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Hama & Guides’ Team

Hama & Guides’ Team

4.5

(32)

Guide Agency

Kanagawa prefecture, Japan

Certificates

JMGA 

UIMLA 

Welcome!

I am Hama, a UIMLA certified "International Mountain Leader," having completed a rigorous year-long program with the Japan Mountain Guides Association. Here’s a little about my background and what I can offer:

  • Extensive Experience: Since 2015, I have been a trip leader for the US Navy in Japan, specializing in leading hikes for enthusiastic adventurers.
  • Emergency Preparedness: As a registered nurse, I have managed numerous backcountry emergencies, particularly on the challenging Mount Fuji Trail.
  • All-Season Adventures: Whether you wish to hike Mount Fuji or explore the stunning areas around Greater Tokyo, I am excited to guide you through all seasons, including winter snowshoeing and snow trekking below the timberline.
  • Passion for History: I have a keen interest in uncovering ancient, abandoned paths, and finding traces of historical traffic on these forgotten trails.

I am dedicated to making your hiking experience truly memorable. Share your interests and what you would like to discover, and I will tailor your journey to ensure it is both enjoyable and unforgettable.

Looking forward to meeting you and exploring together!

Contact the guide

English and Japanese

Programs

 

Reviews with photos

Hama & Guides’ Team5
Hama was a wonderful guide! He was so helpful, and we really appreciated his flexibility to work around the weather. He made our trip excellent, and we would recommend him and the service.5
Hama was a wonderful guide! He was so helpful, and we really appreciated his flexibility to work around the weather. He made our trip excellent, and we would recommend him and the service.5
Hama was a wonderful guide! He was so helpful, and we really appreciated his flexibility to work around the weather. He made our trip excellent, and we would recommend him and the service.5
Hama was a wonderful guide! He was so helpful, and we really appreciated his flexibility to work around the weather. He made our trip excellent, and we would recommend him and the service.5
Hama was a wonderful guide! He was so helpful, and we really appreciated his flexibility to work around the weather. He made our trip excellent, and we would recommend him and the service.5
First and foremost, what a beautiful area - definitely worth to visit for multiple days, even trips. Incredible views, wonderfully maintained trails, and conveniently placed huts and shops for food and rest. Japan really exceeds all other places in the world that we have hiked with regard to accommodating hikers, mountaineers, and climbers.

As we had never traveled to this area before we hired a guide. Hama was a lovely person who offered a lot of insight into Japanese culture and the area in which we were hiking. Originally we had booked to do the Yari-Hotaka trail, but days before our arrival our itinerary was changed due to the weather. As we were 6km from the Yari summit, a typhoon arrived and we had to once again change our itinerary. In this area Hama proved to be a great asset. He offered an alternative route which meant we would summit Chogatake instead, which offered stunning views of the mountain range we originally planned to climb.

However, he was not receptive to information we offered him regarding our experience, hiking levels, our fitness, and even our knowledge of each other, and was very direct and harsh in the way he communicates (this we believe is mainly due to language barriers, and understand it might not have been his intention to come across as such). This resulted in him being overly cautious. 
Examples of these situations include:
- Abruptly halting the hike after 200 metres elevation gain to force us to eat (unfortunately we are not big eaters at 5 am, however we had packed multiple power bars). When we mentioned that force feeding would cause us to potentially be sick, he said he would make us descend and cancel the hike. 
    - We understand that his intentions were good and his concern was to prevent any ailments or failure to summit.
- While walking down bamboo steps, as taller people, we squatted down to ensure a lower centre of gravity for balance, and were told we had to stand straight and lean forward.
    - We understand his intention was to ensure a safe decent.
- As we arrived back at the visitor centre in Kamikochi, we were briefly separated whereby one of us remained with the guide, and the other - having not seen us - retreated back to the car. When Hama was informed that the other party would have walked back to the car, he began to panic claiming the person was missing, ignoring the fact that he was told where he would be - resulting in him using harsh words and scolding one of us for having “lost” our partner.
    - We understand that he was responsible for both our well beings and therefore wanted to know our whereabouts at all times.

