I just read the tour description. Sounds like the bus goes from Tokyo up to Fuji-san 5th station, down to Ashi-ko, then from the bottom of the ropeway to JR Odawara station.

At the Odakyu website that KimJapan gave, there is info about sightseeing. The Odakyu train goes to Gotemba which is very near Fuji-san (I don't know how you would get from Gotemba to 5th station, but expect that there would be a bus or something). From Gotemba there is a bus down to the lake where you can take the boat and ropeway, etc. So, it would be easy enough to reproduce that tour, if that is what you wanted, but with the tour you can be brain dead.

Yes, do some research. At odakyu.com and here:
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/RTG/PTG/index.html
see the links for:
Mt.Fuji & Fuji Five Lakes in the Chubu section
and
Hakone & Kamakura in the Kanto section of the page

ALSO, go to the jtbusa website and, keeping the OP in mind, re-read the "Remarks" section of the tour description.

Goodwill Guides were (are?) available in Nara, arranged a day in advance. Probably Himeji, too.

Wow, my original posting seems to have provoked a lot of comment. I have sent a politely worded but firm letter of complaint to the travel agency that booked the tour for us in London. I'll let you know what the response is when I get it.

As this was our very first trip to Japan, we were a little daunted about touring around independently. We shouldn't have worried though - armed with good quality maps, a good guide book and some common sense, it was a breeze. The loal bus and metro system in Kyoto is really quite easy to follow, and the admission prices for museums, temples etc are really low. I suppose that's what irritates me so much about the JTB tour. It obviously didn't cost them very much for a bus, a guide plus driver and the admission tickets. Their profit margin must be immense when so many people take the tour.

Obviously touring independently isn't everyone's cup of tea. Some may prefer someone else making all the arrangements, but my experience so far is that most visitors to Japan get on just fine on their own.

Finally, a happy ending...! I received a very nice letter this morning from my travel agent, apologising profusely for the problems with the tour and offering a full refund. So, at least I'm happy. Hopefully the bad feedback in this case will prompt JTB/Sunrise to re-design their tour.

My wife and I have only 1 day in Tokyo and would like to have a private tour for the day. Can anyone suggest a reputable guide and car? Thanks. Bruce

Had excellent private guide for Tokyo...Junko Matsuda. She is intelligent, perfect English, really knows the city and will take you where you want to go and had good ideas if you don't know where you want to go. We used her 4 times, 3 half days, and one full day. We would never have seen Tokyo a fraction of the way she showed us if we had not been with her. She also knows the restaurants and shops. We did eat well with her and not spending nearly the amount we thought Tokyo would cost. I also fell and broke my arm on my second day in Tokyo. She was invaluable at the hospital. She made our trip in Tokyo!! Her email is [email protected]
Travel in Tokyo by subway, driving or being driven impossible.

Elainee:

Sorry for the awkward question, but can you share the rates charged by Ms. Junko Matsuda?

Many thanks.