Getting around Hakone: the Freepass, the Romancecar and every ride

The short answer

Which Hakone Freepass to buy

There are two versions of the pass. They cover the same rides in Hakone and differ only in where you start.

From Shinjuku, the Shinjuku version is cheaper. The Odawara pass plus the Odakyu fare from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto and back (¥1,261 each way by IC card) comes to ¥8,522, ¥1,422 more. Staying two nights? The 3-day pass from Shinjuku is ¥7,500.

Why a 2-day pass pays off on a day trip

There is no 1-day version, so day-trippers use the 2-day pass. On the day-trip loop, the Odakyu fare there and back (¥2,522), the ropeway up to Owakudani and back (¥3,000) and the pirate ship to Moto-Hakone (¥1,700) already add up to ¥7,222, before you pay for three bus rides. On the 2-day trip, the pass covers exactly the two days you need.

Buying it

• On Klook, before you travel

  Klook sells the Freepass from Shinjuku as an e-ticket. It is not sold to holders of Japanese passports. Keep mobile data available so you can open the e-ticket in the Klook app. Buy the Hakone Freepass on Klook

• In Japan

  Hakone Navi lists EMot, Odakyu’s online ticket service, and Odakyu stations, among other places. What the Freepass covers (Hakone Navi)

The Romancecar: a separate seat charge

The Freepass pays the fare on the Odakyu line but not the limited express charge. Every Romancecar seat is reserved: ¥1,150 for a ticketless seat booked online, or ¥1,200 at a station ticket machine or counter. Book both directions before the day. These are the trains our plans use on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

On weekdays the times differ: the itineraries give the weekday trains. Klook sells Romancecar seats between Shinjuku and Hakone-Yumoto for a chosen train.

The rides in Hakone

In Hakone, getting around is half the trip. These are the rides on our two plans, in the order the 2-day trip takes them, with the time each one takes on the departures we use.

• Hakone-Yumoto Gora38 minHakone Tozan Railway, the mountain railway. 2-day trip. IC cards also work.
• Gora Sounzan11 minCable car. 2-day trip. IC cards are not accepted, so use the Freepass.
• Sounzan Owakudani10 minRopeway. Gondolas leave about once a minute, so there is no departure to catch.
• Owakudani Togendai20 minRopeway down to Lake Ashi, the best view of the trip. Both trips.
• Hakone-Yumoto Sengokuhara28 minTozan Bus, route T towards Togendai. Day trip.
• Sengokuhara Togendai9 minTozan Bus, a short ride. Both trips use it, one way or the other.
• Togendai Moto-Hakone45 minPirate ship across Lake Ashi, past Futagoyama. Both trips.
• Moto-Hakone Hakone-YumotoVariesTozan Bus, route H. It runs down a mountain road, so traffic decides the time.

Two of these rides are scenes in themselves. From the ropeway down to Togendai you see Lake Ashi and the ring of mountains the way Tokyo-3 is laid out, and the pirate ship crosses the water where Operation Yashima is fought. The places from the series

IC cards, cards and cash

With the Freepass, you rarely need an IC card in Hakone. It still helps for the things the pass does not cover.

• Hakone Tozan Bus takes IC cards such as Suica and PASMO on every route except its scheduled sightseeing buses. Touch the reader by the door when you get on and the one by the fare box when you get off. If your balance is short, pay the difference in cash or top up.
• The mountain railway takes IC cards; the cable car does not. At the ropeway, IC cards work only at the ticket windows.
• The ropeway ticket windows, its shops and OWAKUDANI KITCHEN take JCB, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and UnionPay cards.

Carry about ¥10,000 in cash per person. Most of the route takes cards or IC cards, so the cash is for Hakone Shrine’s charms, small shops, and the day a card reader fails.

When the ropeway or the boat stops

Strong wind, lightning, typhoons and volcanic gas can stop the ropeway. Fog and strong wind can cancel the pirate ship or change where it goes. Check Hakone Navi on the morning of your trip and again before each ride.

• Ropeway not running

  Skip Owakudani

  Take the bus between Hakone-Yumoto, Sengokuhara and Togendai instead. Do not count on a replacement bus when the ropeway stops for bad weather.

• Pirate ship not running

  Go back from Togendai

  Take the route T bus from Togendai to Hakone-Yumoto. You lose the lake crossing, not your train home.

• Both stopped

  Keep to the buses

  See Sengokuhara if the buses are running, then head back to Hakone-Yumoto and Eva-ya.

• Bus late or full

  Drop a stop, not your train

  Buses are slow on the mountain roads, and a full bus can leave without you. Our plans leave spare time before the Romancecar for this.

Before you go

• Book the Freepass and both Romancecar seats. The Freepass lasts 2 or 3 days; there is no 1-day version.
• Leave your suitcase in Shinjuku. You change between trains, buses, a ropeway and a boat. What to do with your luggage
• Bring mobile data and a charged phone. You open your Klook e-tickets on your phone, and you check the ropeway and the boat on the day. Get a Japan eSIM on Klook
• Pack a warm layer. Owakudani and the lake can be windy even when Tokyo is mild.

Keep planning

• The day trip One loop from Shinjuku: Sengokuhara, the ropeway to Owakudani and the pirate ship.
• 1 night / 2 days The ropeway on Day 1, the lake and Hakone Shrine on Day 2.
• Luggage Leave it in Shinjuku, or send it to your hotel.
• All guides Where to stay and where to eat.

Official links and check date

Official links for tickets, fares and operating status. Check the details again for your travel date.