To understand more about our abilities, one of us is ex military, and has done mountaineering, navigating for over a decade. The other, has been hiking from the age of about 20 in areas where trails are not defined. Both of us are very fit, very active, and hike consistently on a weekly basis.
As avid hikers who have done higher elevation gains in tougher conditions, we found this a little bit off putting.

Having spent 3 days with Hama we believe that with more experience, he has the potential to be an incredible guide. We definitely recommend Hama to anyone who is not a strong hiker or not confident in trail searching.

In summary we would rank:
Guide communication 3/5
Guide area knowledge 5/5
Guide experience 3/5
Trail conditions 5/5
Trail difficulty (Chogatake) 2/53
First and foremost, what a beautiful area - definitely worth to visit for multiple days, even trips. Incredible views, wonderfully maintained trails, and conveniently placed huts and shops for food and rest. Japan really exceeds all other places in the world that we have hiked with regard to accommodating hikers, mountaineers, and climbers.

As we had never traveled to this area before we hired a guide. Hama was a lovely person who offered a lot of insight into Japanese culture and the area in which we were hiking. Originally we had booked to do the Yari-Hotaka trail, but days before our arrival our itinerary was changed due to the weather. As we were 6km from the Yari summit, a typhoon arrived and we had to once again change our itinerary. In this area Hama proved to be a great asset. He offered an alternative route which meant we would summit Chogatake instead, which offered stunning views of the mountain range we originally planned to climb.

However, he was not receptive to information we offered him regarding our experience, hiking levels, our fitness, and even our knowledge of each other, and was very direct and harsh in the way he communicates (this we believe is mainly due to language barriers, and understand it might not have been his intention to come across as such). This resulted in him being overly cautious. 
Examples of these situations include:
- Abruptly halting the hike after 200 metres elevation gain to force us to eat (unfortunately we are not big eaters at 5 am, however we had packed multiple power bars). When we mentioned that force feeding would cause us to potentially be sick, he said he would make us descend and cancel the hike. 
    - We understand that his intentions were good and his concern was to prevent any ailments or failure to summit.
- While walking down bamboo steps, as taller people, we squatted down to ensure a lower centre of gravity for balance, and were told we had to stand straight and lean forward.
    - We understand his intention was to ensure a safe decent.
- As we arrived back at the visitor centre in Kamikochi, we were briefly separated whereby one of us remained with the guide, and the other - having not seen us - retreated back to the car. When Hama was informed that the other party would have walked back to the car, he began to panic claiming the person was missing, ignoring the fact that he was told where he would be - resulting in him using harsh words and scolding one of us for having “lost” our partner.
    - We understand that he was responsible for both our well beings and therefore wanted to know our whereabouts at all times.

To understand more about our abilities, one of us is ex military, and has done mountaineering, navigating for over a decade. The other, has been hiking from the age of about 20 in areas where trails are not defined. Both of us are very fit, very active, and hike consistently on a weekly basis.
As avid hikers who have done higher elevation gains in tougher conditions, we found this a little bit off putting.

Having spent 3 days with Hama we believe that with more experience, he has the potential to be an incredible guide. We definitely recommend Hama to anyone who is not a strong hiker or not confident in trail searching.

In summary we would rank:
Guide communication 3/5
Guide area knowledge 5/5
Guide experience 3/5
Trail conditions 5/5
Trail difficulty (Chogatake) 2/53
First and foremost, what a beautiful area - definitely worth to visit for multiple days, even trips. Incredible views, wonderfully maintained trails, and conveniently placed huts and shops for food and rest. Japan really exceeds all other places in the world that we have hiked with regard to accommodating hikers, mountaineers, and climbers.

As we had never traveled to this area before we hired a guide. Hama was a lovely person who offered a lot of insight into Japanese culture and the area in which we were hiking. Originally we had booked to do the Yari-Hotaka trail, but days before our arrival our itinerary was changed due to the weather. As we were 6km from the Yari summit, a typhoon arrived and we had to once again change our itinerary. In this area Hama proved to be a great asset. He offered an alternative route which meant we would summit Chogatake instead, which offered stunning views of the mountain range we originally planned to climb.

