Tokyo Metropole & Greater Kanto · Hakone

Hakone: the ropeway loop, sulfur eggs, Lake Ashi and an onsen

The classic loop from Tokyo: a mountain railway, a ropeway over a volcanic valley with black eggs, a pirate ship on a lake facing Fuji, a torii gate in the water, and an onsen to finish. With the Hakone Pass it is all included.

A day trip from Tokyo to the Hakone loop, six kinds of transport in one day. From Hakone-Yumoto you climb on the mountain railway to the open-air sculpture museum, eat lunch in Gora, continue by cable car and ropeway over the sulfur valley of Owakudani, cross Lake Ashi on the pirate ship and reach the torii gate in the water. You close the day at Tenzan onsen, near Hakone-Yumoto, and the train back. About 5 km on foot. In single tickets the loop from Shinjuku and back, without the Romancecar, costs ¥8,760: ¥1,270 each way on the Odakyu, the mountain railway ¥460 and ¥160, the cable car ¥430, the ropeway ¥2,000, the ship ¥1,700 and the buses ¥1,470. The two-day Hakone Pass from Shinjuku costs ¥7,100, so it saves about ¥1,660 in a single day. From Odawara the math is similar: ¥6,940 in tickets against ¥6,000 for the pass. 'Included in the pass' does not mean free: without a pass, the ropeway and the ship alone cost ¥3,700.

This day is part of: The Golden Route in a week: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka, day by day · Ten days in Japan: Tokyo, Hakone, the Alps, Kyoto and Osaka · Two weeks in Japan: Tokyo, Nikko, Hakone, the Alps, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka

Verified online, September 20269 stops · 07:30 to 21:30¥10,450 · ≈ $66 per personWalking between stops: 67 min · Transport: ¥4,520Day trip from TokyoGood with kidsFuji only on clear days

The day on a map

8 stops, in order

Stops: 8
Walking minutes: 27

Open this day in Google Maps

The same stops with the same numbers, and the way from stop to stop. On a phone it opens in the app, and that is what you navigate with in Japan. Pin names on the map are in Hebrew.

Getting there: From Shinjuku Station: the Odakyu Romancecar direct to Hakone-Yumoto, 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, for example the 07:20 that arrives at 08:47. ¥2,470: ¥1,270 for the ride plus ¥1,200 for the reserved seat, and with the Hakone Pass you pay only the ¥1,200. Without the Romancecar: an Odakyu express to Odawara and a change to the Hakone Tozan Railway, about two hours, ¥1,270. From Tokyo Station: the JR Tokaido Line to Odawara and from there the Hakone Tozan Railway, 1 hour 41 minutes, ¥1,960, after JR East's fare increase on 14 March 2026. The two-day Hakone Pass: ¥7,100 from Shinjuku, including the Odakyu there and back, and ¥6,000 from Odawara, if you come by JR. The pass covers the mountain railway, the cable car, the ropeway, the ship and the area buses, but not the Romancecar supplement.

