The short answer
Do Hakone as one loop: a bus to Sengokuhara, the ropeway to Owakudani and back, then the pirate ship across Lake Ashi.
- On the way: Hakone-Yumoto Station and Owakudani from episode 4, Sengokuhara, the ropeway view, and Futagoyama from the lake for Operation Yashima.
- Book before you go: the Hakone Freepass and a Romancecar seat each way.
- Left out on purpose: Hakone Shrine and Kintoki Shrine. Hakone Shrine gets a whole morning on the 2-day trip.
What to book before you go
The tickets are the only bookings. Buy them before you leave home, and travel light on the day.
Ticks are saved in this browser only.
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Hakone Freepass (from Shinjuku)
¥7,100 for adults. It covers the Odakyu line from Shinjuku and back and every bus, ropeway and boat on this route. It is a 2-day pass and you only use one day, but on this loop it still costs less than paying each fare. Klook does not sell it to holders of Japanese passports.
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Romancecar to Hakone-Yumoto, 8:00
The Freepass does not cover the limited express charge, so you also need a Romancecar seat: ¥1,150 for a ticketless seat, and every seat is reserved. This plan uses the 8:00 Hakone 3 (weekdays, the 7:37).
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Romancecar back to Shinjuku, 18:13
The 18:13 Hakone 26 reaches Shinjuku at 19:45 (weekdays, the 18:36, arriving 20:06). An earlier train is tempting, but the bus back from Moto-Hakone runs down a mountain road, and traffic decides when you reach Hakone-Yumoto.
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Somewhere to leave your suitcase
Leave large bags in Shinjuku, in a station coin locker or with a staffed baggage service, and carry only a day bag. You change between buses, a ropeway and a boat all day.
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Mobile data for your tickets
Keep mobile data available so you can open your e-tickets in Klook. You also need it to check the ropeway and the boat that morning, so bring a charged phone and a battery.
What the day costs
The tickets are the fixed part. The rest is our allowance for a day out; change it to suit you.
- Typical budget
- ¥19,400-24,400Per person, from Shinjuku and back.
- Cash to carry
- Around ¥10,000Per person. Most of the route takes cards or IC cards, so the cash is a backup, not the budget.
See the breakdown by item
| Item | Per person | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Tickets | ||
| Hakone Freepass | ¥7,100 | The 2-day pass from Shinjuku, adult |
| Romancecar | ¥2,300 | A ticketless limited express seat, ¥1,150 each way |
| Your own spending (our allowance) | ||
| Food and drink | ¥3,000-4,000 | Lunch at Owakudani, drinks and snacks |
| Souvenirs | ¥3,000-5,000 | An allowance, not counting a big haul at Eva-ya |
| Small extras | ¥1,000-2,000 | Shrine charms, lockers, vending machines |
| Spare money | ¥3,000-4,000 | A missed bus, an extra meal or a change of plan |
| Total | ¥19,400-24,400 | |
- The Tozan buses take IC cards, and OWAKUDANI KITCHEN takes major cards. Carry cash for shrine charms, small shops and the day a card reader fails.
- Fares checked on the Hakone Navi and Odakyu websites on 26 Sep 2026. Go by the price you see when you book.
The day, hour by hour
Times are for Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. On weekdays, take the 7:37 Romancecar (arriving 9:22) and the 18:36 back (arriving in Shinjuku at 20:06), and look up the bus times for your date. The pirate ship times are from the timetable that runs until 30 November 2026.
- Fixed time
- A published departure or arrival time. Missing it changes the rest of the day.
- Target
- A time to aim for. Adjust when you book.
- Stay
- Time set aside at a place.
- Buffer
- Spare time in case of small delays.
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8:00Fixed time
Romancecar from Shinjuku
The Hakone 3, arriving at Hakone-Yumoto at 9:24.
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9:24-10:15Stay
Hakone-Yumoto Station and Eva-ya
Episode 4 ends on this station’s platform, where Shinji stays behind instead of leaving Tokyo-3. The station was rebuilt in 2009, so come for the place rather than the picture. Eva-ya, the official Evangelion shop, is on the ground floor (9:00-18:00, closed on irregular days). Shop now or on the way back.
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About 10:20Target
Bus to Sengokuhara
The Tozan bus on route T, towards Togendai. Get off at Sengoku-kogen, at about 10:48. The Freepass covers it. Traffic on the way up can make it late.
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10:50-11:50Stay
Sengokuhara susuki grass field
Walk out into the grass field. Fans link it to episode 4, where the runaway Shinji comes across Kensuke playing soldier on his own. Sengokuhara is also where the series puts NERV headquarters and Shinji’s school.
