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Nature Tours by Private Car in Japan
The Japan nature tour group is for days spent outdoors rather than indoors. Lakes, mountain roads, gardens, forest and coastline, reached at a pace you set instead of one a bus timetable sets for you. Four routes sit here, all centred on Mount Fuji and Hakone.
These places are exactly where a car earns its keep. The best viewpoints around Fuji sit well away from any station, and the buses that reach them run on their own timetable. Being driven means you can stop at a lake because the water is still that morning, then move on when the light changes.
Weather decides more here than on a city day, and that is worth planning for. Mount Fuji hides behind cloud for much of the year and is usually clearest early. Your driver watches the forecast and will suggest reversing the order of the day if that gives you a better chance of seeing the mountain.
The walking is mild on most of these routes. Lakeside paths, garden circuits and short trails to a viewpoint, rather than serious hiking. Bring a jacket in any season, because the temperature around Fuji and up in Hakone runs noticeably colder than Tokyo on the same afternoon.
Pickup from your hotel is included and rates are quoted per vehicle by group size. Onsen entry, ropeway tickets and lunch are paid on the day. Tell your driver whether you want the famous viewpoints or the quiet corners nobody photographs, and the route will lean that way.