However, he was not receptive to information we offered him regarding our experience, hiking levels, our fitness, and even our knowledge of each other, and was very direct and harsh in the way he communicates (this we believe is mainly due to language barriers, and understand it might not have been his intention to come across as such). This resulted in him being overly cautious. 
Examples of these situations include:
- Abruptly halting the hike after 200 metres elevation gain to force us to eat (unfortunately we are not big eaters at 5 am, however we had packed multiple power bars). When we mentioned that force feeding would cause us to potentially be sick, he said he would make us descend and cancel the hike. 
    - We understand that his intentions were good and his concern was to prevent any ailments or failure to summit.
- While walking down bamboo steps, as taller people, we squatted down to ensure a lower centre of gravity for balance, and were told we had to stand straight and lean forward.
    - We understand his intention was to ensure a safe decent.
- As we arrived back at the visitor centre in Kamikochi, we were briefly separated whereby one of us remained with the guide, and the other - having not seen us - retreated back to the car. When Hama was informed that the other party would have walked back to the car, he began to panic claiming the person was missing, ignoring the fact that he was told where he would be - resulting in him using harsh words and scolding one of us for having “lost” our partner.
    - We understand that he was responsible for both our well beings and therefore wanted to know our whereabouts at all times.

To understand more about our abilities, one of us is ex military, and has done mountaineering, navigating for over a decade. The other, has been hiking from the age of about 20 in areas where trails are not defined. Both of us are very fit, very active, and hike consistently on a weekly basis.
As avid hikers who have done higher elevation gains in tougher conditions, we found this a little bit off putting.

Having spent 3 days with Hama we believe that with more experience, he has the potential to be an incredible guide. We definitely recommend Hama to anyone who is not a strong hiker or not confident in trail searching.

In summary we would rank:
Guide communication 3/5
Guide area knowledge 5/5
Guide experience 3/5
Trail conditions 5/5
Trail difficulty (Chogatake) 2/53
First and foremost, what a beautiful area - definitely worth to visit for multiple days, even trips. Incredible views, wonderfully maintained trails, and conveniently placed huts and shops for food and rest. Japan really exceeds all other places in the world that we have hiked with regard to accommodating hikers, mountaineers, and climbers.

As we had never traveled to this area before we hired a guide. Hama was a lovely person who offered a lot of insight into Japanese culture and the area in which we were hiking. Originally we had booked to do the Yari-Hotaka trail, but days before our arrival our itinerary was changed due to the weather. As we were 6km from the Yari summit, a typhoon arrived and we had to once again change our itinerary. In this area Hama proved to be a great asset. He offered an alternative route which meant we would summit Chogatake instead, which offered stunning views of the mountain range we originally planned to climb.

However, he was not receptive to information we offered him regarding our experience, hiking levels, our fitness, and even our knowledge of each other, and was very direct and harsh in the way he communicates (this we believe is mainly due to language barriers, and understand it might not have been his intention to come across as such). This resulted in him being overly cautious. 
Examples of these situations include:
- Abruptly halting the hike after 200 metres elevation gain to force us to eat (unfortunately we are not big eaters at 5 am, however we had packed multiple power bars). When we mentioned that force feeding would cause us to potentially be sick, he said he would make us descend and cancel the hike. 
    - We understand that his intentions were good and his concern was to prevent any ailments or failure to summit.
- While walking down bamboo steps, as taller people, we squatted down to ensure a lower centre of gravity for balance, and were told we had to stand straight and lean forward.
    - We understand his intention was to ensure a safe decent.
- As we arrived back at the visitor centre in Kamikochi, we were briefly separated whereby one of us remained with the guide, and the other - having not seen us - retreated back to the car. When Hama was informed that the other party would have walked back to the car, he began to panic claiming the person was missing, ignoring the fact that he was told where he would be - resulting in him using harsh words and scolding one of us for having “lost” our partner.
    - We understand that he was responsible for both our well beings and therefore wanted to know our whereabouts at all times.

