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Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Hakone
箱根
Go for one night in an onsen ryokan and ride the loop; skip the day trip from Tokyo if you want Fuji — clouds win most afternoons.
Hakone is a mountain valley of hot springs, a ropeway over sulphur vents and a lake, 85–90 minutes from Shinjuku. It works as one overnight in a ryokan with dinner included, or as a long day trip on the loop. Fuji shows on clear mornings, mostly October to February. Crowds and prices are high on weekends and in autumn.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 箱根
- Best months
- Oct–Feb for Fuji views; Apr–May and Nov for walking
- Avoid
- Golden Week, Obon (mid-Aug), weekends year-round
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥6,000–10,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥10,000–16,000 excl. bed · High ¥16,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Soba noodles | ¥900–1,600 |
| Black eggs at Owakudani, 5 | ¥500 |
| Coffee or soft drink | ¥400–700 |
| Hakone beer, glass | ¥700–1,000 |
| Onsen day entry | ¥500–1,500 |
| Museum entry (Open Air, Pola) | ¥1,600–1,800 |
| Bus ride on the loop without a pass | ¥300–1,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HND · Haneda
- Direct Odakyu bus to Hakone-Yumoto, about 2 h, ¥2,000
- NRT · Narita
- No direct link; 2.5–4 h via Shinjuku or Tokyo
Typical fares
- Hakone-Yumoto → Gora, mountain railway
- about ¥460, 40 min
- Togendai → Moto-Hakone, sightseeing ship
- about ¥1,200, 30 min
- Shinjuku → Hakone-Yumoto, Romancecar
- ¥2,330, 85–90 min
Get around
The loop runs Odawara → Hakone-Yumoto (train) → Gora (mountain railway) → Sounzan (cablecar) → Togendai (ropeway via Owakudani) → Moto-Hakone (sightseeing ship) → Hakone-Yumoto (bus). The Odakyu Hakone Free Pass covers all of it; a 2-day pass from Shinjuku is ¥6,100, from Odawara ¥5,000, 3-day +¥400. Buses are the only link to Sengokuhara and the lake's north side. The ropeway closes in strong wind — replacement buses run.
See and do
Known for
- Onsen ryokan with dinner
- Owakudani sulphur vents and black eggs
- Lake Ashi and the pirate ships
- Hakone Open Air Museum
- Fuji views on clear days
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Odawara | Hakone-Tozan Line from Hakone-Yumoto, about 15 min | About 30 min |
| Yokohama | Hakone-Tozan to Odawara, then JR Tokaido Line | 1.5–2 h |
| Kamakura | Odawara, then JR to Kamakura | About 2 h |
| Tokyo | Odakyu Romancecar from Hakone-Yumoto to Shinjuku, 85–90 min, ¥2,330 | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Hakone-Yumoto
- Valley floor at the railhead; most ryokan, easiest with bags, 5 min walk from the station.
- Gora / Sounzan
- Upper end of the mountain railway; close to the Open Air Museum and the cablecar.
- Sengokuhara
- Plateau with museums and grass fields; bus-only, quiet, cooler in summer.
- Moto-Hakone / Hakone-machi
- Lake shore, shrine torii in the water, Fuji views from the shore on clear days.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| One adult, please | 大人一枚お願いしますotona ichimai onegaishimasu |
| Is the ropeway running? | ロープウェイは動いていますか？rōpuwei wa ugoite imasu ka |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- Ryokan dinner is served at a fixed hour and check-in has a curfew: arrive the day after you land, not the same day.
- The ropeway stops for wind and inspections; check Hakone Navi before you commit to the loop.
- Weekend and autumn rates at ryokan roughly double; book weeks ahead.
- Last buses to the far side of the lake leave around 20:00.
- Owakudani is an active volcanic vent: stay on the marked paths and heed closures.
Very safe. The real risks are mountain weather, slippery stone steps at the shrine and sulphur fumes at Owakudani; ropeway and bus closures are the usual disruption.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hakone yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Onsen ryokan with dinner
- Owakudani sulphur vents and black eggs
- Lake Ashi and the pirate ships
- Hakone Open Air Museum
- Fuji views on clear days
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Hakone Town official site: www.town.hakone.kanagawa.jp/
- Hakone Navi (Odakyu) — status and journey planner: www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/status_information
- Odakyu Hakone Free Pass: www.odakyu.jp/english/passes/hakone/
- Hakone Open Air Museum: www.hakone-oam.or.jp/en/
- Pola Museum of Art: www.polamuseum.or.jp/english/
- Wikivoyage: Hakone, revision 5283283 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5283283
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Hakone箱根
ここまでお願いします
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Hakone; most are in Tokyo, with consulates in Yokohama and Osaka. US citizens: American Citizen Services, Tokyo.
Ryokan check-in is usually 15:00 and dinner 18:00–19:00; tell the inn if you will be late.Ryokan check-in is usually 3:00 PM and dinner 6:00 PM–7:00 PM; tell the inn if you will be late.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hakone). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.