This Hakone guide will show you the best route to getting around Hakone β€” especially for those who only have a day to spare.

Hakone felt a lot like exploring Disneyland β€” think pirate ships, old trains that zig zag up the mountains and cable ropeways that hover over foggy volcanic valleys. After spending a few days in Tokyo, Hakone was truly a whole new world.

Throw in onsens and a view of Mount Fuji across the lake, it’s no wonder why locals from Tokyo love hopping by for the weekend.

Read also: 10 Day JR Pass itinerary from Tokyo to Osaka for under S$1.1k

Getting Around With A Hakone Free Pass

Hakone Free Pass from Odakyu Sightseeing centre - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

This is the only transport pass you’ll need to cover all the key sights in Hakone. It comes in a 2-day (Β₯5,700) and 3-day (Β₯6,100) option and includes all the different transport needed to reach the main attractions as well as discounts on certain vendors.

We got the 2-day Hakone Free PassΒ through Klook for ~S$62 and collected them at theΒ Odakyu Sightseeing centreΒ (Shinjuku Station). If you’re following this itinerary, we’d recommend collecting it the day before so you can catch the first train. The Odakyu counter only opens at 8AM.

*Jan 2020 Update: The 2-day pass now costs ~S$72 and the 3-day pass costs ~S$77

If you’re wondering whether the pass is worth its value since we’re only using it for a day, find out from our budget breakdown at the end of the post.

Getting from Tokyo to Hakone

Hakone Tozan Railway - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

Budget Option via Odawara

Included in the Hakone Free Pass is the ride from Shinjuku to Odawara station (85mins) via the Odakyu Line. At Shinjuku station, show your Hakone Free Pass at the manned gantries to have it stamped.

From Odawara, transfer to the Hakone Yuzan train and get off at Hakone Yumoto Station; where your adventure begins!

Premium/Direct Option (Romance Car)

Romance Car to Hakone - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

Photo credit: Odakyu Electric Railway

A more convenient route is via the Romance car. This requires a Β₯890* top up on top of the Hakone Free Pass but you get to ride in the train with large panoramic windows. This train also travels direct from Shinjuku to Hakone Yumoto station so there’s no need to change trains at Odawara.

*Mar 2018 Update: Top up for the Romance Car now costs Β₯1090 one-way (Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto station) instead of Β₯890.

Hakone Day-Trip Itinerary (Clockwise Route)

Hakone Yumoto - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

From Hakone-Yumoto station, all the main attractions can be covered in a circle around Hakone so there’s 2 ways around it. Most people take the anti-clockwise route starting from taking the Hakone Tozan train to Gora and ending at with a bus ride from Moto-Hakone. This route is ideal because the Hakone Ropeway that brings you to Owakudani closes at 4pm.

However if you’re looking to beat the crowds, you can try the clockwise route instead starting from the most iconic part of Hakone.

1) Hakone shrine & torii gate

Hakone Torii Gate - JR Pass Japan Budget Guide (Tokyo to Osaka)

One of the most iconic symbols of Hakone is the grand Torii gate. In fact, it’s probably more famous than the shrine itself. Sitting on the edge of Lake Ashinoko, you’ll need to climb down a flight of stairs to get to this spot.

How to get there: From Hakone Yumoto, take the Hakone Tozan Bus to Moto-Hakone Boat Pier (35 minutes).

2) Ancient Cedar Avenue

Hakone Cedar Avenue - JR Pass Japan Budget Guide (Tokyo to Osaka)

One of the best preserved parts of old Hakone is this 500m path lined with tall cedar trees. It was the original path used during the Edo period where travellers mainly walked on foot between Tokyo and Kyoto.

Amazake Chaya - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

Photo credit: Cubie

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If you love hiking, there’s a longer route (~1.5 hours) between Moto-Hakone and Hakone-Yumoto that passes by a 350 year old teahouse, Amazake-chaya whose family have been serving travellers since the Edo period.

How to get there: From Moto-Hakone Boat Pier, it’s a 3-minute walk. At the other end of the Cedar Avenue is the Old Tokaido Checkpoint.

Bakery and Table soft serve - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

Β₯350 for Vanilla soft serve on rusk (toasted honey bread) from Bakery & Table cafe

3) Hakone Old Checkpoint Museum

Hakone Old Checkpoint - JR Pass Japan Budget Guide (Tokyo to Osaka)

View from the Lookout Tower

Hakone used to be an important checkpoint along the Tokaido highway (connecting Kyoto and Tokyo). Although the structure is a reconstruction of the former Hakone Checkpoint, its location and style is a pretty accurate replica of the Edo period.

