Hi all – I am going to Tokyo for 2 weeks in May. I will be travelling to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka (4 nights each). I have my itinerary for the 2 weeks finalized, except I am having a hard time figuring out how to do the day trip to Hakone from Tokyo. I’ve done my research and still unsure where to start. Hoping I can get some assistance. Here is what I have so far and my questions:
I will be staying by Tokyo Station. To get from Tokyo Station to Hakone, I plan on:
1) Taking a train from Tokyo Station to Odawara Station and starting my journey from Odawara. From Odawara Station, I would Hakone Tozan to Gora and then continue with the loop. Is this correct or should I be going to Hakone-Yumoto Station from Odawara Station and starting the loop from there?
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The loop would consist of
Gora > Hakone Tozan Cable Car > Sounzan
Sounzan > take ropeway > Owakudani (black eggs)
Owakudani > take ropeway > Togendai
Togendai > pirate ship cruise on Lake Ashi
Pirate Ship > get off at Hakone-Machi or Moto-Hakone
Getting off Hakone-Machi: Visit Hakone Checkpoint & Onchi Hakone Koen Park and then walk along Lakeshore to Hakone Shrine (20 mins) – do this for nice views and if time to walk and see Hakone Checkpoint
Getting off Moto-Hakone: 5 minute walk to shrine (do this if not enough time, don’t want to walk, or don’t want to see Hakone checkpoint)
Take Hakone Tazon Bus to get back to Odawara
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Again, just wondering if I am doing this correctly by going from Tokyo Station to Odawara Station and starting there or if I should go to Hakione-Yumoto Station and start from there? Many people say to take the RomanceCar from Shinjuki Station but I am not staying in that area.
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Thanks
6 comments
If you have the jr pass, you can just take the shinkansen to odawara station, which is much faster – but you will have to change the train to get to Hakone. We did that and it was pretty hassle free.
But you could ofc also get the 1-day-pass including the romance car and have everything covered – but if you stay near Tokyo station you’d have to change trains in Tokyo once as well, so no difference.
Also: keep in mind that they can suspend the cable car and ship on rather short notice if the weather is kinda bad, which can seriously influence your plans. I would recommend to check the status online on the day of your trip and plan accordingly (you can reach everything by bus too).
Hi, I may not be understanding your question correctly, but starting from Odawara or Hakone Yumoto is the same. If you are taking the Tozan line from Odawara to Gora, you have to transfer at Hakone Yumoto anyways, so basically either way you will end up in Hakone Yumoto.
Also, just FYI, there is a Romancecar that goes directly from Otemachi station(metro station that is right beside Tokyo station) to Hakone Yumoto. Only a couple trains in the morning, but if timing is OK then it’s the best way to travel to Hakone.
You could also take the Kodama or Hikari Shinkansen from Tokyo to Odawara for quicker travel, but it’s more expensive compared to the Romance Car.
Anyways, have fun in Hakone.
Make sure you know bus schedule also, got stranded and had to taxi from the The Mishima Skywalk.
Note that the ropeway is currently suspended.
https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/status_information
Check that page nearer the time to see if that’s still the case.
We went yesterday and had to get a bus to the lake instead, we had to queue for about 90 minutes for the bus, which meant that the subsequent bits of the loop were a bit of a rush. Still really good though.
Edit to add:
I highly recommend getting off the boat at Hakonemachi and walking to Motohakone. It’s only a 15 minute walk and you get to walk along the old Tokaido road which is really beautiful.
Since you are staying at Tokyo Station, I would take the regular JR train (not Shinkansen) from Tokyo to Odawara. You may have to search from Ueno to get it to come up in Google Maps, the train is very frequent and no transfers are required.
Tokyo Station and Shinjuku are on opposite ends of the Yamanote Line and Shinjuku in particular can be confusing when changing train operators.
Once at Odawara pick up either the Hakone Free Pass (the “from Odawara” version) or the [Hakone Tabisuke](http://www.izuhakone.co.jp/bus/coupon/index.html/).
Fundamentally both will let you do the ‘loop’, the difference is which sections are in which modes of transport.
I prefer the Tabisuke as the Komagatake Ropeway (which is only included in the latter) is more interesting and I don’t care for Owakudani, also it is a little cheaper.
Highly recommend that you take the RomanceCar from Shinjuku station directly to Hakone-Yumoto station. You can purchase the Hakone Day pass from Odaikyu visitor center at Shinjuku station as well.