Tokyo to Hakone by Train: Every Way Compared

Route Comparison

The figures below come from Odakyu, Hakone Navi and JR-related fare pages. The Romancecar is the only one-seat ride from central Tokyo all the way to Hakone-Yumoto. The regular Odakyu route needs a change at Odawara but costs nothing extra if you hold a Freepass from Shinjuku.

The Shinkansen route is fastest to Odawara but adds a transfer and does not reach the Hakone valley itself.

Reading the Comparison

Note what the Shinkansen option does not do. The Hikari reaches Odawara in about 27 minutes and the Kodama in 35 to 40 minutes, but the Nozomi does not stop there, and you still need the Hakone Tozan train from Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto to climb into the valley. For a full breakdown of the destination itself, the site's broader hakone day trip from Tokyo guide covers what to do on arrival.

Step 1: Buy the Hakone Freepass at Shinjuku

The Hakone Freepass from Shinjuku costs 7,100 yen for adults for 2 days or 7,500 yen for 3 days, with children at 1,600 yen and 1,850 yen. From Odawara the pass costs 6,000 yen for 2 days or 6,400 yen for 3 days for adults, and 1,500 yen or 1,750 yen for children. Prices went up from an earlier 6,100 yen level for the 2-day Shinjuku pass, so ignore older articles quoting that figure.

The pass is sold as a smartphone QR digital ticket through Odakyu's EMot service, or as a paper pass at Odakyu Sightseeing Service Centers and station ticket machines. The day of purchase counts as day one of validity whatever time you buy it, so a 2-day pass ends after the last train or bus on the following day.

• 2-day pass from Shinjuku: 7,100 yen adults, 1,600 yen children.
• 3-day pass from Shinjuku: 7,500 yen adults, 1,850 yen children.
• 2-day pass from Odawara: 6,000 yen adults, 1,500 yen children.
• 3-day pass from Odawara: 6,400 yen adults, 1,750 yen children.
• The Shinjuku version includes the Shinjuku-Odawara round trip, the Odawara version includes no Odakyu Line ticket.

Step 2: Ride Shinjuku to Odawara and Change

With a Shinjuku Freepass you board any regular Odakyu train at Shinjuku and change at Odawara for Hakone-Yumoto. The pass itself covers this. It does not cover the Romancecar limited express, which always needs a separate surcharge, or the Izu-Hakone Bus.

Step 3: The Tozan Train, Cable Car, Ropeway and Cruise Loop

The Hakone Freepass covers the Tozan train, the Tozan cable car, the Hakone Ropeway, the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise and designated Tozan, Odakyu Highway and Tokai buses. The Tozan train from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora takes 35 minutes, runs every 15 to 20 minutes and is covered by the Freepass. It reverses direction at three switchbacks on the way up, which is half the fun.

From Gora the cable car climbs to Sounzan, where the ropeway crosses to Togendai. The ropeway costs 2,000 yen one way or 3,000 yen round trip for adults since the recent fare revision, with children at 700 yen and 1,000 yen, and it stops running in winds of 30 m/s or more, in extreme weather, for mechanical trouble and for annual maintenance. Sections were scheduled for maintenance closures in the winter season with substitute buses about every 15 minutes, which Freepass holders may use.

From Togendai the Sightseeing Cruise crosses Lake Ashi to Hakone-machi or Moto-Hakone in about 25 to 35 minutes, for 1,700 yen one way or 3,000 yen round trip for adults, children 850 yen and 1,300 yen. Departures can change or be suspended in heavy fog or strong wind, so keep the bus and train loop as your backup. If you skip the pass, a Tozan bus from Hakone-Yumoto to Moto-Hakone takes 35 minutes for 1,210 yen on line H, and from Odawara the same trip takes about 50 minutes for 1,510 yen.

Step 4: Seat Reservations on the Romancecar

If you upgrade the journey, the Romancecar's seats are all reserved and can be booked up to one month ahead through e-Romancecar. Two to three trains an hour run on the Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto service. The surcharge from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto is 1,200 yen for adults and 600 yen for children on top of a regular fare ticket, and buying it on Odakyu's EMot online service saves 50 yen against the station price.