Hakone Old Checkpoint - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

Photo credit: Gonzague Gay Bouchery

The checkpoint functions like an immigration point to control the access of 1) the wives of the lords from escaping Tokyo and 2) that weapons aren’t brought in from Kyoto.

Entrance Fees: Β₯500 (Β₯400 for Hakone Free Pass Holders)
Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm (Closes at 4:30pm from Dec – Feb)

4) Lake Ashinoko

Hakone Lake Ashinoko Ship - JR Pass Japan Budget Guide (Tokyo to Osaka)

Lake Ashinoko is the heart of Hakone and one of the 5 famous lakes in the Fuji-izu region. The best way to cross this is via a sightseeing cruise that leaves Moto-Hakone Boat Pier and arrives at the Togendai-ko station. The boat leaves about 1–2 times an hour so check the boat schedule to plan your trip.

View from Lake Ashinoko - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

Photo credit: Kentagon

A famous sight on the cruise is the floating Tori gate of the Hakone shrine as well as Mount Fuji on days when the skies are clear.

Cost: Β₯1000 (Free for Hakone Free Pass Holders)

5) Owakudani β€” Valley of Hell

Hakone Owakudani - JR Pass Japan Budget Guide (Tokyo to Osaka)

This was one of our favourite parts of Hakone. Although the weather was apparently at its worst while we were there, the thick mist and cool air here β€” despite being 34Β° in Tokyo β€”gave the place a serene and dreamy atmosphere.

On a clear day, you’ll be able to spot a scenic view of Mount Fuji.

There is a hiking path that leads to the peak of Mount Kamiyama but tends to close when there’s increased activity of volcanic gases.

Hot spring at Owakudani - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo
Photo credit:そらみみ

On that same path is also where you’ll spot hot spring pools where eggs are dipped in batches to cook. The shells turns black because of the reaction with sulphur in the water but rest assured they’re still safe to consume β€” in fact, eating the egg is believed to add 7 years to your life!

Owakudani Black Volcanic EggHakone Day Trip From Tokyo-3
Owakudani Kuro Tamago - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

Honestly they don’t taste very different from regular eggs. A set of 5 kuro-tamago (black hard boiled eggs) cost Β₯500.

Tamago soft serve from Owakudani - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

Tamago flavoured ice cream (Β₯350)

Opening hours: ~9am – 4pm (determined by the operation hours of the Hakone Ropeway)
How to get there: 
From Togendai-ko, take the Hakone ropeway up to Owakudani station (16 minutes). If you’re coming the other way around it’d be from Sounzan station (8 minutes).

6) Odawara Castle

Odawara Castle - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

Before returning to Tokyo, make a quick stop at Odawara to check out the 15th century castle β€” a famous spot for its cherry blossoms in late March to April.

Odawara Chirashi (ε°η”°εŽŸι±Όζ²³ε²Έγ§γ‚“)

Odawara Kashiden Chirashi Don - JR Pass Japan Budget Guide (Tokyo to Osaka)

While you’re in Odawara, stop for dinner dinner at this Michelin Guide Chirashi place which serves fresh chirashi don bowls at reasonable prices.

*Pro-tip: Add a bowl of Miso soup for Β₯100 β€” comes in a medium sized bowl with a piece of fish in each and a good dose of dashi.

Cost: Β₯880 – Β₯24800 (Our bowl of “local fish” cost Β₯1280)
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm
Address: 
Japan, γ€’ 250 – 0011 Kanagawa Prefecture, Odawara, Sakaecho, 2 Chome – 3 – 4, Miyuki Building

Is the Hakone Free Pass worth a day trip from Tokyo?

Hakone Free Pass - Hakone Day Trip From Tokyo

The short answer is yes.

The longer answer? Here’s the homework done for you πŸ™‚

Getting around Japan via single tickets is generally a lot more expensive. Despite only using the 2-day Hakone Free Pass for a day trip, we saved a total of Β₯2130 (~S$26.50) on top of saving the hassle of purchasing individual tickets. But if you have more time to spare, give yourself 2–3 days to soak up all the serenity of Hakone before picking up the pace again in Tokyo.

