This Way to Hakone

I couldn’t wrap my head around Hakone. From the pictures, it was obviously one of the most popular places to take photos of Mount Fuji. I knew it was an onsen town famous for its hot springs, but that was pretty much all that made sense to me.

What I found baffling was the “Hakone Loop” – a transportation network that included trains, funiculars, ropeways, buses, and boats. It was an odd mix to me, especially since it sounded like an integral part of the Hakone experience. What made it even stranger were the “pirate ships” that looked completely out-of-place on a lake in Japan!

I couldn’t put the concept of Hakone together in my mind, until I spent a couple of days there and realized that the town isn’t a single unified town, but more a network of small settlements located in and around a caldera.

Based on people’s reviews, most tourists seem to love Hakone, while a few others have called it overrated and overpriced. In this article, I hope to shed more light on exactly what Hakone is, and what you can expect from this popular resort town in Kanagawa Prefecture.

GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNDERSTANDING HAKONE

Hakone is a resort town in the mountains of Kanagawa Prefecture, around two hours southwest of Tokyo. Part of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, it’s famous for its hot springs and iconic view of Mount Fuji rising up over Lake Ashinoko (or Lake Ashi for short).

Hakone is a small town with a population hovering between ten and fifteen thousand. Hakone’s size is what I found confusing. Why would a small town require such an elaborate transportation network? And why did this transportation system sound like a tourist attraction in its own right?

I couldn’t picture it in my head until I went there myself and realized that Hakone isn’t a single unified town, but a collection of seven small “villages” or settlements spread out over Mount Hakone’s vast caldera. This explained the elaborate transportation network and prevalence of natural hot springs in the area.

The Hakone Loop refers to the loop-shaped route people take when visiting Hakone. It consists of trains, buses, funiculars, ropeways, and cruise ships that connect the various settlements.

Starting at Hakone-Yumoto Station, which is located near the eastern edge of the caldera, visitors make their way down to Lake Ashinoko – a caldera lake – before traveling back up again.

Along the route, you can hop off at various stations to explore the different settlements. In each village-like area, you’ll find hotels, ryokans, restaurants, museums, shops, shrines, and other tourist attractions.

Visitors can purchase single ride tickets for any portion of the loop, but if you plan on doing the full loop, then the Hakone Free Pass is a worthwhile investment. It’s a travel pass that gives you unlimited use of Hakone’s transportation network for two or three days.

WHAT IS THE HAKONE FREE PASS?

This is just a quick summary but be sure to check out my detailed assessment of the Hakone Free Pass for more information and tips on using the pass.

The Hakone Free Pass is a travel and discount pass by Odakyu Railway. It gives you unlimited use of the transportation network in Hakone along with discounts to select tourist attractions in the Hakone area for two or three consecutive days.

Available in digital or physical formats, you can purchase a Hakone Free Pass at select metro stations or in advance through Klook.

Here’s the pricing structure for the Hakone Free Pass (March 2025). You can get it with or without roundtrip transportation from Shinjuku Station.

	2-Day Pass	3-Day Pass
With Roundtrip Transportation From Shinjuku Station*	JPY 6,100	JPY 6,500
Without Roundtrip Transportation	JPY 5,000	JPY 5,400

The following map** shows the routes and stations covered by the Hakone Free Pass. Pass holders can travel along these routes as often as they want within the validity period of their pass.

*Can be upgraded to the limited express “Romancecar” train for an additional fee.

**Please note that the map above is a simplified version to help you visualize available routes. You can visit the Odakyu website to see all lines and stops covered by the Hakone Free Pass.

BEST TIME TO VISIT HAKONE

It’s ideal to visit Hakone when the skies are clear for two reasons. One, you’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors so you don’t want to be bogged down by bad weather. And two, Mount Fuji is notoriously fickle so it’s best to go when visibility is at its highest. This usually happens in winter, around December and January.

Hakone is beautiful at any time of the year but especially in autumn thanks to its colorful fall foliage. The leaves start to change colors around early November, which is right around the time when the rains start tapering off as well.

For these reasons, I think late November to early December is the perfect time to visit Hakone. It’ll give you an opportunity to catch the tail end of autumn while giving you a better chance for clear views of Mount Fuji.

