Back in 2013, I went to Japan for the first time ever and fulfilled a dream. In short, I arrived at Narita, stayed at Tokyo, went on to Hakone, continued on to Kyoto and went off from Osaka. Ten years later, I’m planning a return trip this December. Will be landing in Narita, staying in Tokyo, stopping over at Hakone for 3days/2nights, heading on to Osaka 4/5days, coming back to Tokyo.
Back in 2013, I went from Shinjuku to Odawara on what I assume to be a local train – there were heated bench seats and handrails for standing, and it made multiple stops. It was a full on anime experience because I got to watch the passengers and scenery change from an urban to rural setting. I totally loved it. I did take the Shinkansen from Hakone to Kyoto after.
In this upcoming visit, I will be travelling with 6 others including a 4-year-old and a wheelchair bound friend. I’m hoping to do the non-bullet train from Shinjuku to Odawara again, but I don’t know what it’s actually called or how to refer to it. I’m 99% confident its still the Odakyu line. I’m also wondering if it would be more budget friendly to just use the Shinkansen going from Tokyo -> Hakone -> Osaka ->Tokyo.
Any recommendations or advice will be greatly appreciated. TYIA.
8 comments
It is still the Odakyu Line, I took the express train from Shinjuku to Odawara. You can get a Hakone Freepass with this trip included if you plan on doing the loop in Hakone which is what I did on my recent trip. The limited-express or Romance car are not included and cost extra beyond the regular fare.
You are likely referring to the Romancecar on the Odakyu line. It’s a reserved seat train with bathrooms and a snack cart that comes through on board. It’s the base fare from Shinjuku -> Odawara + reserved seat fee of 1,200. So in total you’re paying about 2,470jpy per person.
The Odakyu line has a local train that stops at every.single.stop. on the line. I do not recommend. Then it has it’s express and Rapid express trains that stop at specific stops. All of these trains are just your basic normal commuter train. The only difference is how often they stop. If you don’t want to pay the surcharge (which I think is worth to pay for the extra comfort, it’s not an absorbent price) you can always take one of these trains. I recommend the Rapid Express train that is lit up Orange in the windows. The good thing is that you’d be getting on at the terminal station so you can easily get seats together.
Orange – Rapid Express = Great
Red – Express = Good
Blue – Local = Avoid stops at every stop
Romancecar is the fastest with the least stops, has it’s designated rail most of the time, and is more comfortable. It’s interiors are basically the same as the shinkansen.
You can get the fare covered under the Hakone freepass no matter which Odakyu line train you take. However the 1,200 seat surcharge is not covered under the freepass.
It’s entirely up to you and what you purchase that determines what is budget friendly for you. If you buy the JR pass or if you buy the freepass etc.
Just make sure you get on the rapid express. Also you will need to inform them which stop you’re getting off so they can prepare for the wheel chair. They put out a little ramp thing for wheel chairs.
You might be looking for the Romancecar, which is a special train that runs on the Odakyu line. It has comfortable forward facing seats like a Shinkansen, instead of the metal bench type seats of the normal train on the Odakyu line.
The fare for this train is 2470. 1270 is the “Base Fare”, and 1200 is the “Limited Express Fare” (basically seat reservation charge applicable for special trains). What a lot of people do is, book a seat online by paying the limited express fare, and pay the base fare using an IC card while exiting Hakone/Odawara station.
If you’re buying the Hakone free pass to and from Shinjuku, the base fare is already covered. So you just need to book a seat online. Since you most likely won’t be coming back to Tokyo in 3 days, the pass from Odawara will suffice (instead of taking the Shinjuku one).
While booking a seat, you also get info about the train model; EXE (1996 model), EXE alpha (2016 refurbishment), MSE (2008 model), and GSE (2018 model). The only difference is the design. The GSE is the newest, and has an observation deck with very very few seats at the front and back. If you want these seats, you’ll need to book well in advance!
If you want to go from Shinjuku, you can take the regular commuter train on the Odakyu line, but as you say, it’s a regular train and might require transfers. There is also a limited express train running on this line and it’s called the Romancecar. It’s a bit more expensive, but will go direct an stop at less stations, so will take less time. Also it go up to Hakone-Yumoto, so you do not have to stop at Odawara.
Most of the Orange Rapid Expresses don’t go all the way to Hakone-Yumoto, they end at Odawara and you will need to transfer. The transfer isn’t so bad, but it’s still a transfer. I use the Rapid Expresses because I have a friend who lives at a Rapid Express stop (but not Romance Car stop on the Odakyu line.)
Also make sure you get on the train going in the right direction. Some of the trains go to Fujisawa, in which case you will need to exit the train by Sagami-Ono to transfer for one to Odawara/Hakone-Yumoto.
I think most of the locals from Shinjuku stop at Hon Atsugi, which is a good 45 minutes+ from Odawara and will involve several transfers.
If I were going to Hakone-Yumoto and not trying to visit someone on the Odakyu line, I would just use the Romance Car. Yes, it costs more, but it is a lot more comfortable and you still get the feeling of moving from city to somewhere more rural. I think it is also just easier for your travel party, because the Odakyu line until Sagami-Ono/Machida can be quite busy and last trip we stood both until Machida.
(The train empties out a lot then and also makes all station stops between Ebina and Shin-Matsuda. This is great for me, since I want one of those stops, it’s not great if you don’t.)
Good luck!
Similar situation as well but only after 4 yrs. Now I got my parents and my fiance coming with me this time…do them a favor, take the romancecars lol. I did the express local the last time too to save money, but it’s probably worth the upgrades.
There’s a limited express train on the Odakyu line, called the Romance car, that goes all the way and terminates at Hakone Yumoto. Otherwise you’ll have to take the train (same line) that stops at Odawara and change trains there to get to Hakone Yumoto. Both trains depart from Shinjuku station.