Volcano Travel · Tour
Private Hakone Day: Tattoo-Friendly Onsen, a 400-Year-Old Teahouse, Picasso Outdoors
A private day from Tokyo into Hakone, built around three things the group tours cannot give you: an onsen you can actually enter, a teahouse older than most countries' constitutions, and a schedule that bends to you. The onsen point matters. Every hot spring on this itinerary is tattoo friendly, which in Japan is the difference between bathing and standing outside. Private baths can be reserved on request, around 13,000 JPY for two hours, subject to availability. The drive starts on the Hakone Turnpike, the most scenic road in the Fuji and Hakone country, with an observatory at the top over the whole valley. In rain it turns to fog and green, which is its own thing. Hakone Shrine, founded in 757, stands on the shore of Lake Ashi with its red torii in the water. Amazake Chaya has been serving travellers on the old Tōkaidō road for more than 400 years. The beams inside are black with hearth smoke. Amazake is a sweet rice drink with no alcohol in it, once given to pilgrims, and it still comes with simple snacks. The afternoon is art. The Hakone Open-Air Museum holds over a thousand sculptures across 70,000 square metres of garden, with Picasso, Henry Moore, Taro Okamoto and others. If the weather turns, the Pola Museum is indoors, in a beech forest, with impressionist painting at the centre of its collection. If time allows, the Lake Ashinoko Sky Line has four viewpoints and the day stops at all of them. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
What's included
- English/Japanese/French speaking Guides
- Private transportation in modern and clean vehicles
- Highway toll tax
- Parking Fees
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- Pick Up and Drop off to Hotel
Itinerary
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Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji comes into view from several points during the day.
Hakone Turnpike Daikanyama Parking lot
The trip opens on the most scenic road in the Fuji and Hakone region. Panoramas along it, and from the observatory at the top the whole valley, Hakone and Fuji. In rain it turns foggy and green, which is worth the drive on its own terms.
Hakone Shrine
Hakone Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the shore of Lake Ashi, founded in 757. A red torii, several halls, souvenir shops and a museum, all set back in the trees.
Lake Ashinoko
At Lake Ashi the day stops at several of the well-known torii gates and shrines along the water.
We will then stop at Amazake Chaya
Amazake Chaya is a teahouse on the old Tōkaidō road, in the cedar forest, and it has taken in travellers for more than 400 years. The beams inside are black from centuries of hearth smoke. Amazake is a sweet rice drink with no alcohol, once handed to tired pilgrims, and it comes with simple local snacks. What survives here is Edo travel culture, still working.
Tenzan Tohji-kyo
After the road, the shrine and the lake, it is time to eat and to stop moving. There are several onsen in this part of Kanto to choose between, depending on the day and the mood. Local food, thermal water, massage if you want it, and a relaxation room where sleeping next to the water is both allowed and advisable. Every onsen on this tour is tattoo friendly. Private baths can be booked on request, around 13,000 JPY for two hours, subject to availability.
Costo extra
The Hakone Open-Air Museum
The open-air museum holds work by Picasso, Henry Moore, Taro Okamoto, Yasuo Mizui, Churyo Sato, Susumu Shingū and others: over a thousand sculptures across 70,000 square metres of garden. It works for adults and children in the same way.
Costo extra
Pola Museum of Art
If the weather turns, or if you move fast, or if you want both, the Pola Museum is indoors, hidden in beech forest in the Hakone hills. The architecture has won awards and sits against the trees rather than over them. The collection covers Western and Japanese painting, ceramics and cosmetic utensils, with impressionism at its centre.
Costo extra
Lake Ashinoko Sky Line
After lunch, time permitting, the second of the great roads here. It brings Fuji, Lake Ashinoko and even the sea closer. Four viewpoints along it, and the car stops at each.
Not included
- Lunch
- Breakfast
- Dinner
- Ticket to the Hot-Spring (onsen)
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- Ticket to the museum
Good to know
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
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- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: ja, en, fr.
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