*The prices below have been updated as of Jan 2020

 Mode of TransportCost
Shinjuku – OdawaraOdakyu LineΒ₯891
Odawara – Hakone YumotoHakone Tozan TrainΒ₯320
Hakone-Yumoto – Moto-HakoneHakone Tozan Bus Line HΒ₯980
Moto-Hakone – Togendai-koSight seeing cruiseΒ₯1,050
Togendai-ko – OwakudaniHakone RopewayΒ₯1,140
Owakudani – SounzanHakone RopewayΒ₯920
Sounzan – GoraHakone Tozan Cable CarΒ₯430
Gora – Hakone YumotoHakone Tozan TrainΒ₯410
Hakone Yumoto – OdawaraHakone Tozan TrainΒ₯320
Odawara – ShinjukuOdakyu LineΒ₯900
 Total:Β₯7,361

Hope you found this Hakone Travel Guide useful. Let us know if we missed anything out in the comments!


This post was brought to you by Klook.

95 COMMENTS

  1. Hello! I find your guide really useful! Thank you πŸ™‚
    Can I check if I purchase the free pass from Klook, how do I upgrade it to Romancecar?

  2. Hello, I have a question. Does the Hakone Pass include roundtrip from Tokyo to Hakone and Hakone back to Tokyo or will I need to purchase separate fare?

    Thanks!

  3. We have a 14 day JR pass. We will be starting from Tokyo for 5 nights. We have a place to stay in Hakone for 1 night before we start to go Kanazawa for 2 nights then to Kyoto/Osaka for 5 nights.
    So we are flying in from Los Angeles to Haneda and then flying out from Osaka back to Los Angeles.
    Do we still need to buy a pass for Hakone even if we are only there 1 day/night?
    How do we get from Hakone to Kanazawa?

    • Hi Vicky! The JR Pass doesn’t cover internal transport within Hakone. If you are only visiting 1 or 2 places within Hakone you probably don’t need the pass. But if you are travelling from Tokyo to Hakone and want to see many things within Hakone, getting the pass makes sense. It’ll also help when you are leaving Hakone on Day 2.

    • Hi Cara, yes there’s a bus from Hakone-Yumoto that goes to Sounzan in 20-30minutes but I’m not sure if the Hakone Free Pass covers that bus. Perhaps you could inquire again at the station.

  4. Hi Cherie, thank you for your useful guide! We have a 7-day JR Pass. We’ll be in Tokyo first for 5-days and then we’ll make our way south, first stop being Hakone. We’re thinking of purchasing the Hakone Free Pass to travel from Shinjuku to Hakone and use the Hakone Free Pass during our time in Hakone. Then the following day, we’ll start using our JR Pass for the rest of our trip south. Do you know if it is possible for us to start using the JR Pass from Hakone? Thanks!

    • Yup! You can take the JR train from Odawara station onwards but remember to collect your pass before leaving Tokyo! You can ask for the pass to be activated on a later date when you collect it from the JR office

  5. Hi Cherie,

    Great blog! I hope you don’t mind me asking.
    So I’ve managed to book my family, tickets to Hakone Yumoto. We’ll be arriving at 12:24. Now I have two sets of returning tickets. And this is where my dilemma is! Tickets A: leaves at 16:28 but they are front observation deck seats! Ticket B: leaves at 17:28 but they are rear observation decks. Can I do Hakone ( both trains in the mountains, ropeway, pirate ship and then the bus back( or taxi if it helps) all in 4 hours time? Or will we be scrambling? Of course, the usual me would say, take the safe route and go for the 17:28 return so we’re not stressed. But we managed to book front observation deck seats, which I’m hesitant to let go! My kids both love trains and this would be a once in a life time trip! What do you think?

  6. Hi Cherie!

    Your post save me a hassle from planning from scratch! However i’m confused a little. With the Hakone Free Pass, does it include 2 ways transports back to Shinjuku via Romance car (top up of 890 per way)?

  7. Hi, we just spent our weekend in Hakone and this entry served as our guide. Thank you so much!

    PS. now we add Β₯1090/one way if we want to ride the romance car. πŸ™‚

  8. Does the Hokane pass covers departure from Tokyo Station to Hakone Yumoto Station (via Odawara station) or must be from Shinjuku Station? Can I collect Pass in Singapore instead of Odakyu Sightseeing centre ?

    • Hey Mag,

      Yes, you will need to validate your Hakone pass at Shinjuku station.

      Unfortunately, Odakyu is the only place you can collect the pass at the moment (even if you’re buying it direct).

  9. Hi Cherie,

    Did you see many people use the clockwise route instead? Having read on tripadvisor, people seem to get caught up with all the queues for the ropeway. I take it if you end up circling the other way though, would you avoid a lot of the queues?

