Hakone in 2 Days: The Classic Loop, Onsen and Lake Ashi

Two days in Hakone is enough to ride the classic loop, see the steaming valley at Owakudani, cross Lake Ashi by boat and spend a night in a hot-spring inn. Hakone is close to Tokyo, so it fits easily into a first trip, either as a break between Tokyo and Kyoto or as a short escape from the city.

Getting there

The Odakyu Romancecar runs from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto in about 85 minutes, and the Hakone Freepass covers the trains, cable car, ropeway, boats and most buses in the area for two or three days. Shinkansen travellers can also change at Odawara. To travel light, use the luggage delivery service at Hakone-Yumoto station, or send bags ahead to your next hotel.

Day 1: The mountain railway and Owakudani

From Hakone-Yumoto, the Hakone Tozan Railway climbs slowly through the forest, reversing at switchbacks on the way up. Get off at Chokoku-no-Mori for the Hakone Open-Air Museum, with its sculptures set out on the hillside, then continue to Gora. A cable car climbs to Sounzan, where the Hakone Ropeway rises over Owakudani, a volcanic valley full of steam and sulphur vents. Try the black eggs boiled in the hot springs there. On a clear day, Mt Fuji stands behind the ridge.

Spend the night at a ryokan in Gora, Sengokuhara or by the lake, with dinner and a soak in the bath. Our guide on how to stay in a ryokan and our onsen etiquette guide explain what to expect.

Day 2: Lake Ashi, Hakone Shrine and the old road

Ride the ropeway down to Togendai and cross Lake Ashi on a sightseeing boat to Moto-Hakone or Hakone-machi. Walk along the shore to Hakone Shrine, whose red torii stands in the water, then follow the cedar avenue of the old Tokaido road to the reconstructed Hakone Checkpoint. A bus returns to Hakone-Yumoto in under an hour, in time for the train back to Tokyo or on to Kyoto.

Tips

• Start early. The ropeway and boats are busiest from late morning, especially at weekends.
• Check the ropeway. Owakudani can close at short notice when volcanic gas levels rise; buses run around the closed section.
• Look for Fuji in the morning. It is most often visible in winter and early in the day.
• Do the loop in either direction. Starting from Lake Ashi works just as well.

Our Hakone travel guide covers the area in more detail, and our day trips from Tokyo guide has more ideas near the capital.