To understand more about our abilities, one of us is ex military, and has done mountaineering, navigating for over a decade. The other, has been hiking from the age of about 20 in areas where trails are not defined. Both of us are very fit, very active, and hike consistently on a weekly basis.
As avid hikers who have done higher elevation gains in tougher conditions, we found this a little bit off putting.

Having spent 3 days with Hama we believe that with more experience, he has the potential to be an incredible guide. We definitely recommend Hama to anyone who is not a strong hiker or not confident in trail searching.

In summary we would rank:
Guide communication 3/5
Guide area knowledge 5/5
Guide experience 3/5
Trail conditions 5/5
Trail difficulty (Chogatake) 2/53
First and foremost, what a beautiful area - definitely worth to visit for multiple days, even trips. Incredible views, wonderfully maintained trails, and conveniently placed huts and shops for food and rest. Japan really exceeds all other places in the world that we have hiked with regard to accommodating hikers, mountaineers, and climbers.

As we had never traveled to this area before we hired a guide. Hama was a lovely person who offered a lot of insight into Japanese culture and the area in which we were hiking. Originally we had booked to do the Yari-Hotaka trail, but days before our arrival our itinerary was changed due to the weather. As we were 6km from the Yari summit, a typhoon arrived and we had to once again change our itinerary. In this area Hama proved to be a great asset. He offered an alternative route which meant we would summit Chogatake instead, which offered stunning views of the mountain range we originally planned to climb.

However, he was not receptive to information we offered him regarding our experience, hiking levels, our fitness, and even our knowledge of each other, and was very direct and harsh in the way he communicates (this we believe is mainly due to language barriers, and understand it might not have been his intention to come across as such). This resulted in him being overly cautious. 
Examples of these situations include:
- Abruptly halting the hike after 200 metres elevation gain to force us to eat (unfortunately we are not big eaters at 5 am, however we had packed multiple power bars). When we mentioned that force feeding would cause us to potentially be sick, he said he would make us descend and cancel the hike. 
    - We understand that his intentions were good and his concern was to prevent any ailments or failure to summit.
- While walking down bamboo steps, as taller people, we squatted down to ensure a lower centre of gravity for balance, and were told we had to stand straight and lean forward.
    - We understand his intention was to ensure a safe decent.
- As we arrived back at the visitor centre in Kamikochi, we were briefly separated whereby one of us remained with the guide, and the other - having not seen us - retreated back to the car. When Hama was informed that the other party would have walked back to the car, he began to panic claiming the person was missing, ignoring the fact that he was told where he would be - resulting in him using harsh words and scolding one of us for having “lost” our partner.
    - We understand that he was responsible for both our well beings and therefore wanted to know our whereabouts at all times.

To understand more about our abilities, one of us is ex military, and has done mountaineering, navigating for over a decade. The other, has been hiking from the age of about 20 in areas where trails are not defined. Both of us are very fit, very active, and hike consistently on a weekly basis.
As avid hikers who have done higher elevation gains in tougher conditions, we found this a little bit off putting.

Having spent 3 days with Hama we believe that with more experience, he has the potential to be an incredible guide. We definitely recommend Hama to anyone who is not a strong hiker or not confident in trail searching.

In summary we would rank:
Guide communication 3/5
Guide area knowledge 5/5
Guide experience 3/5
Trail conditions 5/5
Trail difficulty (Chogatake) 2/53
Hama provided an exceptionally safe, enjoyable and successful hike to the summit of Mt Fuji and return to the 5th Station for our family including our 10 year old son! Hama was informative the entire trek providing factual information about Mt Fuji, helped me descend the summit when I was becoming anxious, whilst keeping track of our itinerary and return time to make our next flight! We throughly enjoyed this once in a life time experience and could not have completed the trek if it was not for our professional, respectful guide Hama!! So very thankful and grateful. 5
Hama provided an exceptionally safe, enjoyable and successful hike to the summit of Mt Fuji and return to the 5th Station for our family including our 10 year old son! Hama was informative the entire trek providing factual information about Mt Fuji, helped me descend the summit when I was becoming anxious, whilst keeping track of our itinerary and return time to make our next flight! We throughly enjoyed this once in a life time experience and could not have completed the trek if it was not for our professional, respectful guide Hama!! So very thankful and grateful. 5
I recently booked a guided two-day hike to Mt. Fuji and was incredibly fortunate to be paired with Hama as our guide. Simply put—Hama was the best guide I’ve ever had.