The surcharge from Shinjuku to Odawara is 1,000 yen. A 2-day Hakone Freepass plus the Romancecar to Hakone-Yumoto totals 8,300 yen for an adult.

Step 5: Luggage and Baggage Delivery at Hakone-Yumoto

Hakone Baggage Delivery costs 1,500 yen per regular item (140 cm total, up to 15 kg) and 2,500 yen for large size (200 cm total, up to 30 kg). Bags handed in at Hakone-Yumoto Station by 12:00 reach the hotel the same day, and on checkout day you can collect bags at the station counter between 13:30 and 18:30, which opens 8:30 to 18:30. The service cannot carry valuables, electronics, breakables, perishables or anything over 2 m or 30 kg.

Odakyu sightseeing centres at Shinjuku West and South, Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto also store bags for up to 3 days, with a limit of 160 cm total and 25 kg per bag.

Step 6: What to Check Before You Leave

Check the ropeway status the evening before, because maintenance closures come with substitute buses but slow the loop down. If you plan to return on the Romancecar, reserve the seat in advance as well, since every seat is reserved and trains run one to three times an hour. Finally, confirm your Freepass validity window, because the purchase day counts as day one.

For more trip-planning help across all destinations, see how to plan a day trip from Tokyo or browse the site's hub of free day trips from Tokyo.

Side by Side

Both routes get you to the Hakone gateway quickly, from different Tokyo stations and at different prices.

How to Choose

The Romancecar wins if you start near Shinjuku or want to stay with your bags, because it runs directly into Hakone-Yumoto. The Shinkansen wins if you start near Tokyo Station or hold a rail pass that covers the Tokaido line, but it stops at Odawara and leaves the climb into Hakone to the Tozan train. Neither option removes the local Hakone transport legs, which is exactly what the Freepass is for.

Admission and Ride Prices

Freepass holders pay less at several of these, and the pass gives discounts at about 70 facilities including hot springs, museums, shops and restaurants. Hakone Gora Park is free for adults and elementary school children with the pass, and Hakone Yuryo gives pass holders a discount. Prices and hours come from Hakone Navi, Odakyu, Japan Guide and the museum's own site.

Onsen If You Have Time

A soak is the classic end to the loop. Tenzan day-use onsen costs 1,450 yen and opens 9:00 to 23:00 with entry until 22:00. Hakone Yuryo publishes its current prices and hours on its own site, so check them before you go.

It bans tattoos in its shared baths and sells towels for 250 to 450 yen, with a free 3-minute shuttle from Hakone-Yumoto Station. Kappa Tengoku is the cheapest at 900 yen and sits five minutes on foot from the station. For a fuller comparison of soak options across the region, see the onsen day trip from Tokyo guide.

Hakone Tours Worth Comparing

One of the lower-priced ways to see Hakone without planning anything is the Mt Fuji, Hakone Ropeway, Owakudani and Lake Ashi Day Tour at $76. One-way Hakone Ropeway fare is included, with Owakudani, Hakone Shrine and Oshino Hakkai on the route, but lunch is not and the Lake Ashi cruise is an optional extra of about 1,700 yen that the guide can buy for you. The Tokyo: Mt. Fuji Cruise & Hakone Ropeway Day Trip by Bus at $83.48 includes both the ropeway and a Lake Ashi cruise plus an English-speaking guide, departing from Shinjuku with no hotel pickup and an 80-minute lunch stop at Moto-Hakone Port that you pay for yourself.

Higher up the price range, the Mt Fuji and Hakone Day Tour, Return by Bullet Train at $159.54 includes the ropeway, the cruise and the bullet train ticket back to Tokyo Station, with lunch only if you select a lunch option and no hotel pickup. Travelers who want a private vehicle should look at the Private Day Tour from Tokyo to Mt Fuji or Hakone at $508.76 for the listed option, priced per vehicle, which includes hotel pickup but no ropeway or cruise tickets.

What a Tour Cannot Do

No tour in this list picks you up at your hotel except the private option, and none of the group tours includes lunch by default. The trade-off is the reverse of the DIY route. The 2-day Freepass from Shinjuku costs 7,100 yen, and the tour removes every transfer decision, every timetable check and every queue for a pass counter.