Hakone Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Land

Bus

Odakyū’s express bus service runs directly from the west exit of Shinjuku station to Hakone-machi (¥1950, two hours, 20 daily), but you lose the fun of the combination of rail, cable and water-borne conveyances.

Train

The private Odakyū line (www.odakyu.jp) from Shinjuku station takes you directly into Hakone-Yumoto, the region’s transit hub. If you are travelling on a Japan Rail Pass, you can save the intercity fare by taking the JR train to Odawara and changing trains for Hakone-Yumoto.

Odakyū’s Hakone Freepass (adult/child from Shinjuku ¥5500/2750, from Odawara ¥4130/2070) is an excellent deal for the standard Hakone circuit, covering the return fare to Hakone and unlimited use of most modes of transport within the region for three days, plus a number of other discounts. There’s also a Hakone Weekday Pass, valid for two days with similar benefits (¥4700/3410 from Shinjuku/Odawara).

The most convenient service is Odakyū’s inscrutably named Romance Car to Hakone Yumoto (with/without Freepass ¥870/2020, 85 minutes). There is also kyūkō (regular express) service (¥1150, two hours), although you may have to change trains at Odawara.

JR trains run between Shinjuku and Odawara (¥1450, 80 minutes). From Tokyo station, take the Kodama shinkansen (¥3440, 35 minutes) or the Tōkaidō line (futsū ¥1450, 1½ hours; tokkyū ¥2660, one hour).

At Odawara, change to the narrow gauge, switchback Hakone-Tōzan line, via Hakone Yumoto to Gōra (¥650, 55 minutes). If you’ve arrived in Hakone Yumoto on the Odakyū line, you can change to the Hakone-Tōzan line (¥390 to Gōra, 40 minutes) in the same station.

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