We would highly recommend Tony as a guide. We greatly enjoyed spending the day with him in the Hakone area. Although originally from New Zealand he is a long time local resident who is very familiar with the region and the Japanese language. His knowledge of the geography & history is excellent. He's professional, well organised and easy to get along with.
We were staying in Hakone so Tony met us at our hotel that morning. We visited the extraordinary Amasake Tea House, walked through the beautiful forest on the old Tokaido foot highway, saw stunning views of Mt Fuji across the lake, visited the Hakone Checkpoint, took a boat trip on the lake, travelled on the gondola (ropeway) across Owakudani volcano crater, took the cable car (funicular) to the Hakone Museum of Art and the beautiful Shinsenkyo Garden, then caught the switchback train (Hakone Tozan Railway) down to Hakone Yumoto Station to collect our luggage that the hotel had forwarded for us. Then on to Odawara Station where we connected to the Shinkansen to Tokyo.
We did and saw a lot but never felt rushed. It was a special day, made possible by Tony's knowledge, organisation and congenial manner.