From start to finish, he was knowledgeable, resourceful, and deeply committed to our safety and well-being. He knew the trails like the back of his hand, set a great pace for our group, and always made sure we were well taken care of. What impressed me even more was that Hama is also a registered nurse. When my father-in-law experienced some issues with his toe, Hama stepped in and handled it with care and professionalism.

He went above and beyond throughout the trip—constantly checking on us, making sure we had what we needed, and ensuring we were mentally and physically ready for the challenge ahead. One thing that really stood out was how thoroughly he prepared us before the hike. He did a full gear and fitness checklist with us, making sure we were truly ready.

A word of advice to future hikers: this is a physically demanding hike, and being unprepared can result in your guide turning you back for your own safety. Hama takes this responsibility seriously, and it’s part of what makes him such an outstanding guide.

This was, hands down, one of the best experiences I’ve had—and Hama was a huge part of that. If I could give ten stars out of five, I would. Highly recommended!5
I recently booked a guided two-day hike to Mt. Fuji and was incredibly fortunate to be paired with Hama as our guide. Simply put—Hama was the best guide I’ve ever had.

From start to finish, he was knowledgeable, resourceful, and deeply committed to our safety and well-being. He knew the trails like the back of his hand, set a great pace for our group, and always made sure we were well taken care of. What impressed me even more was that Hama is also a registered nurse. When my father-in-law experienced some issues with his toe, Hama stepped in and handled it with care and professionalism.

He went above and beyond throughout the trip—constantly checking on us, making sure we had what we needed, and ensuring we were mentally and physically ready for the challenge ahead. One thing that really stood out was how thoroughly he prepared us before the hike. He did a full gear and fitness checklist with us, making sure we were truly ready.

A word of advice to future hikers: this is a physically demanding hike, and being unprepared can result in your guide turning you back for your own safety. Hama takes this responsibility seriously, and it’s part of what makes him such an outstanding guide.

This was, hands down, one of the best experiences I’ve had—and Hama was a huge part of that. If I could give ten stars out of five, I would. Highly recommended!5
I recently booked a guided two-day hike to Mt. Fuji and was incredibly fortunate to be paired with Hama as our guide. Simply put—Hama was the best guide I’ve ever had.

From start to finish, he was knowledgeable, resourceful, and deeply committed to our safety and well-being. He knew the trails like the back of his hand, set a great pace for our group, and always made sure we were well taken care of. What impressed me even more was that Hama is also a registered nurse. When my father-in-law experienced some issues with his toe, Hama stepped in and handled it with care and professionalism.

He went above and beyond throughout the trip—constantly checking on us, making sure we had what we needed, and ensuring we were mentally and physically ready for the challenge ahead. One thing that really stood out was how thoroughly he prepared us before the hike. He did a full gear and fitness checklist with us, making sure we were truly ready.

A word of advice to future hikers: this is a physically demanding hike, and being unprepared can result in your guide turning you back for your own safety. Hama takes this responsibility seriously, and it’s part of what makes him such an outstanding guide.

This was, hands down, one of the best experiences I’ve had—and Hama was a huge part of that. If I could give ten stars out of five, I would. Highly recommended!5
I recently booked a guided two-day hike to Mt. Fuji and was incredibly fortunate to be paired with Hama as our guide. Simply put—Hama was the best guide I’ve ever had.

From start to finish, he was knowledgeable, resourceful, and deeply committed to our safety and well-being. He knew the trails like the back of his hand, set a great pace for our group, and always made sure we were well taken care of. What impressed me even more was that Hama is also a registered nurse. When my father-in-law experienced some issues with his toe, Hama stepped in and handled it with care and professionalism.

