Hakone Day Trip from Tokyo | Route and Times for the Hakone Golden Course in One Day, the Last Boat and Ropeway Hours, Doing the Loop in Reverse, and Hakone Freepass vs. Separate Tickets

Overview

Hakone is a hot spring area about 80 minutes from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo by Limited Express Romancecar. Hakone Navi (the official website of the Odakyu Hakone Group) presents a loop that it calls the "Hakone Golden Course": from Hakone-Yumoto Station, you change between a mountain train, a cable car, a ropeway, a boat, and a bus to visit Owakudani and Lake Ashi up in the mountains, and then return to Hakone-Yumoto Station. This article turns that loop into a day-trip route from Tokyo. The times, fares, and opening hours in this article were checked on the official websites of each company and facility on October 24, 2026.

1. At Shinjuku Station, board the Limited Express Romancecar and get off at Hakone-Yumoto Station.
2. From Hakone-Yumoto Station, take the Hakone Tozan Train to Gora Station.
3. From Gora Station, take the Hakone Tozan Cable Car to Sounzan Station.
4. From Sounzan Station, take the Hakone Ropeway, get off at Owakudani Station, and see Owakudani. Then board the ropeway again and ride to Togendai Station on the shore of Lake Ashi.
5. From Togendai Port, take the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise across Lake Ashi to Moto-Hakone Port. From Moto-Hakone Port, you can walk to Hakone Shrine.
6. From Moto-Hakone Port, take the Hakone Tozan Bus back to Hakone-Yumoto Station, then return to Shinjuku Station on the Limited Express Romancecar.

• From March 20 to November 30, the last Hakone Sightseeing Cruise boat to Moto-Hakone Port leaves Togendai Port at 16:25. From December 1 to March 19, the last boat leaves at 15:40.
• For one adult who takes the Limited Express Romancecar from Shinjuku Station on the way there and back to Shinjuku Station on the way home, and does this loop, the total is ¥9,500 with the Hakone Freepass, or ¥10,740 when buying each ticket separately. Details are under the heading "Total for one adult" in this article.

Getting there

Getting from Tokyo to Hakone

• All travel times in the table are official estimates. The travel time of the Limited Express Romancecar varies by train.
• Limited express tickets for the Limited Express Romancecar go on sale at 10:00 (Japan time) one month before the day of travel. How to buy a limited express ticket, and how to reach Odawara Station by shinkansen, are explained in How to Use the Hakone Freepass | Prices, Covered Transport, Romancecar, Where to Buy and Digital Tickets.
• You can ride the Rapid Express or Express on the Odakyu Line without a limited express ticket. Check the timetable for your train to see whether you need to change to a Hakone Tozan Line train at a station along the way.
• The highway bus does not stop at Hakone-Yumoto Station. It arrives at Hakone Togendai on the shore of Lake Ashi, so you go down to Hakone-Yumoto Station by ropeway, cable car, and mountain train, in the opposite direction to this article's route. On this route, you do not take the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise. Hakone Navi describes the Hakone Ropeway's Togendai Station as a transfer point where the boarding points for the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, the Odakyu Highway Bus, and the Hakone Tozan Bus are gathered. That route is described under the heading "Doing the loop in reverse" in this article.
• Highway buses from Busta Shinjuku to Hakone Togendai run 7 times a day on weekdays and 8 times a day on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays. The first bus leaves at 6:35 and the last bus leaves at 16:05 (figures from the English timetable valid from April 1, 2026). The highway bus's official website says the times changed on June 1, 2026, but we could not find the new timetable. Check the times on the reservation website before you travel.
• Highway bus seats can be reserved from 10:00 on the same date one month before the day of travel. Reserve on Hassha Orai Net (an online reservation website) or by phone. Even without a reservation, you can buy a ticket and ride if there are free seats that day. How to use Busta Shinjuku is explained in detail in How to Use Busta Shinjuku | 4F Boarding Bays and Ticketing Counter, Getting There from Shinjuku Station, Coin Lockers, and Waiting Room Hours.
• The highway bus's official website says that until December 18, 2026, the trip may take longer than usual because of construction work on the Tomei Expressway.

