Hakone, 90 minutes from Tokyo by Romance Car express train, is Japan's most rewarding day trip — combining hot spring culture, contemporary art, mountain transport, and Mt. Fuji views in a single compact mountain resort. A full day, properly planned, covers everything worth seeing.
Getting There
The Odakyu Romance Car from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto takes 85 minutes (¥1,270 + ¥900 romance car surcharge, total ¥2,170). Regular express trains take the same time with a transfer (¥1,270 total). The Hakone Free Pass (from Shinjuku, ¥6,100 for 2 days) covers the round trip plus all Hakone transport including the mountain railway, ropeway, cable car, and lake pirate ship — essential value if visiting multiple sites.
9:00am: Hakone Open Air Museum
The first stop off the Hakone Tozan Railway. This outdoor sculpture park (¥1,600) displays 120+ sculptures by Picasso, Henry Moore, Rodin, and Miró in a hillside garden with mountain backdrop. The Picasso Pavilion holds 300+ works. Allow 90–120 minutes — the combination of contemporary art and natural scenery in Japan's mountain air is genuinely excellent.
11:30am: Gora and the Ropeway
Continue up the mountain railway to Gora, then the cable car to Sounzan, then the ropeway (Hakone Ropeway) across the volcanic Owakudani valley. The ropeway closes in poor weather and sometimes for volcanic activity — check before committing your entire itinerary to it. On clear days, the views of sulfur steam vents below and Mt. Fuji (if visible) above are extraordinary. The ropeway terminates at Togendai on Lake Ashinoko.
1:00pm: Lake Ashinoko and Mt. Fuji Views
The "pirate ship" ferry (covered by Hakone Free Pass) crosses Lake Ashinoko between Togendai and Moto-Hakone. On clear days (best probability in winter and spring), Mt. Fuji rises behind the red torii gate of Hakone Shrine above the lake — one of Japan's most composed natural-and-architectural views. Lunch in Moto-Hakone: the lakeside restaurants serve decent set meals; alternatively, the Hakone Shrine area has small cafés.
3:00pm: Hakone Shrine
The bright red torii gate of Hakone Shrine stands at the water's edge on the lake's southern shore — a short walk from Moto-Hakone bus stop. The shrine dates to 757 CE and is surrounded by forest. The combination of cedar trees, red lacquer architecture, and the lake makes it one of Japan's most atmospheric shrine settings.
4:30pm: Onsen
Return to Hakone-Yumoto by bus (30–40 minutes). Day-use onsen facilities: Tenzan Tohji-kyo (¥1,500, excellent sulfur springs, rotenburo) or Hakone Yuryo (¥1,400, modern facility, riverside rotenburo). Allow 60–90 minutes for a proper soak before the train back to Tokyo. The evening Romance Car returns to Shinjuku by 9pm.