to Fuji don't always see the peak but we knew we had a good chance as it was a bright sunshine filled day. Mari seated us on the right of the train and on the ride up, Fuji burst into view in all its glory. We then transferred to a special railcar that climbs the mountain switchbacks to Hakone. We were there mid April and cherry blossoms in Tokyo were starting to fade, but at the higher altitude and cooler temps of Hakone they were in full bloom! We took a break and Mari walked us around some cherry blossom stands near the Hakone station, then next, a short ride up the steep hill on a funicular. At the top we disembark to transfer to cable car gondola for the final ascent to Fuji - Mari knew just where to stand and sit for the best views - and mid way along the Ropeway, Fuji appeared from behind a ridgeline - huge and snow covered. The ropeway ends at a large viewing station - we spent awhile walking around, admiring the unobstructed views of Fuji and taking plenty of pics. Despite the warm temps of Tokyo, and the sun, at Hakone it was cool and very windy - so if you are going be prepared and bring down jackets or raincoats against the wind. The winds built up to point that the Ropeway was shut down, resulting in a huge line for busses - but with Mari's help, we called a cab and got back home at a reasonable time. A great day with lots of memories.

Mari was wonderful. She escorted us from Tokyo to Hakone/ Fuji (which we would never have been able to figure out on our own ). The views were stunning. We had a bit of a glitch in that high winds caused a shutdown of the Ropeway down. Mari was able to figure out a way for us to get back without standing in the long line. After the tour she even helped us flag a taxi and directed the driver how to get to the dinner restaurant we reserved.

Nobu took us to Hakone from Tokyo for a day trip. He went above and beyond on every level. Flexibility with our kids, kept us on track with time and thanks to his superb planning we managed to do all the items on our wishlist plus more! Definitely one of the best guides we’ve ever had!

Steven showed us all the sites on our day trip to Hakone and was truly a pleasure to spend time with. He also gave us some additional recommendations on things to do, places to go and eat in the Tokyo area. We would highly recommend him!!

Really fun day!