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One day in Hakone overview
In this one day guide, I will tell you exactly how to get to each of the following locations, as well as a some recommendations for each spot!
🌅 Morning (7:00 - 10:15): Travel & the Venetian Glass Museum
🎨 Mid-Morning (10:30 - 12:00): Hakone Open Air Museum
🌋 Afternoon (12:20 - 14:00): Ropeway & Owakudani
⛴️ 14:30: Hakone Sightseeing (Pirate) Cruise
⛩️ 15:10 - 16:00: Hakone Shrine & Motohakone Area
♨️ 17:00 - 19:00: Hakone Yuryo Onsen (Optional)
🚆 Return to Tokyo (19:00 - 21:00)
Yes it’s an early start, but you have to start early or you won’t be able to finish this itinerary! Most attractions in Hakone close by 5PM. For everything else, including if you should get the Hakone Free Pass, read on!
What time of year is best to visit Hakone?
I honestly don’t think there is a bad time of year to visit Hakone. Autumn is the most popular because of the opportunity to see the fall leaves and the ideal hiking weather, but every season has its pros and cons! Here is my quick rundown of each one.
Summer
- Everything is green and gorgeous! In my opinion, this is the best time for BBQ’s and forest walks
- It’s very hot from June to mid October, so if you want to do more serious hiking, I would avoid this time
- It tends to rain more in June and July (rainy season), but it really could rain any time, so be flexible! But if it is rainy and there’s no way around it, maybe opt for a full onsen and museum day instead of going up the mountain.
- Try to avoid Obon time (mid-August) as there will be crowds
Autumn
- Autumn is my favourite time to visit Hakone, and a beautiful spot to catch the fall leaves (likely around the mid-November to mid-December)
- With the weather cooling, this is a perfect time for more serious hiking that works up a sweat
- Autumn is generally the busiest time, so expect more crowds and higher prices
Winter
- Winter is the least likely season to see rain, so you may have the best chance at seeing Mt. Fuji during this time! In my completely subjective opinion, I think December and January are the most likely months to be able to see the famous mountain on any given day
- You may get to see some snow if you come in winter!
- This season is the best for onsen, so if onsen is your priority, definitely come in winter
Spring
- Similarly to autumn, spring is a peak tourist time, so expect crowds and higher prices (especially during Golden Week, which is the last week of April/first week of May!)
- The weather in Spring is usually still fairly cold with some rainy days, but it’s great hiking weather!
- Spring gives the opportunity to catch some of the many floral seasons in Japan. Going for the Cherry Blossom or Hydrangea season is my favourite!
How to get to Hakone from Tokyo
The easiest way to get to Hakone from Tokyo is using the Odakyu line from Shinjuku Station. You can take a bus, but it’s quite a bit slower and you might (probably will) get stuck in traffic, so I prefer the train.
The Limited Express Romance Car
Time from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto Station: 1 hour and 47 minutes
Transfers: 0
Price: 2,461 JPY
There are two train lines that you can take to get to Hakone using the Odakyu line. The first is the Limited Express Romance Car. This is the fastest and most comfortable option, but does require you to book seats in advance (I would book at least a couple days out if you can). The only problem with this train is it is often cancelled. So be prepared to take the regular Express just in case! From here, you can either use the bus or Hakonetozan Line to get around depending on where you want to go.
For this itinerary, you actually want to get off a bit early at Odawara and get on the Hakone Tozan Bus, Bus T (for Togendai Line)!
The Odakyu Express Train
Time from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto Station: 1 hour and 59 minutes
Transfers: 1
Price: 1,261
To take the regular express, you don’t need to buy tickets in advance, just board the train as if you were getting on any other local train. Get on the Rapid Express from Shinjuku station, and make sure the destination is Odawara (it does go to other places, so double check!). Get off at Odawara and transfer to either a bus or the Hakonetozan Line, depending on where you want to go in Hakone.
For this itinerary, you also want to get on the Hakone Tozan Bus, Bus T (for Togendai Line)!
Where can I leave my bags if I don’t want to carry them with me?
I recommend leaving your bags in a locker instead of bringing them with you on your Hakone trip. If you will be returning to Shinjuku, lock up your bags in one of the lockers at the station. You can leave them there for up to 3 days, and it only costs a couple dollars per day (depending on the size of the locker!).
Pretty much all train stations in Japan have lockers, so I recommend doing this for any day trip if you can as it really saves you the trouble of having to drag around a suitcase or giant backpack. For this trip, you could also lock up your bags at Odawara Station or Hakone-Yumoto Station, but I would be careful with Hakone-Yumoto Station as it’s possible the lockers may be full unless you get there quite early.
Should I buy the Hakone Free Pass?
The Hakone Free Pass (you can buy it here!) is a pass that lets you use any transportation in Hakone (including the Odakyu Express train to Hakone, and the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise—also known as the pirate ship) over two days.
It costs 6,500 JPY for adults and 1,100 JPY for children if coming from Shinjuku (the best value).
But is the Hakone Free Pass worth it? I would say yes!
- Convenience: Having the pass saves you having to buy individual tickets for transportation all day
- Discounts: If you are going to see multiple attractions, the discounts can add up! For example, if you visit Hakone Yuryo Onsen or the Open Air Museum, you will get discounted admission
- Price: The cost of transportation for this itinerary is 8,202 JPY (may vary slightly depending on routes and if using an IC card or not), so you will save money if you buy the pass!