    Thanks!
    Kevin

    • Do you mean they get caught up if they visited the ropeway early in the morning or towards the end of the day? We did the clockwise route and didn’t face a lot of crowds most of the way but felt it was a bit of a rush trying to reach Owakudani before it closes at 4PM. I guess there’s equal pros and cons to each. Perhaps the best way to avoid this would be aiming to visit Hakone during off peak seasons? πŸ˜›

      • Thanks Cherie. Understandable. We are thinking of getting into Hakone early in the morning. What time did you leave Tokyo/Shinjuku?

        We are spending the night in Gora and have hotsprings to enjoy there. We will leave Hakone for Kyoto on the second morning.

        How would you recommend how we best spend our time? Because of the “loop” we’re not sure how we should spend our time! We were thinking of doing the anti-clockwise loop to get access to the ropeway etc. and owakudani (most likely with everyone else!). If the ropeway or owakudani is closed though, we’ll go clockwise. We were thinking of using the second morning to quickly explore the Hakone-Yumoto STN and Odawara before leaving.

        • Cool! Really wished we stayed overnight for the onsens too.

          Perhaps you could cover the sights clockwise until the end of the Lake Ashinoko cruise then take a bus from Togendai-ko station towards Gora to relax at your Ryokan. The next morning from Gora, take the anti-clockwise route towards Owakudani (try to arrive right when it first opens at 9AM). If you take it slow, you can probably spend around 2-3 hours here before returning to Tokyo in the afternoon.

  10. Hi—Are there specific times to get all transportation with the pass or is it an open pass to get rides to Hakone and on the lake cruise and then back to Shinjuku? And even though it’s a 2-day pass, I can do this all in one day?? Thanks!

    • Not too sure if I understand your question but most of the transport in Hakone are quite regular, except for the cruise (every 30mins if I remember right!). And yes! It’s definitely possible to finish them in 1-day if you start early. But definitely more enjoyable if you spend a night to enjoy the onsens! πŸ™‚

    • Hey Asyaraf! Looks like they were out of stock a few days back due to increase interest but Klook has restocked it and the link works fine now πŸ™‚

  11. Hi what time did you guys arrive at hakone station to start the adventure? I plan on taking the route to the shrine first, then to checkpoint. how do I get from the check point to take the cruise near the shrine boat harbor?

    • We arrived around 9AM cus that’s when stuff generally opens although I think it wouldn’t hurt to have arrived a little earlier and have the famous torii gate all to ourselves for pictures πŸ˜› There was already a queue when we got there around 9:30AM.

      From the checkpoint, I think there’s a bus you can take for 1-2 stops but we decided to walk instead. It’s only slightly more than 1km to get to the MotoHakone pier and quite refreshing to walk through a portion of the Cedar forest πŸ™‚

  12. Hello! Thank you for this; I’m researching for my trip to Japan in June and found this helpful. May I know if Klook still sells the Hakone pass though? I clicked the link above but it did not direct me to the relevant website.

    • Also, we will be travelling to Hakone when we land at Narita airport in the morning, then staying at Hakone for 2 nights, before travelling to Shinjuku on our third day in Japan. Could you kindly advise if we should get the Hakone free pass from Shinjuku or Odawara? Which is more cost-efficient?
      Thank you (:

      • Sorry, not too sure about this. We travelled to and from Tokyo to Hakone so it definitely made sense for us to get the pass from Shinjuku. Perhaps you could compare the prices on Hyperdia.com?

        If you’re getting the pass from Odawara, you could activate your JR Pass (if you have it) after Hakone since that will cover your ride from Odawara to Shinjuku.

  13. Hi Cherie, i’ve read in the internet that the Odakyu Office in Shinjuku opens at 8 am only. Does this mean that we cannot leave early to Hakone? We plan of purchasing the Hakone free pass. Thank you

  14. Hi Cherie,
    We plan to go to Osaka and stay for 6 days /5 nights, then travel to Tokyo (on the 6th day )for 4 days/3 nights and return to Osaka (on the 9the day )for another 4 days /3 nights (and leave on the 12th day). During the first part of Osaka trip, we plan to travel to Kyoto for 4 days (taking day trips), and during the Tokyo trip, we plan to go on day trips to Hakone, etc. Upon returning to Osaka on the last leg of our trip, we plan to visit Nara and Kobe. I am planning to activate the JR pass from the day we travel from Osaka to Tokyo, use it in Tokyo, and back to Osaka and eventually using it for the airport ride to Osaka KIX. Do you think it’s a good idea? We can use the ICOCA during our first few days in Osaka (to Kyoto), correct? Thanks .