WHERE TO STAY IN HAKONE

Most if not all the villages that make up Hakone offer accommodations, but some are more convenient than others if you plan on doing the Hakone Loop.

Being the main transportation hub, the area around Hakone-Yumoto Station is the busiest but it may not be the best place to stay in Hakone. I recommend staying instead in Gora. It’s the biggest and most developed village-like area in Hakone with a good number of hotels, ryokans, restaurants, and tourist attractions.

You can check Booking.com for hotel listings around Gora Station. Here are some of the top-rated hotels in the area:

THINGS TO DO IN HAKONE

Do the Hakone Loop

Hakone may be a small town by population but it’s spread out across a mountainous, volcanic landscape. To fully appreciate it, you’ll need to traverse an expansive network of transportation options known as the Hakone Loop (or Hakone Round Course). Not only does it get you from point A to point B, but it’s the most scenic way of appreciating the natural beauty of the Hakone area.

Hakone-Yumoto is the main station in Hakone and where you’ll be starting and ending the Hakone Loop. I went counter-clockwise along the loop but you can also go clockwise if you prefer. If you go counter-clockwise, this is the route you’ll take (map):

Hakone-Yumoto –> (by train to) Gora –> (by funicular to) Sounzan –> (by ropeway to) Owakudani –> (by ropeway to) Togendai –> (by ship to) Hakonemachi-ko –> (on foot to)* Motohakone-ko –> (by bus to) Hakone-Yumoto

There are tourist attractions and restaurants at most stops so depending on how much time you have and what you’re interested in, you can spend as much or as little time at each station as you like. I stayed at a ryokan near Sounzan Station so I did the loop over two days.

The entire transportation network along the Hakone Loop is fully covered by the Hakone Free Pass.

*If you’d prefer not to walk between Hakonemachi-ko and Motohakone-ko ports, then you can stay on the ship when it docks at Hakonemachi-ko and get off at Motohakone-ko instead.

Take That Iconic Shot of Mt Fuji

Hakone is a beautiful hot spring area with lots to offer, but you can’t deny that one of its top draws is this dramatic view of Mount Fuji rising up over Lake Ashinoko. With Hakone Shrine’s vermilion torii gate adding a touch of color in the foreground, it’s a spectacular sight that can make even amateur shutterbugs (like me) look somewhat competent.

You can take great photos from the southern shores of Lake Ashi but I suggest camping out at the panorama lounge and cafe of Narukawa Museum. It gives you a slightly higher vantage point and a comfortable seat with food and drinks while waiting for the perfect shot.

Mount Fuji is notoriously shy but the winter months offer the clearest skies and the best chance of photographing this iconic volcano.

Enjoy a Ryokan Stay and Soak in an Onsen

Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park is known for its natural hot springs, so staying at a ryokan and soaking in an onsen, especially in winter, is one of the most enjoyable things you can do in Hakone. There are a few dozen ryokan to choose from in the area, ranging in price from around a hundred US dollars a night to over a thousand.

I stayed at Nagominoyado Hanagokoro, a 3-star ryokan located near Sounzan Station. There are only eight rooms at the ryokan, each with its own attendant and private onsen, so guests are well taken care of.

This was our private hot spring bath, which we were free to use as often as we wanted during our stay. Like the view? The trees were already barren in late December but I can only imagine how stunning the scenery must be in the fall.

If you’re visiting Hakone for the day but would like to soak in an onsen, then you can do so at Hakone Yuryo, a hot spring resort that offers day rates for onsen use. Holders of a Hakone Free Pass are entitled to discounts on onsen rates.

Aside from the hot spring baths, one of the things I look forward to the most when staying at a ryokan is the food. Some ryokans offer stays without meal plans but I highly recommend booking a room with dinner and breakfast already included. In my opinion, it’s worth the splurge.

Pictured below was our fantastic Japanese breakfast. We enjoyed an equally delicious multi-course kaiseki dinner the night before.

Visit a Museum

I stayed overnight in Hakone but still found my time to be too short. Days were shorter in winter so I didn’t have enough time to visit all the museums on my list, of which Hakone has plenty.