He went above and beyond throughout the trip—constantly checking on us, making sure we had what we needed, and ensuring we were mentally and physically ready for the challenge ahead. One thing that really stood out was how thoroughly he prepared us before the hike. He did a full gear and fitness checklist with us, making sure we were truly ready.

A word of advice to future hikers: this is a physically demanding hike, and being unprepared can result in your guide turning you back for your own safety. Hama takes this responsibility seriously, and it’s part of what makes him such an outstanding guide.

This was, hands down, one of the best experiences I’ve had—and Hama was a huge part of that. If I could give ten stars out of five, I would. Highly recommended!5
I was coming to Japan with the idea of climbing Mount Fuji on the Fujinomiya Trail because I was coming during the off-season. I consider myself a more advanced hiker and climber, so was hiring a guide because of the potential for bad weather conditions. If you are someone that is less advanced or less experienced in hiking, you may want to consider hiring Hama who is absolutely excellent. He asked a lot of questions and made sure I was comfortable every step of the way during the hike that can be extremely helpful for some newer hikers and I appreciated his attention to detail. Like I said, I am a bit more advanced in hiking, so I felt pretty comfortable doing the whole climb and the trail is very well marked and paved for the most part. Hamas approach was very slow, steady and cautious. Which again I really appreciated and I can imagine other hikers and visitors coming would appreciate that as well. Hama was an incredible guide and I would recommend to those who are looking to summit Mt Fuji, especially in the off season. I had an amazing time (even though the weather was crappy, Hama and I made the best of it!!)5
I was coming to Japan with the idea of climbing Mount Fuji on the Fujinomiya Trail because I was coming during the off-season. I consider myself a more advanced hiker and climber, so was hiring a guide because of the potential for bad weather conditions. If you are someone that is less advanced or less experienced in hiking, you may want to consider hiring Hama who is absolutely excellent. He asked a lot of questions and made sure I was comfortable every step of the way during the hike that can be extremely helpful for some newer hikers and I appreciated his attention to detail. Like I said, I am a bit more advanced in hiking, so I felt pretty comfortable doing the whole climb and the trail is very well marked and paved for the most part. Hamas approach was very slow, steady and cautious. Which again I really appreciated and I can imagine other hikers and visitors coming would appreciate that as well. Hama was an incredible guide and I would recommend to those who are looking to summit Mt Fuji, especially in the off season. I had an amazing time (even though the weather was crappy, Hama and I made the best of it!!)5
My 17-year-old son and I had the incredible opportunity to climb Mt. Fuji with Hama as our guide, and we truly couldn’t have asked for a better experience. From the very beginning, Hama was thoughtful, organized, and deeply knowledgeable. His pre-trip planning and encouragement for proper prep was spot on.

We climbed out of season so I had some concerns and Hama made me feel at ease with everything.

He struck the perfect balance between being professional and personable — always encouraging, always patient, and always prepared.

Throughout the hike, he not only guided us safely up the mountain, but made the journey feel meaningful and enjoyable. He knew just when to push us and when to take a break, and he always made sure we were hydrated, warm, and comfortable, even giving some of his own water to my son when he ran out of the 160 ounces he brought which we were sure would have been enough.

What really stood out was how much Hama cared. He went out of his way to connect with us, share stories, and ensure that the experience was something we’d never forget. Thanks to Hama, my son and I shared a once-in-a-lifetime memory together that we’ll always treasure.

We even went out and enjoyed sushi together after the climb and Hama came through with a great recommendation on a place to eat near our hotel.

If you’re considering climbing Mt. Fuji and want a guide who is experienced, kind, and truly invested in giving you the best possible experience — Hama is the one.

Thank you again, Hama!5
My group of 4 successfully summited Mt. Fuji with Hama's guidance, and we had an unforgettable day. Having him there definitely made us feel much more confident and secure. He was able to adjust the itinerary dependent on our interests, ability, and time constraints. None of us spoke Japanese but this was not an issue at all as Hama is completely proficient in English, and was fun to chat to during the hike. I would definitely recommend hiking with Hama if you're thinking about trying to climb Mt. Fuji in the off season. 