  15. Will Hakone be luggage friendly? Not planning to go back to Tokyo but will proceed west wards after that. I suppose if I choose a hotel near the lake, I should go straight to the hotel first, then start the “loop” from there.

    • Hi Speck, it’s pretty luggage friendly. But if you do not want to carry your bags around, you can consider leaving them at the station lockers?

      • So you mean put main luggage in locker and check into my hotel with just a travel bag containing just essentials?

    • Hi Anon,
      You can take the Hakone Ropeway from Owakudani to Souzan Station, and take a bus from there. It’s easier to ask them about the bus on the spot!

  16. Hi, Where did you eat your lunch in Hakone?
    Any other restaurant recommendation near Odawara aside from Odawara Chirashi?

    • Unfortunately we didn’t get to experience one in Hakone πŸ™

      Anyone else with recommendations? Would love to hear of them!

  17. Hi Cherie,

    I am travelling in end Nov to Japan for 10days. My itinerary is as follows:
    Day 1: Osaka
    Day 2: Osaka
    Day 3: USS
    Day 4: Nara day trip
    Day 5: kyoto day trip, then take night bus to lake Kawaguchi
    Day 6: Lake Kawaguchi
    Day 7: Hakone
    Day 8: Tokyo
    Day 9: Tokyo
    Day 10: Disneysea

    How do you think of this? Should I get a JR pass?

    • You must really love theme parks! πŸ˜‰ Are you planning to catch your flight back in Osaka? If you are then definitely get a JR pass! If not, a single ticket will be much cheaper for this itinerary.

  18. Hi! We are planning to have a day tour from Tokyo to Hakone. Is it advisable to get the 2-day Hakone Pass? or there is also 1 day Hakone Pass?

  19. Hi there,
    Very informative guide. I’ll be travelling with me family to Tokyo in March 2019 (Cherry Blossoms yay) and this was real helpful in my research and plannings. This might be many months late but I noticed you have a miscalculation (on how much the free pass saved you) while I was doing mine. The hypothetical total for individual tickets should’ve been JPY7270 instead of JPY6960. So you actually saved JPY2130 :).

  20. Hi Cherie, we will be in Tokyo on the 3rd week of March 2019. If we make a day trip to Hakone, will it be cloudy or is there a chance to see Mt. Fuji clearly?

    • Hi Jennifer. It really depends on the weather! There is a better chance in the colder months but it really depends on the weather on the day itself. Often it is clearest in the mornings so do wake up early!

  21. Hi Cherie,
    I want to ask if you don’t mind. Can I buy the Hakone free pass in the vending ticket machine? And can I use it directly to go to Hakone and use all the covered transportation with that Free pass without changing it first?
    Thannk you.

    • hmm, not sure about buying through vending machines. It wasn’t available during my trip there in 2017. The e-ticket purchased from Klook is an exchange voucher so that alone will not give you access to the transport system. You’ll need to visit the Odakyu sightseeing centre at Shinjuku to collect the pass before leaving for Odawara.

  22. Hello! Thank you for sharing! πŸ™‚ You have inspired me to get this pass. But could you answer few questions for me? πŸ™‚ How long does doing all of those things take? I was thinking of doing everything you posted about and also visiting an onsen for few hours. Do you think thats possible? You said the buses stop at 4pm? Does that mean you have to head home to Tokyo by 4 pm? I want to do a daytrip to Hakone and see everything PLUS go to an onsen. Is that possible you think? Does it all end by 4 pm? Or is it possible to take later trains to Tokyo? thank you!

    • you’re welcome πŸ™‚ hmm, I’d high recommend staying a night to properly enjoy the onsen. If budget is important, you can stay in hostels around Odawara station and travel back to Hakone Yumoto the next day. The Hakone Pass is for 2 days anyway!

  23. Hello. Thanks for the suggested hakone itinerary. May I know after visiting the hakone shrine and torii gate, do we have to go back to Hakone Yumato to walk over to Ancient Cedar Avenue? From the map its seems walkable from one point to the other. And from the checkpoint museum, I understand from your earlier reply that its also walkable to the Moto Hakone Pier to catch the cruise to Togendai-ko station. Is my understanding correct? Appreciate your advice!

