Areas at a glance
- Hakone-Yumoto: the gateway, with a shopping street, day-use baths and the widest choice of inns.
- Miyanoshita and Kowakidani: historic hotels, antique shops and large spa resorts.
- Gora: the transport hub of the upper valley, near the Open-Air Museum.
- Sengokuhara: highland meadows, the Pola Museum of Art and other museums.
- Lake Ashi (Moto-Hakone, Hakone-machi): the shrine, the old cedar avenue and the reconstructed checkpoint.
Onsen and ryokan etiquette
A ryokan stay usually includes dinner and breakfast served at set times, so arrive by about 17:00. Wear the yukata provided around the inn. In the bath, undress completely, wash thoroughly at the showers first, keep your small towel out of the water and tie up long hair. If you have tattoos, look for inns with private baths or rooms with their own open-air tub.
Passes and money-saving
The Hakone Freepass covers the Tozan train, cable car, ropeway, sightseeing boats and most buses, with discounts at many museums and baths. It is sold at Odakyu stations, online and at Odawara for those arriving by JR. Eat a set lunch rather than dinner out; most evening meals are taken in the inns.
Eating and drinking
Specialities include tofu and yuba dishes, soba with mountain yam, fish cakes from Odawara and Owakudani’s black eggs. Restaurants outside the hotels close early, often by 20:00.
Good to know
Hakone is several degrees cooler than Tokyo and wetter; mist can hide everything. When the ropeway is suspended, substitute buses run but the day takes longer — keep a museum in reserve. See also Mount Fuji & Kawaguchiko if a clear view of the mountain is your priority.
Sample plans
Day trip
An early Romancecar, the full loop clockwise with stops at Owakudani and Hakone Shrine, a soak at a day-use bath in Hakone-Yumoto and an evening train back.
One night
Day one: Tozan train, Open-Air Museum, check in to a ryokan in Gora or Miyanoshita. Day two: ropeway, Owakudani, lake cruise and the shrine before returning.
Two nights with Fuji
The one-night plan, then a bus via Gotemba to Kawaguchiko for a night at the foot of Mount Fuji, returning to Shinjuku by highway bus.
