What are the best things to do in Hakone, and how do you plan the loop?

Hakone at a glance

Most of Hakone's sights sit along one loop of mountain transport, so the order you ride it in is the plan. The table follows the usual counter-clockwise direction from Hakone-Yumoto.

The Hakone loop, step by step

1. Tokyo to Hakone-Yumoto. The Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku runs straight to Hakone-Yumoto in about 80 minutes; Shinkansen travelers change at Odawara. Our Tokyo to Hakone guide compares the options.

2. Hakone Tozan Train to Gora. The mountain railway climbs out of the valley through a series of switchbacks, where the train reverses direction to gain height. Get off at Chokoku-no-Mori for the Open-Air Museum, or ride on one stop to Gora.

3. Cable car from Gora to Sounzan. A short funicular up the hillside to the ropeway station.

4. Hakone Ropeway from Sounzan to Togendai. Three sections, each about 10 minutes: Sounzan to Owakudani, where you change gondolas, then on via Ubako to Togendai on the lake. The gondolas pass right over the steaming vents of Owakudani, and on clear days Mount Fuji appears on the Togendai side. Hours are 9am to 5pm from February to November and 9am to 4:15pm in December and January.

5. Sightseeing cruise across Lake Ashi. The pirate-ship-style boats link Togendai with Hakone-machi and Moto-Hakone in 25 to 40 minutes. From 1 October 2025 the adult fare from Togendai to either port is ¥1,700 (≈ $10.7) one way; Hakone-machi to Moto-Hakone is ¥600 (≈ $3.8), and a round trip is ¥3,000 (≈ $18.8). The special cabin costs ¥800 (≈ $5.0) extra on the Togendai legs.

6. Hakone Shrine, then the bus back. Get off at Moto-Hakone for the shrine, then take a bus back down to Hakone-Yumoto or Odawara.

The Hakone Freepass covers every leg of this loop plus most buses, and our Hakone Freepass guide does the break-even math against single tickets. You can ride the loop in either direction; starting from the lake end avoids the morning crowds heading up from Yumoto.

Ropeway closures and Owakudani volcanic gas

Odakyu Hakone has scheduled two maintenance closures on the Hakone Ropeway this winter:

• Owakudani to Sounzan: 7 to 24 December 2026.

• Togendai to Ubako to Owakudani: 12 January to 26 February 2027.

Replacement buses run about every 15 minutes, roughly 10 minutes from Sounzan to Owakudani and 15 from Togendai to Owakudani, and Freepass holders can ride them. They get crowded and can be caught in traffic, so the operator advises reaching Owakudani on the section that is still running and returning the same way.

Outside those dates, the ropeway also stops in strong wind (30 m/s or more), storms, and when volcanic gas readings at Owakudani rise. The operator and the national tourism board both advise that people with asthma, bronchial or heart conditions should not go up to Owakudani, and that pregnant women, infants and small children should avoid it. Check the live status on Hakone Navi on the morning you ride; if Owakudani is closed, use the buses between Yumoto and the lake instead.

Hakone Open-Air Museum: price, hours and what to see

The Hakone Open-Air Museum (Chokoku-no-Mori Bijutsukan) is mostly outdoors, with indoor galleries to retreat to in a shower. About 120 sculptures by modern and contemporary artists stand across roughly 70,000 square meters of lawn and hillside with the mountains around them.

Inside, the Picasso Pavilion holds a permanent display of Picasso's work. The Symphonic Sculpture is a tower lined entirely with stained glass by the French artist Gabriel Loire. Children's play sculptures include the Woods of Net, a giant knitted-net play structure; it is closed from 30 November to 4 December 2026 and in bad weather. There is also a free footbath with spring water and a view over the forest.

Admission is ¥2,000 (≈ $12.5) for adults at the gate, ¥1,800 (≈ $11.3) online; high school and university students pay ¥1,600 (≈ $10.0) (¥1,400 (≈ $8.8) online), elementary and middle school students ¥800 (≈ $5.0) (¥600 (≈ $3.8) online), and preschool children are free. It is open 9am to 5pm, 365 days a year, with last admission 30 minutes before closing. Lockers at the entrance are free.

It is a 2-minute walk from Chokoku-no-Mori Station on the Hakone Tozan Train. Allow two to three hours.

Hakone Shrine and the Peace Torii

Hakone Shrine stands in the cedar forest on the shore of Lake Ashi at Moto-Hakone. The grounds are free to enter. The shrine office, where you can buy amulets and get a goshuin stamp, is open from 8:15am to 5pm, and the Treasure Hall from 9am to 4pm.

The approach climbs 90 stone steps from the fourth torii to the main hall, framed by old cedars. A side path without steps leads up through the forest if the stairs are hard going, and wheelchair users can reach the hall by elevator from the Treasure Hall. Kuzuryu Shrine, dedicated to the lake's nine-headed dragon, has a branch shrine in the same grounds.

The Peace Torii stands in the water at the lake's edge. It is the one everyone photographs, and visitors queue on the steps to be photographed under it. The line is shortest early in the morning, which is also when Mount Fuji is most often visible across the lake. Staying a night by the lake makes that easy; our where to stay in Hakone guide compares Lake Ashi with Yumoto and Gora.

Lake Ashi beyond the boat

Lake Ashi (Ashinoko) is a caldera lake, with Moto-Hakone and Hakone-machi at its southern end and Togendai at the north. Even without the cruise, the lakeshore between Moto-Hakone and Hakone-machi is an easy walk.

The views of Mount Fuji from the lake are best on clear winter mornings and often hidden in summer haze, so treat Fuji as a bonus rather than the plan.

How long to spend in Hakone

You can ride the loop as a day trip from Tokyo, but the museum, the shrine and the loop together are too much for one day without rushing. One night lets you ride half the loop and soak in an onsen in the evening; two nights covers everything at an easy pace. Our how many days in Hakone guide has the day-by-day plan, and our onsen etiquette guide explains the baths, including the rules on tattoos.

Frequently asked questions