Private Hakone Loop Tour by Mountain Train, Ropeway & Lake Cruise

From Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto

Hakone lies about 80 kilometres south-west of Tokyo, and the limited-express train from Shinjuku reaches Hakone-Yumoto in around 1 hour 25 minutes, the easiest answer to how to get to Hakone from central Tokyo. Your guide meets you at Shinjuku Station, so you start the journey without worrying about platforms or reservations, and the fare for this leg is included in the default option.

Hakone-Yumoto is the gateway to the valley and the oldest of its hot-spring villages, with a lively street of sweet shops, pickles and local woodcraft. Here you switch to Hakone's mountain transport, and your guide helps you buy or activate the Hakone Free Pass, which covers the trains, cable car, ropeway and ship used on the loop.

The Hakone mountain railway and cable car

The mountain railway climbs from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora through deep forest and over high bridges, using switchbacks where the train stops and changes direction to climb the steep slope. The ride takes about 40 minutes, and in June and July the line is famous for the hydrangeas that bloom right beside the carriages.

At Gora you change to the cable car, which hauls you up the hillside to Sounzan in about 10 minutes, passing stations for the park and the open-air museum. Your guide points out what is worth a stop and keeps an eye on the connections, so you do not lose time in queues. If your party wants to linger, the private format means you simply take a later train.

Hakone Ropeway and Owakudani

From Sounzan the Hakone Ropeway carries you over the ridge to Owakudani, the volcanic valley formed by an eruption about 3,000 years ago. The gondola crosses directly above the yellow slopes and steam vents, and on clear days Mount Fuji appears beyond them, though views are never guaranteed. Many people consider this ropeway crossing the best moment of a Hakone day trip from Tokyo.

At Owakudani you can walk the viewing area, smell the sulphur and taste kuro-tamago, eggs boiled until their shells turn black in the hot-spring water. The ropeway runs from about 9:00 until late afternoon, and service can stop for wind or volcanic gas; if it does, your guide reroutes by bus. Visitors with respiratory conditions should take care here.

Lake Ashi cruise

The ropeway descends to Togendai on the northern tip of Lake Ashi, where the sightseeing ships wait. Built in the style of old sailing galleons, they cross the caldera lake to Hakone-machi and Moto-Hakone in about 25 to 40 minutes. From the deck you see forested slopes on every side, the red torii of Hakone Shrine standing in the water and, in clear weather, Mount Fuji to the north-west.

Ships run year-round, with fewer departures in winter, and the cruise is covered by the Hakone Free Pass. Many travellers ask if the Lake Ashi cruise is worth it: it is the most relaxed part of the loop, a chance to sit down and take in the views after the morning's climb.

Moto-Hakone and Hakone Shrine

The loop finishes on the eastern shore around Moto-Hakone, where Hakone Shrine stands in a forest of old cedars. Tradition dates the shrine to 757; stone steps lead up to its red hall, and down at the water the Peace Torii is the most photographed spot in Hakone. Nearby, a stretch of the old highway between Edo and Kyoto is still lined with giant cedar trees.

The tour ends here in Hakone. Your guide explains your return: buses run from Moto-Hakone to Hakone-Yumoto, where the limited express and other trains go back to Shinjuku, or you can continue to your Hakone hotel. The best time to visit Hakone is spring or autumn, while clear winter days give the best chance of seeing Fuji.