Hakone Day Trip Guide

The Hakone Free Pass — Buy This First

The Hakone Free Pass (¥6,500 from Shinjuku, ¥5,500 from Odawara) is the key to Hakone. It covers:

• Round trip on the Odakyu Romancecar (express train) from Shinjuku
• All transport within Hakone: Hakone Tozan Train, Hakone Tozan Cable Car, Hakone Ropeway, Hakone Sightseeing Cruise (Lake Ashi pirate ships)
• Discounts at many attractions

Buy at Shinjuku Station Odakyu ticket counter or online.

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Getting to Hakone

Romancecar from Shinjuku: 85 minutes, reserved seating, large windows designed for mountain scenery. Departs roughly every 30 minutes. With Hakone Free Pass, you pay only the seat reservation surcharge (~¥900).

Regular express: Cheaper but 2+ hours with transfer at Odawara.

Shinkansen option: Tokyo to Odawara (35 min, covered by JR Pass) then local train — not included in Hakone Free Pass.

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Day Trip Itinerary

8:00am — Depart Shinjuku

Take the Romancecar. Sit on the left side for mountain views approaching Odawara.

9:30am — Arrive Hakone-Yumoto

First stop. Cute onsen town along a river — good for a quick walk and breakfast at a riverside café or convenience store.

10:00am — Hakone Tozan Railway to Chokoku-no-Mori

The Hakone Tozan Railway is Japan’s steepest mountain railway — the train zigzags (switches directions) three times to gain altitude. Scenic and unique.

10:30am – 13:00 — Hakone Open Air Museum

Japan’s finest outdoor sculpture museum and consistently one of the country’s most visited museums. 70,000m² of grounds with over 120 sculptures — Picasso, Henry Moore, Niki de Saint Phalle. The Picasso Pavilion alone has 300 works.

Worth every yen (¥1,600). Allow 2–2.5 hours.

13:00 — Cable Car to Owakudani

Continue up on the Hakone Ropeway (aerial cable car). Views on clear days: Mount Fuji directly ahead.

Owakudani: Active volcanic area. The sulfur vents billow steam and the sulfur smell hits you immediately. Try the famous Owakudani black eggs (kurotamago) — eggs boiled in the sulfur springs turn black and supposedly add 7 years to your life. ¥500 for 5 eggs.

14:30 — Ropeway to Togendai & Lake Ashi Cruise

Continue on the ropeway to Togendai on Lake Ashi. Board the Hakone Pirate Ship (Hakone Sightseeing Cruise) — covered by Free Pass.

The 30-minute cruise across Lake Ashi offers the classic view: red torii gate of Hakone Shrine rising from the water with Mount Fuji behind it (when clear).

15:30 — Moto-Hakone

Disembark at Moto-Hakone. Walk the Hakone-juku section of the old Tokaido highway — cedar-lined historical road used by samurai and merchants for centuries.

Hakone Shrine: Walk to the famous lakeside torii gate. Always photogenic.

17:00 — Return or Onsen Option

Option A — Return to Tokyo (arrive ~19:00 via Romancecar from Hakone-Yumoto).

Option B — Onsen stop at Hakone-Yumoto. Dozens of day-use onsen facilities (¥1,000–2,000). Hakone Yuryo and Tenzan Tohji-kyo are both excellent. Soak for 1–2 hours, take the evening Romancecar home (arrive ~20:30).

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Mount Fuji Visibility from Hakone

Best season: November–February. Clear, cold days give the most dramatic views.

Worst: June–August (summer cloud and humidity). September–October: improving.

Morning is better: Fuji is more likely to be visible before midday. By afternoon clouds gather.

If Fuji is hidden in cloud during your visit, the rest of Hakone is still completely worth the trip.

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Hakone Tips

Buy the Free Pass: Without it, individual transport costs add up quickly and exceed ¥6,500.

Weekday is better: Hakone is extremely popular with Tokyo residents on weekends. Weekdays are significantly calmer at major spots.

Check Owakudani access: Occasionally closed due to volcanic activity. Check hakone.or.jp before visiting.

Pack layers: The mountain altitude means it’s 5–8°C cooler than Tokyo. A light jacket is needed even in summer.

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