    • Hello Kaijun, you can definitely walk from the Hakone shrine to the Ancient Cedar Avenue and from the Checkpoint Museum to the Moto Hakone Pier but there’s no need to return to Hakone Yumoto as that’s in the opposite direction

  24. Thanks for the suggestion. On point and with useful tips! May i know how long is the total itinerary? I want to leave Tokyo at 8.30-9.00 (not an early bird), but i don’t want to miss the 4pm ropeway.

    • Thank you! πŸ™‚ We took the first train out but if you’re starting slightly later, you can cover the route anti-clockwise and start with the ropeway.

  25. Hi Cherie,

    Is it possible to buy the Hakone Freepass anywhere else in Tokyo besides the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center?
    I’m arriving in Tokyo around 4PM on a Thursday and I don’t think I’ll have enough time to go to the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center before they close. I am planning on going to Hakone early Saturday morning but the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center is kind of out of the way for my plans on Friday.

    If it’s not sold anywhere else, I’ll have no choice but to purchase on Klook and pick it up sometime on Friday.

    Thanks in advance!

    • We’re not too sure but this site says you can get it at the major railway stations like Shinjuku, Odawara and Central Tokyo Station. However, I’m not sure if they sell the actual pass or an exchange voucher. The latter will still require an exchange at the Okakyu Sightseeing Service centre. We got ours from Klook anyway because it’s cheaper than the ones from the stations!

  26. Hi Cherie, thank you for sharing your itinerary with us!

    I am planning to visit the Hakone shrine and Torii gate. Is the cost of the bus trip from Hakone-Yumoto to Moto-Hakone also included in the Hakone Free Pass?

  27. Hi Cherie,
    We are group of 9 (6 adults & 3 teenage) plant to travel to Lake Kawaguchiko (stay for 4 days 3 night) next year 2nd week Apr ,as we are so many of us think of self drive to Lake Kawaguchiko & Hakone can save time in public bus in Lake Kawaguchiko. Beside that we would like to drive to Hakone for one day trip and buy the Hakone 2 days freepass (4600Yen this pass only travel inside Hakone).Reasons of buying the pass because we would like to try all the transport (in Hakone freepass).Is this looks ok ? By using individual tickets will be cost more. Due to stay in Hakone is very expensive we plan to travel round trip Lake Kawaguchiko.
    Knowing all the pass in Lake Kawaguchiko & Hakone is either 2 days or 3 days.Therefore if we buy the pass still have one day transport need to think of a way back to Shinjuku.

    • Hi SF, looks like you have thought this through pretty well!
      The plan sounds good. Now we need to hope for the weather to be good too!

  28. Hi Cherie, this guide is really in time as I’m planning for my trip in Oct!

    I just have a few question about the pass that I hope you can help. I am travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto then to Hakone.

    Is there only 1 collection point? Is it possible to collect the pass on 25-Oct and start using it on 28-oct when I’m in Hakone?

    Thanks so much for any information you can share πŸ™‚

    • Hi Li, unfortunately not. If you click on the Klook link, they currently only distribute it from that point.

      You can however collect it earlier before using it though! “Pick-up service is available from 7 days before the date you selected. The day pass is valid for 2 or 3 consecutive days from the date you selected.” This means when booking, “the date you select in the calendar upon booking should be the same as your day pass activation date”

  29. great post! can you advice for the day-trip, what time did you started the journey and what is the return timing? Is it tiring to do this with a 2 year old kid?

    • We left Shinjuku at 7am and finished what we needed around 4-5pm. Many places close at 4pm so it’s best to head there as early as you can if you’re only planning for a day trip. It’s a great place for kids! We saw lots of families with young children there πŸ™‚

  30. Hi Cherie, we will be in Tokyo on the 3rd week of September 2022. If we make a day trip to Hakone, will it be cloudy or is there a chance to see Mt. Fuji clearly?

    • Hey, we just did a quick search on Google and found out that it’ll be typhoon season in September. Visibility may be low, but it really depends on the weather on the day itself. Accuweather is a pretty accurate forecasting site, you can check that nearer to date! Thanks.

  31. Hi Cherie,

    Nice. Your post helps to clear alot of doubts for F&E travel in Japan. Can I also check, does the Hakone free pass covers bus service to Lake Kawaguchi?

    My itinerary as follows:

    Day 1-3: stay in & explore Tokyo
    Day 4-5: stay in Hakone with day 5 day trip to Lake Kawaguchi then train from Hakone to Kyoto in the evening
    Day 6-9: Kyoto with day 9 day trip to Nara and evening train to Osaka
    Day 10-11: Osaka with evening train back to Tokyo.

    Does this itinerary look ok?

    Thanks a mil!

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