Hakone Travel Guide - Japan Travel Sights
Hakone 箱根 is the mountain and hot-spring area about 80 minutes from Shinjuku, and it is the closest thing Japan has to a ready-made side trip from Tokyo. The thing to understand before you book is that Hakone is not a single destination you travel to. It is a loop you travel around — train, cable car, ropeway, boat, bus — and the whole area is built on the assumption that you will do it that way. This guide covers how that loop works, what it costs, when to come, and everything we have written about the area. Information on this page is current as of October 2026.
What most people get wrong
It is not really a day trip. It can be done in a day, and many people do, but you will spend most of it in transit and you will not get the hot spring, which is half the point. One night turns it into a different trip.
You buy a pass, not tickets. Paying separately for each leg of the loop is both more expensive and more trouble. The Hakone Freepass covers the whole network.
The ropeway is not guaranteed. It runs over an active volcanic area, and sections can be replaced by bus or suspended. As of October 2026 the official Hakone tourism site carries a notice about replacement bus services on parts of the ropeway during scheduled maintenance. Check the operator’s own page on the morning you travel rather than assuming the full loop will run.
Getting there and getting around
Hakone has no airport. Visitors arrive through Tokyo — Haneda 羽田空港 (HND) or Narita 成田空港 (NRT) — and travel on from Shinjuku 新宿 or Odawara 小田原.
The Odakyu 小田急 Limited Express Romancecar ロマンスカー runs directly from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto 箱根湯本, the gateway station, in about 80 minutes. Ordinary express trains take longer and require a change. From Odawara, which is on the Tokaido Shinkansen, the Hakone Tozan Railway 箱根登山鉄道 climbs up into the hills.
The Hakone Freepass
| Pass (from Shinjuku) | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| 2-day | 7,100 JPY | 1,600 JPY |
| 3-day | 7,500 JPY | 1,850 JPY |
The pass gives unlimited rides on the Odakyu Line, the Hakone Tozan Train, the Hakone Tozan Cable Car, the Hakone Ropeway, the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, the Hakone Tozan Bus in designated areas, the sightseeing bus, the Odakyu Highway Bus and Tokai Bus in designated areas — eight modes in all.
One thing to watch: the Romancecar surcharge is not included. If you want the direct limited express from Shinjuku you pay a separate reserved-seat ticket on top — 1,200 JPY one way for an adult to Hakone-Yumoto, 600 JPY for a child, as of October 2026. Ordinary trains are covered by the pass without a surcharge.
Do you need a rental car?
No — and here more than almost anywhere in Japan, a car is the wrong choice. The whole area is designed around the pass, the roads are narrow and winding, parking at the popular stops is limited, and the loop deliberately takes you one way round by a chain of different vehicles. Leave the car at home.
The loop, in order
The conventional circuit runs Hakone-Yumoto → Gora 強羅 by mountain railway, Gora → Sounzan 早雲山 by cable car, Sounzan → Owakudani 大涌谷 → Togendai 桃源台 by ropeway, then across Lake Ashi 芦ノ湖 by sightseeing boat to Moto-Hakone 元箱根, and back by bus. You can run it in reverse; the advantage of going this way is that the ropeway section, the part most likely to be disrupted, comes early enough in the day to rearrange around.
What to see
If you are starting from scratch, begin with our overview: Hakone’s classic spots — 20 recommendations.
Shrines around Lake Ashi
- Hakone’s shrines 箱根神社 — Hakone Shrine, Kuzuryu Shrine and Motomiya Shrine together
- Hakone Shrine and Kuzuryu Shrine 九頭龍神社 — the lakeside power spots
- Hakone Motomiya Shrine 箱根元宮 — the mountain-top shrine
Note that Motomiya sits on Mount Komagatake 駒ヶ岳 rather than at the lakeside, so it is a separate climb by ropeway rather than a short walk from the main shrine.
On the loop itself
- Owakudani 大涌谷 — the volcanic valley on the ropeway
- The Hakone Checkpoint 箱根関所 — the reconstructed Edo-period barrier on Lake Ashi
- Sengokuhara susuki grass fields 仙石原すすき草原 — the pampas slopes
When to go
- Spring (April–May). Comfortable walking weather. Golden Week at the end of April fills the trains and the inns — avoid it if you can.
- Early summer (June). The hydrangeas along the Tozan railway line are the draw, and the trains run slowly past them by design. It is also the rainy season, so bring a layer.
- Autumn (October–November). Our pick. The Sengokuhara grass fields turn gold, the air is clear, and Mount Fuji 富士山 is visible from the lake more often than in summer.
- Winter (December–February). Cold, quiet, and the best season for seeing Fuji across Lake Ashi. The hot springs are at their most appealing. Some mountain services run reduced timetables.
Before you go
- Check the ropeway before you set out. Replacement buses run during maintenance, and volcanic conditions can close sections at short notice.
- Owakudani is a volcanic site. If you have a respiratory or heart condition, read the operator’s own guidance before going up.
- Luggage. Hakone-Yumoto has luggage services and lockers, and many inns will take a bag ahead. Dragging a suitcase around the loop is miserable.
- Tattoos. Many hot-spring baths still refuse entry to guests with visible tattoos. Ask the property, or look for a private bath (kashikiri 貸切風呂).
- Cash. Smaller places along the loop are cash-only.
Elsewhere in Kanagawa
These two are in the same prefecture but are a separate trip from Hakone, not an extension of it — they sit on the coast rather than in the mountains.
- Kamakura 鎌倉 — a guide to 11 must-visit spots
- The Enoden Line 江ノ電 — the sightseeing route through Kamakura and Enoshima 江ノ島
Where to stay
Hakone is ryokan country, and an overnight stay is what turns the loop from a long day into a proper trip. Our Where to Stay in Japan guide explains how ryokan pricing, set dinner times and bath rules work, and what to confirm before you book.
Combine Hakone with
Hakone sits on the line between Tokyo and Kyoto, which makes it a natural break in a longer itinerary rather than a destination you fly into. The obvious pairing is Mount Fuji: it is on the same side of the mountain, and Lake Ashi gives you one of the better views of the summit. Heading west, Nagoya, Kyoto and Nara are the usual next stops. Further west again are Osaka, Kanazawa and Kyushu; far to the north, Hokkaido. Far to the west, Hiroshima sits between Osaka and Kyushu. For more mountains, old streets and hot springs, our Gifu Travel Guide covers Takayama and Shirakawa-go, and Nagano covers the Northern Alps; in winter, the snow regions are in our Ski & Snow in Japan guide. For a complete change of climate at either end of a trip, see Okinawa.
Last updated: October 2026. Fares, pass prices and transport services change, and the ropeway is subject to suspension — please confirm with the operator before you travel.