With regards to helpful details about my hiking experience: Descending  was definitely harder for me than going up, which surprised me as I usually have no issues with descents, so definitely budget more time than you think you might need for the downhill. I also drank more water than I expected – I brought 2.5L and could easily have drunk more. 5
My cousin and I engaged Hama to lead us on a one-day ascent of Fuji in July, just a day ahead of the official start of the climbing season. Hama was a truly excellent guide and companion. We are not very experienced climbers but have done plenty of hiking and trail running. Hama offered expert guidance at every step of the journey, and importantly he continually monitored the weather so that we could make a safe ascent in less than ideal conditions. We felt very comfortable and safe with Hama leading us. 

His hospitality is also first rate - he provided us with tea and food ahead of the ascent, as well as gear that we were missing (including warm layers that were a lifesaver). After the ascent, Hama brought us to a nearby onsen to unwind, followed by a meal at a very cool restaurant and brewery that uses locally sourced ingredients. Over beers and food, we learned a lot about the culture and history of the area around Fuji from Hama and the brewery staff. The ascent and our time spent with Hama afterward were, together, one of my most memorable travel experiences.5
My cousin and I engaged Hama to lead us on a one-day ascent of Fuji in July, just a day ahead of the official start of the climbing season. Hama was a truly excellent guide and companion. We are not very experienced climbers but have done plenty of hiking and trail running. Hama offered expert guidance at every step of the journey, and importantly he continually monitored the weather so that we could make a safe ascent in less than ideal conditions. We felt very comfortable and safe with Hama leading us. 

His hospitality is also first rate - he provided us with tea and food ahead of the ascent, as well as gear that we were missing (including warm layers that were a lifesaver). After the ascent, Hama brought us to a nearby onsen to unwind, followed by a meal at a very cool restaurant and brewery that uses locally sourced ingredients. Over beers and food, we learned a lot about the culture and history of the area around Fuji from Hama and the brewery staff. The ascent and our time spent with Hama afterward were, together, one of my most memorable travel experiences.5
My cousin and I engaged Hama to lead us on a one-day ascent of Fuji in July, just a day ahead of the official start of the climbing season. Hama was a truly excellent guide and companion. We are not very experienced climbers but have done plenty of hiking and trail running. Hama offered expert guidance at every step of the journey, and importantly he continually monitored the weather so that we could make a safe ascent in less than ideal conditions. We felt very comfortable and safe with Hama leading us. 

His hospitality is also first rate - he provided us with tea and food ahead of the ascent, as well as gear that we were missing (including warm layers that were a lifesaver). After the ascent, Hama brought us to a nearby onsen to unwind, followed by a meal at a very cool restaurant and brewery that uses locally sourced ingredients. Over beers and food, we learned a lot about the culture and history of the area around Fuji from Hama and the brewery staff. The ascent and our time spent with Hama afterward were, together, one of my most memorable travel experiences.5

What people are saying about Hama & Guides’ Team

Chloe

Colin

Review Image

Rachel

Hama was a wonderful guide! He was so helpful, and we really appreciated his flexibility to work around the weather. He made our trip excellent, and we would recommend him and the service.

Hama was a wonderful guide! He was so helpful, and we really appreciated his flexibility to work around the weather. He made our trip excellent, and we would recommend him and the service.Hama was a wonderful guide! He was so helpful, and we really appreciated his flexibility to work around the weather. He made our trip excellent, and we would recommend him and the service.Hama was a wonderful guide! He was so helpful, and we really appreciated his flexibility to work around the weather. He made our trip excellent, and we would recommend him and the service.Hama was a wonderful guide! He was so helpful, and we really appreciated his flexibility to work around the weather. He made our trip excellent, and we would recommend him and the service.Hama was a wonderful guide! He was so helpful, and we really appreciated his flexibility to work around the weather. He made our trip excellent, and we would recommend him and the service.

Ignacio

Sean

Hama was an exceptional guide and was well prepared prior and during the ascent. Very friendly and knowledgeable. Recommend him very highly indeed!!


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