How to spend one day in Hakone using all public transportation
Travel & the Venetian Glass Museum
Morning: If you can wake up early, I highly recommend it because this itinerary needs you to be in Hakone by *10:00am at the latest! Things in Hakone also close early, so it’s hard to do everything in one day if you don’t get an early start. I recommend being at Shinjuku Station before 7:00 so that you can catch the 7:00 Romance Car. You’ll arrive at Odawara Station by 8:15, where you can catch the Hakone Tozan Bus, Bus T (for Togendai Line) at 8:30. Ride the bus 42 stops until you reach this bus stop outside of the Venetian Glass museum at around 9:10. This is where the tour will begin!
*If you can’t make it by 10:00am, skip the Venetian Glass Museum and start from the Open Air Museum!
9:15 - 10:15 - Explore the Venetian Glass Museum. This museum is a beautiful spot to start the day. It includes a museum which primarily shows pieces crafted between the 15th and 19th centuries, as well as a garden that showcases more contemporary work.
It also has a cafe if you need a nice coffee to reward yourself for getting here so early! It should take about an hour to explore this museum, so no need to rush.
Hakone Open Air Museum
10:23 - 10:38 - Take the bus from the Venetian Glass museum to the Hakone Open Air Museum. The bus you need to take is Bus M! Note that you can also take Bus S, but it takes twice as long. Ride 11 stops and get off at this bus stop outside of the Hakone Open Air Museum.
10:45 - 11:45 - Explore the Open Air Museum! This museum is massive and has some gorgeous pieces, so you can really spend a lot of time here. They also have restaurants, a cafe, and a footbath! Once you’re done, you can either walk to Gora station (it’s 900 meters, so about 15 minutes) or take the train from Chokokunomori station just 1 stop to Gora station.
Ropeway & Owakudani
12:03 - Take the Hakone Tozan Cable Car from Gora Station. This section of the train is really pretty, and depending on the season the view changes quite a bit! My favourite is around June when you can see the Hydrangeas.
Get off at the last station (Sounzan Station) 11 minutes later. From here, you can get on the ropeway! The ropeway is constantly going also, so timing for this one is just whenever you want!
12:20 - 12:30: Take the ropeway to Owakudani Station!
12:30 - 14:00: Explore Owakudani, and make sure to eat a black egg! Why is it black you may wonder? Not to worry, it’s not rotten or anything, the colour comes from being boiled in sulfurous waters.
If you’re hungry at this time as well, there’s also a curry restaurant here that’s quite famous called Owakudani-eki Shokudo, but this area has a couple restaurants to choose from so feel free to explore! I am leaving some time here to eat something since there’s not really another chance to eat until 2pm. And in case you missed any transportation up to now, you can catch up during this slot!
14:00 - 14:15: Take the ropeway down to the port for the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise (to Togendai Station).
Hakone Sightseeing (Pirate) Cruise
14:30: Get on the Cruise! Though honestly calling it a cruise may make your expectations just a little too high. It’s a ferry that looks like a pirate ship, but still has some excellent views. You can check the most up to date timetable here, but it generally leaves every 25 to 40 minutes. If you don’t have the Hakone Free Pass, book a one way ticket to Motohakone-ko!
Hakone Shrine & Motohakone Area
15:10: Arrive at Motohakone-ko!
15:10 - 16:00: Go check out the shrine and famous Tori gate! But please note, the Tori Gate is not actually the peaceful getaway it looks like in photos, as it’s likely going to have a long line if you want to take the iconic picture (the photo people wait to take is below for reference), particularly if it’s a weekend. So if that is important, save at least 30 minutes to wait for this. But if not, then you can more casually explore the area! There are also lots of little shops and things you can check out, some recommendations are:
- Narukawa Art Museum: There is a great view of the lake, Tori gate and Mt Fuji from Narukawa Art Museum. Most people seem to go here for the view, but there is Japanese modern art to enjoy as well!
- Hakone Cheese Terrace: This place does takeaway cheesecake and other desserts. The cheesecake ice cream is really good!
16:03 - 16:52: From here, you can either take the bus to Odawara station, or get off at Kami-tonosawa station for onsen. Either way, you should start from Motohakone-ko and catch bus H, but double check with the driver to make sure it is going to the right spot.
If you head to Odawara, I would stop and check out Odawara castle and the Manabishi Bridge on your way back! But otherwise, follow the same route back to Shinjuku and you should arrive around 19:30 or 20:00.
But if you want to onsen, keep following!
Hakone Yuryo Onsen (Optional)
17:00 - 19:00: Go to Hakone Yuryo Onsen and try either the public or private baths. I have tried both, and would recommend either experience! This is one of my favourite onsen in Hakone, and I would say that trying onsen in Hakone is a must! This is a day-use onsen only, and is open until 20:00. If you’re nervous about how to onsen in Japan, check out my guide on how to use an onsen, sento and sauna in Japan!
Return to Tokyo
19:00 - 21:00: Take the train back to Shinjuku! In my opinion, the most straightforward route is to walk the 15 minutes to Hakone-Yumoto station and then take the train back from here, but you can also take the bus to Odawara Station and then train from here as well! Depending on which route you take, it will be about 2 hours to 2.5 hours to get back. I would also recommend stopping in Odawara if you’re looking for some seafood before heading back to the city. Just be careful not to miss the last train! (should be around 23:00 👍)
And while Hakone can definitely be done on your own with the above guide, sometimes it's easier to have some extra help! You can find loads of guided tour options in places like Get your guide, or if you'd like to organise a tour with yours truly, please reach out to me via my contact form!
If you are looking to explore Tokyo next, be sure to check out my 5 days in Tokyo itinerary! I also have both a 2 week and 3 week Japan itinerary if you need help planning out your entire trip. And lastly, if you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Tokyo, make sure to check out my area and hotel guide so you can make the most of your trip without getting stuck on an inconvenient train line or in an area that’s not the vibe you were looking for.
Enjoy Hakone, and wander on friends ✨
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