Hakone is home to a few interesting museums, none more popular perhaps than the Hakone Open-Air Museum. It’s a sprawling museum compound with a lovely sculpture garden and various indoor and outdoor exhibits. Key features include the Picasso Exhibition Hall and soft art installations that kids can interact with.

The aforementioned Narukawa Museum has a few art exhibits but it’s more interesting for its panoramic view of the lake and Mount Fuji. Other notable museums include the Pola Museum, the Okada Museum, the Hakone Museum of Art, and the Venetian Glass Museum.

You can get a discount on admission to the Open-Air Museum and other select attractions with the Hakone Free Pass.

Make a Wish at Hakone Shrine

That striking vermilion torii gate on Lake Ashinoko has probably been photographed millions of times but it’s just one part of Hakone Shrine, a Shinto shrine nestled in the woods of Moto-Hakone.

Admittedly, there’s nothing particularly remarkable about Hakone Shrine itself, at least nothing that makes it seem any different from other temples in Japan, but it does look quite beautiful surrounded by a dense forest of cedar trees.

This is what the torii gate looks like from the other side. As you can see, there’s a long line of people waiting to get their patent torii gate selfie.

Eat Black Eggs in Boiling Valley

Though it hasn’t erupted in 3,000 years, Mount Hakone is classified as an active volcano. Its ongoing volcanic activity is evident in the sulfurous fumes rising from Owakudani, a volcanic valley often referred to as “Boiling Valley”.

Some people might bypass Owakudani on the ropeway from Sounzan to Togendai, but I suggest making a quick stop here. Not only can you snack on black eggs that are said to prolong your life by seven years, but you’ll have a new vantage point for another selfie with Mount Fuji in the background.

VISIT HAKONE FAQs

Is Hakone worth visiting?

Yes, absolutely. Unlike Lake Kawaguchi, which I feel offers little more than a close-up view of Mount Fuji, there’s a lot more to look forward to in Hakone.

As rewarding as it is to see Mount Fuji, I wouldn’t have minded as much had she not shown herself in Hakone, simply because I would have had more things to occupy myself with. The Hakone Loop alone is fun and unique, and in my opinion, worth the trip in itself.

Having said that, I’m not sure I’d go back to Hakone again. I enjoyed my stay but it did feel like one of those “been there, done that” kind of places.

Should I stay overnight in Hakone?

If you’re only interested in doing the Hakone Loop and not much else, then a day trip from Tokyo is fine. But if you’d like to do more like visit a few museums, go hiking, or soak in an onsen, then it’s best to stay the night.

I stayed overnight in Hakone and still found my time to be too short. If I could do it again, then I would have gotten the 3-day Hakone Free Pass and stayed two nights. Aside from visiting a couple more museums, I would have loved to do some hiking in the area.

Is the Hakone Free Pass worth it?

Yes, but it depends on how you use it. If you use it to do the full Hakone Loop, then the 2-day pass already pays for itself, even on a day trip from Tokyo.

Using Google Maps to estimate fares, doing the Hakone Loop with roundtrip transportation from Shinjuku Station will cost you around JPY 6,960 without the pass. The 2-day Hakone Free Pass with roundtrip transportation costs JPY 6,100 (March 2025). That’s a savings of JPY 860 even if you use it for just one day!

Can I use my JR Pass or Tokyo Wide Pass to visit Hakone?

Yes you can, but they’re only valid until Odawara Station (just outside Hakone). You’ll need a Hakone Free Pass or pay for single-journey tickets to use the transportation network within Hakone.

Is Hakone expensive?

Yes, it can be, but like most places in Japan, it doesn’t have to be.

As described, you can save on transportation and attraction fees with the Hakone Free Pass. I stayed at a mid-range ryokan but there are cheaper options, including ryokans for less than half the price. If you’d rather not spend too much on food, then you can buy cheaper meals at konbinis.

There are ways to spend less at many destinations in Japan, and Hakone is no exception.

THE FINAL SAY

Hakone is one of the most popular side trips people make from Tokyo, and with good reason. It’s a beautiful onsen town that offers much more than just an iconic view of Mount Fuji.

I don’t think many people will need an extra nudge to visit Hakone, but I do hope this travel guide sheds more light on what you can expect there.

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