First time driving from Narita to Hakone

Hi all, This April I plan to go to Hakone by car. This is 1st time driving in Japan with Gps.
We drive to Hakone on Thursday morning. We stay at Recove hotel hakone.
Is it convenience for first time driver to go ?
We plan to come back Tokyo on Friday evening.
Thank you for your kind advice.

Is your GPS in English? If not than it would be complicated to input the location if you do not understand Japanese.
My advice is do not fully rely on Google maps, once you get off the highway you may be guided through small roads.

Do you have experience with driving on the left side?
If not it may take some time to get use to it.

Hakone is more than two hours drive from Narita.
Ask the rental company for ETC for the high way.
Using ETC is cheaper than cash payment at the toll gates.

Bring you IDP and your own driving license with you when driving.

First time driving can be a challenge since roads can be complicated in some areas.

You will need to drive through Tokyo to get to Hakone. Personally I would not do it considering there are public transport available, which is quite straightforward.

Yes,I have gps in english. And Etc card to get through the high way.
I'm familiar with right hand drive car.
The drive to Tokyo will go to Ikebukuro to return car on Friday evening.
Thank you all for your advice.

It depends what you want to do in Hakone. I think Hakone is a place you want to walk around and/or take ropeways.
If you want to just drive Hakone area, it would be fine but to find parking space may be a problem once you get there. Can you park your car at the hotel while you�fre travelling around in Hakone even after you check out?
Also, it depends when in April you want to go. If the cherry blossom season or golden week, traffic would be bad.
So, driving is ok but it�fll take longer than you see on the google map.
I would take public transportation to enjoy Hakone.

Thank you for your kind answer. ^_^

As someone who used to live in Gotemba (Close to Hakone) and is a car enthusiast too, I would recommend driving. Public transport to get to Hakone is time-consuming and not a lot of fun. The roads around Hakone are very scenic and the Skyline toll roads are world famous for the scenery of mount Fuji.

Check out www.jomoncarrental.com. They have a great selection of vehicles and are close to Narita. They can even collect you from the airport, if you want the most convenience. You can rent a convertible, manual or auto small 2 seaters - all the way to larger 7-8 seater luxury vehicles.

Their cars have navigation, but they're also offering free mobile wifi, which would enable you to use your smartphone for navigation. Google maps works great in Japan and in your language too.

If you do drive up there, ask Jomon for recommendations; their reception staff used to live in Gotemba and told me of some very scenic and beautiful routes to enjoy. Hakone isn't the main attraction, there are more beautiful lakes too. They also offer campers, if you want to really explore and experience the entire region at your own pace.

Thank you for your kind advice. ^_^

If you're driving from Narita to Hakone, a stop at the Ebina Service Area along the expressway to get some of their famous melon bread is highly recommended.