07:3009:00
TrainMust
Romancecar from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto
You start on the Romancecar, the train with the panoramic window (on the GSE model the passengers in the front row sit in front of the driver). Buy a bento at the station. The pass covers the regular train, and the Romancecar seat is paid separately. If you are sleeping in the area, leave your suitcase at Hakone-Yumoto with the hotel delivery service (¥1,000).
¥1,200 · ≈ $8Book the Romancecar seat on the Odakyu websiteOpen in Maps
Up on the mountain railway
- Train · 40 min · ¥460Hakone Tozan Railway from Hakone-Yumoto to Chokoku-no-Mori, 5 stations, about 40 minutes. On weekdays a train leaves at 09:01 and arrives at 09:44.
09:1009:50
Stop 1Mountain railwayMust
Hakone Tozan Railway: three switchbacks among the hydrangeas
An old train that climbs 500 meters, with three points where the driver moves to the other end and the train continues in the opposite direction. In June and July the track is lined with blooming hydrangeas.
FreeOpen in Maps
Walk to the museum
- Walk · 3 minFrom Chokoku-no-Mori Station about 170 meters downhill to the museum entrance.
10:0011:45
Stop 2MuseumMust
The Open-Air Museum: sculptures among the mountains and a foot onsen
Sculptures by Henry Moore, Miro and Rodin on lawns facing the mountains, a stained-glass tower you climb, and a Picasso museum. The net sculpture that children climb is a sure hit. ¥2,000 at the door, ¥1,800 online in advance. At the end of the route a foot onsen, free. Open all year.
¥1,800 · ≈ $11Open in Maps
Up to Gora for lunch
- Train · 15 min · ¥160Go back to Chokoku-no-Mori Station and ride the Hakone Tozan Railway one station to Gora, 2 minutes. The next train can take a quarter of an hour to come.
- or: Walk · 13 minAbout 1 km uphill to Gora Station.
12:0012:45
Stop 3LunchRecommended
Lunch break in Gora
Gora is the last station of the mountain railway, and it has soba houses and bakeries. Eat here, because up in the sulfur valley the choice is small, mostly eggs and ice cream. Pick one:
- Tamura Ginkatsutei
  Tofu filled with minced pork, fried and simmered in a pot. 2 minutes on foot from Gora Station. Lunch 11:00 to 14:30 (last order), closed on Wednesdays.
- Hakone Soba Godai FukuanFrom ¥2,600
  Soba of pure buckwheat with no binder, 2 minutes on foot from Gora Station. 10:00 to 17:00, closed on Tuesdays. Dishes from ¥2,600.
- Gora Gyoza Center
  Gyoza filled with cabbage and local vegetables, 5 minutes on foot from Chokoku-no-Mori Station, near the museum. Lunch 11:30 to 15:00, closed on Thursdays, and on Wednesdays open only at lunch.
- Kosher or vegan? Every kosher and vegan place in this city
¥1,300 · ≈ $8Open in Maps
Up to the sulfur valley
- Ropeway · 25 min · ¥2,430From Gora, the Hakone Tozan Cable Car to Sounzan, 11 minutes, ¥430. At Sounzan, switch to the Hakone Ropeway and ride to Owakudani, 10 minutes. The ropeway ticket, ¥2,000, is one way to Togendai, and you may get off partway.
13:1014:05
Stop 4Ropeway and volcanoMust
The ropeway to Owakudani: the sulfur valley and the black eggs
The ropeway passes over yellow steaming vents, and on clear days Fuji is opposite you. At Owakudani they sell eggs cooked in the hot springs, their shells turned black. By tradition each egg adds 7 years to your life. Four eggs for ¥500. The ropeway closes during volcanic activity, so check in the morning. For maintenance a bus replaces it, every 15 minutes and very crowded: between Owakudani and Sounzan from 7 to 24 December 2026, and between Togendai and Owakudani from 12 January to 26 February 2027. The Hakone Pass is valid on the bus.
¥500 · ≈ $3Open in Maps
Down to the lake
- Ropeway · 25 minGo back to the ropeway on the same ticket and continue via Ubako to Togendai, 20 minutes, and from there a few minutes on foot to the pier. To catch the 14:30 ship, leave Owakudani by 14:05.
14:3015:15
Stop 5CruiseMust
The pirate ship on Lake Ashi
From Togendai, the ropeway's lower station, a decorated ship crosses the volcanic lake. To Moto-Hakone it takes about 40 minutes, and in the afternoon the ship leaves every 35 to 40 minutes: 14:30, 15:10, 15:50. A one-way ticket is ¥1,700 since October 2025. Fuji is behind on clear days, more in the morning than in the afternoon. Get off at Moto-Hakone, not at Hakone-machi.
¥1,700 · ≈ $11Open in Maps
Walk to the shrine
- Walk · 10 minFrom Moto-Hakone port, about 600 meters along the lakeshore to the shrine and the torii gate.
15:3016:30
Stop 6ShrineMust
Hakone Shrine and the torii gate standing in the water
A shrine in a forest of ancient cedars, and a red torii gate standing in the lake. For the photo at the gate there is an orderly line of 20 to 40 minutes, and you move up in turn. The path along the lake, with 400-year-old Edo cedars, leads to Hakone-machi and the bus.
FreeOpen in Maps
Ride to the onsen
- Bus · 55 min · ¥1,470Walk about 700 meters back to the bus stop at Moto-Hakone port. Hakone Tozan Bus, route H, to Hakone-Yumoto, 32 minutes, ¥1,210. There, switch to bus stop 4, for route K on the old road, and ride 7 minutes to 'Oku-Yumoto Iriguchi', ¥260. From there it is a 5-minute walk to Tenzan. For example: 16:38 from Moto-Hakone port, 17:22 at the Tenzan stop.
- or: Bus · 55 min · ¥1,410The same bus to Hakone-Yumoto, ¥1,210, and from there the hotels' shuttle bus, route B, ¥200, and tell the driver 'Tenzan'. There is no shuttle from the station during the 11 and 12 o'clock hours.
17:2518:50
Stop 7OnsenRecommended
Tenzan: an open-air onsen among the rocks
A day onsen near Hakone-Yumoto, with outdoor pools among rocks and trees. ¥1,450, cash only, towel extra. Open until 23:00, last entry at 22:00. Tattoos: according to Tenzan, if you come alone you are admitted even with a tattoo, but several people with tattoos together are not. The policy changes, so check on site. For the shy or for families: Yunessun, an onsen water park with swimsuits (¥3,500).
¥1,450 · ≈ $9Tattoos: usually accepted at Tenzan, check on siteOpen in Maps
Down to Hakone-Yumoto
- Walk · 27 minAbout 2.2 km downhill, along the old road, to Hakone-Yumoto Station.
- or: Bus · 15 min · ¥260Route K from the 'Oku-Yumoto Iriguchi' stop, a 5-minute walk from Tenzan, to Hakone-Yumoto Station, 7 minutes. In the evening it runs about once an hour, so check the time before you leave the bath.
19:1521:30
Stop 8Dinner and trainRecommended
Dinner in Hakone-Yumoto and the train back
You close the day in Hakone-Yumoto. On the main street opposite the station: soba, tonkatsu, and a bakery cafe with green tea cakes. The last Romancecar to Shinjuku leaves at around 19:50 and arrives at 21:25, and you book a seat on it in advance. If you eat at leisure, you go back afterwards on regular Odakyu trains with changes, ¥1,270, for example the 20:06 that arrives in Shinjuku at 21:57. If you are sleeping at a ryokan: the kaiseki dinner is waiting, and tomorrow you continue to Fuji. Eat near the station:
- Nisshintei
  Ramen and Chinese food in the style of old Japan, 2 minutes on foot from the station. Dinner 17:00 to 20:00 (last order), closed on Tuesdays.
- Steak House YoshiikeFrom ¥7,400
  Wagyu beef teppanyaki, 7 minutes on foot from the station. Dinner 17:00 to 21:00, last order at 20:00, closed on Wednesdays. A meal with a 150-gram steak from ¥7,400.
- Kosher or vegan? Every kosher and vegan place in this city
¥2,500 · ≈ $16Return seat on the RomancecarOpen in Maps