Hi everyone, I am looking to go to japan in a few days! Following up from my previous post, I need help regarding my trips to Nikko and Hakone. For context, I will travel from Shinjuku to Nikko and then to Hakone. I will spend the night at Nikko and Hakone at a Ryokan and Guesthouse respectively.
I need urgent advice about the trips I have planned for both days. As for luggage, I will only be carrying some clothes in my backpack to Nikko and will ship my luggage from Shinjuku to Hakone where I will continue the journey to Kyoto after! As for transport, I’m not sure if it helps but I do have a JR pass for my trip.
**Nikko trip**
* Ride to Utsunomiya Station
* Exit Utsunomiya Station and take the train to Nikko via (JR Nikkou Line)
* Take **Tobu Bus service 1A** to Chuzenji Onsen Bus Termina
* Walk to Kegon Falls
* Head to Chuzenji Onsen, the departure point of the sightseeing cruise
* Disembark at Shobugahama Pier
* Head to Ryuzu Waterfall
* Walk to Senjogahara Marshland
* Walk to Yudaki Waterfall
* Walk to Lake Yunoko
* Walk to Yumoto Onsen
* Walk to Shiunso and end the day
Questions for this Nikko Trip because I haven’t seen anyone post this specific route
1. If I depart from Shinjuku around 7 am, what time will I be able to finish this hike at Yumoto Onsen to spend the night there?
2. Is this route easy to follow, are there signages around? Or is it easy to go lost?
3. Is the Nkko Free Pass necessary for my trip?
4. Anything else to take note of?
**Hakone Trip**
* Ride to Utsunomiya (JR Nikkou Line)
* Change to Yamabiko Line to go to Tokyo Station
* Change to Kodama Line heading towards Shin-Osaka and go to Odawara
* Ride to Hakone-Yumoto using the Hakonetozan Railway Local
* Take the bus from Hakone-Yumoto Station to Amazake Chaya to eat
* Walk the Old Tokaido road and look for a signpost to complete the Old Tokaido Road
* Stop at Moto Hakone, find the floating torii gate
* Walk to Hakone Jinjja Shrine
* Take the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise
* Transfer to the Ropeway and go to Owakudani
* Continue to take the ropeway to Hakone Open Air Museum
* Take the Hakone Tozan Railway back to Hakone Yumoto
* Travel to the Onsen Guesthouse Tsutaya and end the night
Questions for this Hakone trip
1. If I depart from Nikko around 7/8 am, what time will I be able to finish this route?
2. From Amakaze Chaya, is the Old Tokaido Road path easy to be located?
3. After the Old Tokaido Road ends, is there a clear path leading to the floating torii?
4. Is the Hakone Free Pass necessary?
5. How can I get back from Hakone Open Air Museum to Hakone Yumoto? I indicated the railway but I would like to hear if anyone has any alternative ways!
6. Anything else to take note of?
Thanks everyone for reading my posts! Appreciate all the advice given 🙂
3 comments
It is possible I am a slow walker and I take my time at each attraction. Your Hakone schedule feels unrealistic. Even if you leave very early, you might not catch every connecting transit at exactly the right time. Also, did you account time spent on the transit and you might not take account into congestion once your near Hakone Yumoto (HY). Also, unless you know the area well you might spend additional time looking for bus stops.
I find Open Air Museum a very nice attraction and I spend at least an hour if not more viewing the art and taking pictures. I took a bus from princess museum to HY, I assume there must be a bus from Open Air to HY. The bus ride takes a while.
Are you going to spend any time in an onsen? What about dinner, are you going to have special dinner plans at the resort? Do you have access to private onsen and need to make a reservation?
I am pretty sure most of the transportation options you listed in Hakone are covered by the free pass. I don’t recall paying for any transit, I just show my pass.
Have a good trip.
Your Nikko itinerary is unrealistic. For it to be semi-realistic (and it would only be technically doable in May-August period), you would need to catch the first Yamabiko train – meaning taking 5:30 ride to Tokyo station to catch it.
Is there a reason you’re going to Nikko but not planning to visit Toshogu or any of the other shrines and temples in the area?