Your day begins with an 8am pickup from your centrally located Yokahama hotel. Greet your local driver-guide and, together with your travel companions (a maximum of three people), settle in to the comfortable taxi as it heads for Hakone via the Tomei Expressway.
Make a 10-minute stop at the the Otome Pass to take in your first view of Mount Fuji from 3,625-feet (1,105-meters) above sea level.
Next make a longer stop of around an hour at Hakone-jinja, a Shinto shrine with a long and impressive history of having the faith and support of the shogun, the ancient Japanese military rulers. From the medieval period onward, the shrine received the veneration of various shogun as a central place to pray in the Kanto region.
After the shrine, you have the chance to go for a 30-minute cruise on Lake Ashinoko, sailing from Motohakone to Togendai on theHakone Pirate Ship. This crater lake along the southwest wall of the caldera of Mount Hakone was formed by a powerful volcanic eruption nearly 3,000 years ago, and provides postcard-perfect views of Mount Fuji towering 18 miles (30 kilometers) to the northwest.
Then, spend an hour at the Komagatake Ropeway area, including a 7-minute ropeway (aerial lift) ride up to the spiritual Hakone Shrine Mototsumiya nestled at the mountaintop.
Next on the agenda is the Hakone Glass Forest Venetian Glass Museum, which exhibits Venetian glass from the 15th through 19th centuries, as well as contemporary Venetian glass works. Hear canzones (Italian songs) performed live at the on-site cafe that faces a garden designed to resemble medieval Venice. You can also try your hand at glass work at the workshop.
Later, take a stroll through the Hakone Yumoto Shopping Center. Hakone Yumoto is a main gateway to the Hakone Onsen District. Learn about how the oldest onsen (hot spring) in the district, Yumoto Onsen, sprang up at the confluence of the Sukumo River and the Hayakawa River, the outlet of Lake Ashinoko. Well-appointed inns are located in quiet settings along the picturesque gorge.
After a day spent exploring the Hakone area, get dropped off back at your Yokohama hotel between 7 and 8pm.