Hakone Volcano Day: Owakudani, Steam Vents & Water Science
ID: GYG1489236-2277894
Category:
Country: Ecuador
Duration:
10:00 hours
Description
Hakone is a live volcano with seven different hot spring waters. Private van with hotel pickup, your own pace, one tour price for your group.
Most Hakone tours treat Owakudani as a photo stop with a black egg. This one treats it as what it is - an active volcanic system that people live on top of.
Hakone is not one mountain. It is a caldera: a volcano that collapsed into itself. The lake sits in the hole. Owakudani is the youngest part, formed when a lava dome gave way around three thousand years ago and slid down the mountain. The steam you see is the system still working.
We spend the day on that story. At the steam field you learn what is actually venting - hydrogen sulphide, steam, sulphur dioxide - why the rock around the vents is yellow and white, and why the authorities close the valley when the gas readings rise.
The black eggs are chemistry, not a gimmick. Iron in the spring water reacts with sulphur and coats the shell in iron sulphide. We explain it while you eat one.
Then the water. Hakone has seventeen registered hot spring sources and they are not the same water. Some are clear sodium chloride, some are acidic sulphur, some are iron-rich and rust-coloured. We visit two or three different sources so you can see and smell the difference, and you finish in an onsen of your choice.
No geology background needed. Everything is explained in plain English, Hindi or Urdu, with the rock in your hand.
Your private van, driver-guide and the whole day are yours alone. No other customers join.
Owakudani closes at short notice when gas levels rise - that decision is the local authority's. If it is closed on your day we run the full day at the alternative steam sites and spring sources, or you receive a full refund. We will tell you before the tour.
Highlights
- Discover the 3,000-year-old collapse that made the Owakudani crater
- Stand at the sulphur steam vents and learn what is coming out
- Taste and compare water from different hot spring sources
- Travel by private van with an English-speaking driver and no strangers
Guiding languages
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Owakudani can close at very short notice when volcanic gas levels rise. This is decided by the local authority. If it closes we run the day at alternative steam sites and hot spring sources, or you receive a full refund
People with asthma, heart conditions, pacemakers or respiratory illness are advised not to go up to the steam vents. The sulphur gas is real. The van can wait at the lower station
Walking is light, about 30 minutes in total at the steam field, on paved paths
Your return Owakudani ropeway tickets are included in the tour price. Nothing to pay on the day for the ropeway. Black eggs are about 500 yen for five
Onsen entry at the end is about 1,000 to 2,000 yen per person, paid on the day. Please tell us in advance if you need a private bath or one that allows tattoos - we will arrange a suitable one
Silver jewellery will tarnish in sulphur air. Leave it in the van
INCLUDED
- Private air-conditioned van for your group only
- English, Hindi or Urdu speaking driver-guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off within Tokyo's 23 wards
- Fuel, expressway tolls and parking
- Bottled water
- Route planning and local advice for the whole day
- Return Owakudani ropeway tickets
NOT INCLUDED
- Black eggs at the steam field, about 500 yen for five
- Entry fees and tickets - see Know before you go
- Food and drinks
- Hot spring (onsen) entry
- Gratuities - never expected, never required
When should I book?
To guarantee availability book as soon as possible. Early booking is worth consideration especially if you planning the trip during high season like public holidays or weekends.
Cancellations
This excursion you can cancel with no cost up to 24 hours before the start of the trip. If you cancel it after 24 hours or not show up on the excursion you will still be charged the full price of the activity. Being late on pick-up or departure will be considered as not showing up.