Itinerary

Example route and times

• The times in the table are each company's official estimates and timetable figures. They do not include time for changing and waiting, or time for sightseeing. Adding up only the time spent on board for steps 2 to 6 and step 8 gives about 145 to 160 minutes.
• The Limited Express Romancecar times in the table are from the timetable valid from March 14, 2026. The last Limited Express Romancecar from Hakone-Yumoto Station to Shinjuku Station is, on weekdays, the train that leaves Hakone-Yumoto Station at 19:50 and arrives at Shinjuku Station at 21:26, and on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays, the train that leaves at 19:52 and arrives at 21:25.
• The example boat times are from the timetable for March 20 to November 30.

Owakudani

• Owakudani is a valley where volcanic steam (fumaroles) comes out of the ground. You can see it from around Owakudani Station on the Hakone Ropeway. With a Hakone Ropeway ticket, you can get off at a station along the way and board again (a stopover). After getting off at Owakudani Station to look around, you can ride on to Togendai Station with the same ticket.
• At Owakudani, "black eggs" are sold: eggs boiled in a hot spring pond until their shells turn black. According to Owakudani's official website, a pack of 4 costs ¥500 (tax included). It also says that sales hours change with the season and that the eggs sometimes sell out.
• The Owakudani nature trail is open to the public only as walks led by a guide for people who have made a reservation. The official reservation website says the explanations are in Japanese only, and asks that only people who understand Japanese apply. Walks are canceled on days with rain, strong wind, or fog.

Lake Ashi and Hakone Shrine

• The Hakone Sightseeing Cruise crosses Lake Ashi from Togendai Port to Moto-Hakone Port or Hakone-machi Port in about 25 to 40 minutes. The port a boat stops at first differs by boat. Because you get off at Moto-Hakone Port, check the timetable before boarding to make sure the boat stops at Moto-Hakone Port.
• Hakone Shrine's official website says the shrine is about 10 minutes' walk from Moto-Hakone Port. A torii gate of Hakone Shrine also stands in the water of Lake Ashi. The hours when you can enter the shrine grounds and any fees are not given on Hakone Shrine's official website.
• At the Moto-Hakone Port bus stop, take a Hakone Tozan Bus that goes via Hakone-Yumoto Station. Hakone Navi's English information says the bus may be delayed when the roads are congested.

Doing the loop in reverse

If you go to Hakone Togendai by highway bus, do the loop in this order.

1. At Busta Shinjuku, board the highway bus and get off at Hakone Togendai.
2. From Togendai Station, take the Hakone Ropeway, get off at Owakudani Station, and see Owakudani. Then board the ropeway again and ride to Sounzan Station.
3. Take the Hakone Tozan Cable Car from Sounzan Station to Gora Station, then the Hakone Tozan Train from Gora Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station.
4. From Hakone-Yumoto Station, return to Shinjuku Station on the Odakyu Line.

• On this route, you do not take the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, and you do not visit Moto-Hakone Port or Hakone Shrine on the shore of Lake Ashi.
• The Hakone Ropeway operates from 9:00 to 17:00 from February to November, and from 9:00 to 16:15 in December and January. The last Hakone Tozan Cable Car leaves Sounzan Station at 17:55 (Hakone Navi's timetable).

You can also go from Hakone-Yumoto Station to Moto-Hakone Port by bus, cross to Togendai Port by boat, and return to Hakone-Yumoto Station by ropeway, cable car, and mountain train. For boats in this direction, from March 20 to November 30, except from July 26 to August 25, the last boat leaves Moto-Hakone Port at 16:30 and arrives at Togendai Port at 16:55. From July 26 to August 25, there are also boats that leave later than this. From December 1 to March 19, the last boat leaves at 15:45 and arrives at 16:10. In December and January, the Hakone Ropeway operates until 16:15.