The grass field in late November. The grass is at its most golden in October and November. -
About 11:58Target
Bus to Togendai
A short ride, arriving at about 12:07. Use the toilets at Togendai and go straight up the ropeway; lunch is at the top.
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About 12:20Target
Ropeway up to Owakudani
About 20 minutes, arriving at about 12:40. Gondolas usually leave about once a minute, so there is no departure to catch.
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12:40-14:15Stay
Lunch at OWAKUDANI KITCHEN, then Owakudani
OWAKUDANI KITCHEN is upstairs in the ropeway station (10:30-16:00, last orders 15:30, open every day). The Owakudani curry and a vegetable curry made without animal products are ¥1,650 each. Then walk the viewing area around the station: pilgrimage guides and fans place Shinji here in episode 4, wandering after he runs away. The nature trail and hiking paths are not part of this plan.
Steam vents at Owakudani. -
About 14:15Target
Ropeway down to Togendai
The best view of the day, about 20 minutes. The gondola drops towards Lake Ashi with the pirate ships and the ring of mountains below you. When we rode it in 2012, it felt like being lowered into the Geofront.
Heading down towards Lake Ashi. -
14:35-15:05Buffer
Togendai
35 minutes before the boat, in case the ropeway runs late or the queue is long. Find the pier for the pirate ship to Moto-Hakone.
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About 15:10Target
Pirate ship to Moto-Hakone
Across Lake Ashi, arriving at about 15:55. Evangelion’s official site names Futagoyama, the twin peaks east of Moto-Hakone, as the fortress Unit-01 fires from in Operation Yashima, and the series’ own site went looking for them from this boat. You are crossing what the series treats as the battlefield.
A pirate ship on Lake Ashi. -
15:55-16:15Stay
Moto-Hakone
23 minutes before the bus. Hakone Shrine is nearby, but there is no time for its steps today. It is Day 2 of the 2-day trip.
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About 16:18Target
Bus back to Hakone-Yumoto
The Tozan bus on route H. It runs down a mountain road, so traffic decides when you arrive; the plan leaves time for that.
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Until 17:45Buffer
Hakone-Yumoto
Spare time before the train. Eva-ya is open until 18:00 if you did not shop this morning.
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18:13Fixed time
Romancecar back to Shinjuku
The Hakone 26, arriving in Shinjuku at 19:45.
If the ropeway or the boat stops
Check Hakone Navi that morning. Each version below still gets you to your booked train.
- Ropeway not running
Skip Owakudani
Go to Sengokuhara and on to Togendai as planned. Have lunch at Togendai View Restaurant, in the station building above the pier, then take the pirate ship. Do not count on a replacement bus when the ropeway stops for bad weather.
- Pirate ship not running
Skip the lake
Go up to Owakudani and back as planned, then take the route T bus from Togendai straight back to Hakone-Yumoto. You lose the lake and Moto-Hakone, not your train.
- Both stopped
Keep to Sengokuhara and Hakone-Yumoto
See Sengokuhara if the buses are running, then take route T back to Hakone-Yumoto and spend the rest of the day around the station and Eva-ya.
- Bus running late
Keep the 18:13
Buses are often slow on the mountain roads, and a full bus can leave without you. The spare time in the plan is there for this: drop a stop rather than your train.
What the day trip leaves out
Hakone Shrine, whose long stone steps look like the ones Toji and Kensuke run up in episode 3, needs time for the walk from the port and the climb. On a day trip that would put the 18:13 at risk, so the 2-day trip gives it the morning of Day 2 instead. Kintoki Shrine, where the same scene is set, is in Sengokuhara, but we have not yet timed the walk from the grass field, so neither plan includes it.
Keep planning
- The 2-day trip The ropeway and the lake on separate days, with Hakone Shrine and a night near Sengokuhara.
- Evangelion × Hakone Every place from the series on one map, and what happens at each.
- Transport and tickets The Freepass, the Romancecar and every ride.
- Where to eat Lunch at Owakudani, and the backup at Togendai.
- Luggage Where to leave the case in Shinjuku.
Official links and check date
Official links for tickets, operating status and the places on this route. Check the details again for your travel date.
Last checked
- Train and bus times
- Facilities and fares
Show 9 official links
- Hakone Navi: Hakone Freepass
- Odakyu: Romancecar tickets
- Odakyu: Romancecar timetable (Japanese)
- Hakone Navi: operating status
- Hakone Navi: Tozan Bus timetable change, 1 October 2026 (Japanese)
- Hakone Navi: Togendai timetables (Japanese)
- Hakone Navi: Moto-Hakone timetables (Japanese)
- EVANGELION STORE: Eva-ya, Hakone-Yumoto (Japanese)
- OWAKUDANI KITCHEN (Japanese)