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Lake Ashi with the torii of Hakone Shrine on the shore and Mount Fuji behind
A Hakone sightseeing boat cruising Lake Ashi
Steam rising from the sulphur vents of the Owakudani volcanic valley
A three-car Hakone Tozan Railway mountain train
The red Peace Torii of Hakone Shrine standing in Lake Ashi

Things to do in Hakone: 9 experiences

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Photo: Charlie fong, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lake Ashinoko, Hakone

Cross Lake Ashi on a pirate-ship boat towards Mount Fuji

Check dates and prices

Photo: Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0

Owakudani, Hakone

Ride the Hakone Ropeway over the sulphur vents of Owakudani

Check dates and prices

Photo: Joli Rumi, CC BY-SA 4.0

Hakone Tozan Railway, Hakone-Yumoto to Gora

Zigzag up the Hakone Tozan Railway to Gora

Check dates and prices

Photo: Nagara373, CC BY-SA 4.0

Hakone Shrine, Moto-Hakone

Climb from the lake torii to Hakone Shrine through the forest

Photo: Joli Rumi, CC BY-SA 4.0

Hakone is a volcanic mountain area in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, less than 100 km from Tokyo, known for its hot springs, its forests and its view of Mount Fuji across Lake Ashi. Most visitors ride a loop of mountain train, cable car, ropeway and boat, and this page follows it: the switchbacks of the Tozan Railway, the steaming crater of Owakudani, the lake cruise and the shrine torii in the water. It adds the stone road of the Old Tokaido, the Open-Air Museum, a day bath in Yumoto and Odawara Castle at the gateway. The Japan page covers a night in a mountain ryokan.

9 things to do in Hakone

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A three-car Hakone Tozan Railway mountain train

Zigzag up the Hakone Tozan Railway to Gora

Hakone Tozan Railway, Hakone-Yumoto to Gora

35 minutes each wayNo booking needed

Japan's oldest mountain railway climbs a wooded gorge over bridges and through tunnels, reversing direction at three switchbacks.

Check dates and pricesTrain from Tokyo plus the Hakone Free Pass
Been there?
Steam rising from the sulphur vents of the Owakudani volcanic valley

Ride the Hakone Ropeway over the sulphur vents of Owakudani

Owakudani, Hakone

1 to 2 hours with the ropewayGo alone or with a tour

Gondolas cross a steaming crater left by Mount Hakone's last eruption, where eggs boiled in the hot springs come out black.

Check dates and pricesMount Fuji and Hakone coach day with cruise
Been there?
A Hakone sightseeing boat cruising Lake Ashi

Cross Lake Ashi on a pirate-ship boat towards Mount Fuji

Lake Ashinoko, Hakone

25 to 40 minutes on the boatGo alone or with a tour

A caldera lake formed 3,000 years ago, crossed by sightseeing boats that look out to Mount Fuji when the clouds allow.

Check dates and pricesHakone day trip from Tokyo with a lake cruise
Been there?
The red Peace Torii of Hakone Shrine standing in Lake Ashi

Climb from the lake torii to Hakone Shrine through the forest

Hakone Shrine, Moto-Hakone

About 30 minutesFree

A red torii stands in Lake Ashi, and lantern-lined steps climb from it through tall trees to Hakone's best-known shrine.

Been there?
The rebuilt Hakone Checkpoint on the shore of Lake Ashi

Walk the Old Tokaido stone road past the Hakone Checkpoint

Hakone Checkpoint and the Old Tokaido, Moto-Hakone

Half a day with the walkNo booking needed

The shogun's checkpoint on the Edo to Kyoto highway, rebuilt as it was, and a stretch of the old stone-paved road through cedars.

Been there?
Sculptures on the lawns of the Hakone Open-Air Museum

See sculpture against the mountains at the Hakone Open-Air Museum

Hakone Open-Air Museum, Ninotaira

1 to 3 hoursNo booking needed

Lawns of modern sculpture set against the valley and mountains, with a Picasso hall and a stained-glass tower you can climb.

Been there?
The hot spring town of Hakone-Yumoto in cherry blossom season

Soak in a day bath in the hot springs of Hakone-Yumoto

Hakone-Yumoto

2 to 3 hoursNo booking needed

Hakone's largest hot spring town, with a long history, where bath houses and many inns open their baths to day visitors.

Been there?
The white keep of Odawara Castle

Climb Odawara Castle, the Hojo clan's stronghold at the gate to Hakone

Odawara Castle, Odawara

1 to 1.5 hoursNo booking needed

The castle whose fall in 1590 let Toyotomi Hideyoshi reunite Japan, rebuilt at the gateway to Hakone and the closest keep to Tokyo.

Been there?
A ryokan among autumn maples in Hakone

Spend a night in a Hakone ryokan with dinner and an onsen

Hakone, Kanagawa

One night; check-in usually from 15:00Book ahead

A night in a Hakone inn: a multi-course kaiseki dinner in your yukata, a bath before it and a futon laid out after.

Tours in Hakone
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Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Hakone yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Getting there

    Odakyu trains run from Shinjuku in Tokyo to Hakone-Yumoto, including the Romancecar limited express, in about 85 to 120 minutes. With JR you can only reach Odawara, about half an hour from Tokyo by Kodama or selected Hikari Shinkansen, and change there. Highway buses from Shinjuku go straight to the Lake Ashi area in a little over two hours.

  • Getting around

    The classic loop runs Hakone-Yumoto, Tozan Railway to Gora, cable car to Sounzan, ropeway over Owakudani to Togendai, boat across Lake Ashi to Moto-Hakone, then bus back to Yumoto. The Hakone Freepass, from ¥6,000, covers two or three days on all Odakyu-affiliated trains, buses, boats, cable cars and ropeways in the area, optionally with the return trip from Tokyo.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, one long day covers the loop from Tokyo, but a night in a ryokan with its own hot spring makes the trip. With two days, add the Open-Air Museum, the Old Tokaido walk and a day bath.

  • When to go

    Mount Fuji is most often visible in the colder months and early or late in the day; in summer clouds usually hide it. June and July bring hydrangeas along the Tozan Railway, with special evening trains to see them lit up.

Questions travellers ask

Is the Hakone Freepass worth it?

Usually, if you ride the full loop. The ropeway alone costs ¥2,000 one way and the pirate ship ¥1,700, before the train, cable car and buses. The pass covers all of them on Odakyu-affiliated lines and gives small discounts at sights such as the Open-Air Museum and the Hakone Checkpoint.

Will I see Mount Fuji from Hakone?

Only if the weather allows: clouds and haze often hide it. Your odds are best in the colder months and early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The best viewpoints are Moto-Hakone, the Lake Ashi boats and the ropeway between Owakudani and Togendai.

Is the Hakone Ropeway always open?

No. It stops in very bad weather and for maintenance weeks in winter, when substitute buses run. Volcanic activity can also close trails at Owakudani, so check the operator's notices on the day.

Can I do Hakone as a day trip from Tokyo?

Yes. Leave Shinjuku early on an Odakyu train to Hakone-Yumoto, ride the loop and return from Moto-Hakone by bus to Yumoto or by highway bus from the lake. It is a long day, and you will see more if you stay a night.

More places in this region

Things to do in Japan

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