Costs

Total for one adult (round trip from Shinjuku Station, doing this article's loop)

• There is no 1-day version of the Hakone Freepass. Even for a day trip, you use the pass valid for 2 days. The Hakone Freepass from Shinjuku (adult ¥7,100) includes a round trip on the Odakyu Line between Shinjuku Station and Odawara Station, the Hakone Tozan Train from Odawara Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station, and the Hakone rides on this article's route.
• If you take the Limited Express Romancecar, then whichever way you pay, you buy a limited express ticket (Shinjuku Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station, adult ¥1,200) for each direction: one for the way there and one for the way back. The total for the Hakone Freepass plus limited express tickets (¥9,500) is the example figure shown on Odakyu's official website.
• The total when buying each ticket separately is the Odakyu Line fare from Shinjuku Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station (¥1,270) once each way, plus the sum of the Hakone ride fares in the table below (¥5,800). If you take the Limited Express Romancecar, the cost of the two limited express tickets is also added.
• The rides and sections covered by the Hakone Freepass, where to buy it, and discounts at facilities are explained in How to Use the Hakone Freepass | Prices, Covered Transport, Romancecar, Where to Buy and Digital Tickets.

One-way fares for the Hakone rides

• The fares in the table are those in effect from October 1, 2025. The Hakone Tozan Bus fare is the figure shown by Hakone Navi's route search.
• The child Hakone Freepass (From Shinjuku, valid for 2 days) is ¥1,600, and the child limited express ticket for the Limited Express Romancecar is ¥600. Because we could not find the child fare for the Hakone Tozan Bus on the official website, we have not calculated a total for children. The rules for children's fares on Japanese transport are explained in Child Fares on Japan's Trains and Subways | When Kids Pay Adult Fare, Free Rides for Young Children, Child IC Cards.

Doing the loop in reverse by highway bus

If you buy separate tickets for the highway bus (Shinjuku to Hakone Togendai, ¥2,560), the Hakone Ropeway (¥2,000), the Hakone Tozan Cable Car (¥430), the Hakone Tozan Train (¥460), and the Odakyu Line from Hakone-Yumoto Station to Shinjuku Station (¥1,270), the total for one adult is ¥6,720. If you take the Limited Express Romancecar on the way back, you also buy a limited express ticket (adult ¥1,200). This article does not calculate the total when using the Hakone Freepass on this route.

Conditions

Winter timetables and suspensions for inspection

• Hakone Ropeway: In December and January, it operates from 9:00 to 16:15.
• Hakone Sightseeing Cruise: The winter timetable applies from December 1 to March 19. The last boat to Moto-Hakone Port leaves Togendai Port at 15:40 and arrives at Moto-Hakone Port at 16:05.
• For inspection, the Hakone Ropeway will be suspended between Owakudani Station and Sounzan Station from December 7 to December 24, 2026. A replacement bus will run on this section, taking about 10 minutes.
• Separately from this, from January 12 to February 26, 2027, it will be suspended between Togendai Station and Owakudani Station. A replacement bus will run on this section, taking about 15 minutes.
• The Hakone Ropeway may also be suspended during strong wind or thunderstorms, or when the concentration of volcanic gas is high. Before you set out, check Hakone Navi's service information to see whether it is running.

Busy periods

Japanese national holidays and busy travel periods are explained in Japan Public Holidays 2027 and Busy Periods | New Year, Golden Week, Obon, 3-Day Weekends, Shinkansen Busy Seasons and All-Reserved Nozomi.

Good to know

• The JAPAN RAIL PASS cannot be used on the Odakyu Line or on the Hakone rides in this article. See JAPAN RAIL PASS (JR Pass): Prices and How to Use It | Prices on the Official Website and from Agents Outside Japan, How to Buy, and How to Ride Nozomi and Mizuho for details.
• How to use Hakone's hot springs is explained in Onsen Etiquette and How to Bathe | Checking Tattoo Policies and Bathing Precautions.
• Prices and times may change. This article is based on official information as of October 24, 2026, so check the latest information on the official websites of each company and facility before you set out.