Hakone, Japan: Everything You Need to Know for Your Trip

What Makes Hakone in Japan Special

• Small resort town on Lake Ashi
• Incredible hotels with onsen (hot springs)
• Stunning views of Mount Fuji across the lake
• Beautiful mountain scenery
• Volcanic valley with steaming sulfur fields
• Famous torii gate right at the water’s edge

The Best Sights in Hakone

Lake Ashi

What you need to know: Lake Ashi is impossible to skip — and honestly, you won’t want to. It’s one of the most famous highlights in Hakone, and from the shore you get that iconic view of Mount Fuji. A boat ride on the lake is absolutely worth adding to your plans.

Is it worth it? Absolutely. There are great photo spots all around the lake.

Our tip: Morning and late morning usually offer the clearest views of Fuji — it tends to cloud over in the afternoon. If you want to maximize your chances, visit Hakone in winter.

Hakone Shrine

What you need to know: Hakone Shrine is best known for its red torii gate right at the water’s edge — it’s one of those shots you’ll want for yourself. The shrine sits in the middle of the forest and feels genuinely peaceful, even with all the tourists around. From the shrine it’s about a five-minute walk through the forest to the torii. Be prepared for a line if you want a photo there.

Is it worth it? Definitely. It’s a beautiful, tranquil spot by the lake — especially early in the morning.

Our tip: Get up as early as possible and head straight to the shrine and the torii. That gives you the best shot at beating the crowds. Weekends in Hakone are busier than weekdays — a lot of Tokyo residents do a day trip from Tokyo on weekends. You can still get great shots of the torii from the water and crop out the crowds.

Owakudani Valley

What you need to know: Owakudani Valley is a steaming, otherworldly landscape in the middle of a volcanic area. Hot sulfur springs break through the surface here, and the sulfur has killed off most of the vegetation — which is why the valley looks so dramatically barren.

Is it worth it? Totally. The best way to experience it is by riding a cable car over the valley or hiking through it.

Our tip: Try the famous black eggs (Kuro-Tamago). They’re cooked in sulfur water and are said to add seven years to your life. The egg tastes just like a regular hard-boiled egg — it just smells a little like sulfur.

Hakone Ropeway

What you need to know: The Hakone Ropeway is the gondola that runs across the volcanic valley. During the ride you get a seriously cool view of the valley, Mount Fuji, and Lake Ashi. The full ride takes about 30 minutes.

Is it worth it? We didn’t have time for the Hakone Ropeway ourselves, but the views are said to be truly incredible.

Our tip: Walk from the mountain station up to the summit — it’s about a 15-minute hike. At the top you’ll find a beautiful shrine.

Hakone Open Air Museum

What you need to know: The Hakone Open Air Museum is a huge sculpture park with modern artworks set against a stunning mountain backdrop. The collection includes both Japanese and international pieces — including works by Picasso.

Is it worth it? This is our top pick in Hakone if you’re into art or if the weather turns on you. Really worth your time.

Hakone Loop

There’s a circular route where you explore Hakone and the national park using different modes of transportation. You switch between train, funicular, gondola, boat, and bus — stopping at all the major spots along the way.

The route gives you incredible views of Fuji as well as Hakone’s natural highlights and the shrine.

The starting and ending point is Hakone-Yumoto, which is also where you arrive by train from Tokyo. You can also join the loop at any station you like.

These are the stops on the loop

• Hakone Tozan Railway: from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora through a green valley
• Hakone Tozan Cable Car: from Gora 200 meters up to Sounzan
• Hakone Ropeway: from Sounzan to Togendai over Owakudani Valley with views of Mount Fuji
• Boat ride: from Togendai to Hakone-machi on a pirate ship across Lake Ashi
• Leisurely hike: from Hakone-machi to Moto-Hakone to Hakone Shrine
• Bus: from Moto-Hakone back to Hakone-Yumoto

You can technically do the loop on a day trip from Tokyo. That said, you’ll most likely only have time for the loop itself and won’t be able to fit in the Hakone Open Air Museum or much else. If you want a more relaxed trip, we recommend two days — that way you can also unwind in an onsen.

With the Hakone Free Pass, all public transportation on the loop is covered. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know about it in the next section.

Save Money with the Hakone Free Pass

The Hakone Free Pass is a tourist travel pass for the Hakone region.

With the pass you can use all public transportation in Hakone. There are two versions: with or without round-trip transportation from Tokyo.

The pass is valid for two or three days. The two-day pass already pays for itself in a single day if you do the loop or use a few forms of transit while you’re there.

Book the Hakone Free Pass online

Getting to Hakone

Getting to Hakone is easy with Japan’s public transportation. The most popular option is the Odakyu Line, which runs from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto and is included in the Hakone Free Pass.

There’s also the Romancecar express train to Hakone — but it’s not really worth it since it’s not covered by the pass. With the Japan Rail Pass and the Suica Card, you’d still need a separate Limited Express ticket.

Accommodations in Hakone, Japan

If you’re short on time during your trip through Japan, a day trip to Hakone is a perfectly good option.

Staying overnight in Hakone isn’t cheap — especially if you want a place with an onsen. That said, it’s honestly one of the best parts of visiting, since Hakone is famous for its hot springs.

If you do want to stay overnight, here are our picks:

We stayed at the Hakone Kowakien Tenyu and absolutely loved it. It was noticeably cheaper when we visited during our trip to Japan, though. Having a private onsen on your balcony is pretty amazing.