Exploring the whole of Hakone in 3D2N

This hostel has a parent branch named Hakone Tent in Gora, which has it’s own Onsen which you can use at ¥ 500. It is usually empty so if you are afraid of entering the public onsen as it is a relatively new experience for you, you can check out the Onsen located in their Gora Hostel.

Tip: Book your stays well in advance to save more!

So… Here’s how I conquered Hakone station by station to fully utilize my Freepass!

Basically, for this trip, I covered all the main stations along the Hakone Tozan Train, Cable Car, and Ropeway. I also took the sightseeing cruise and Hakone Tozan bus which was all included in the freepass. I’ve attached a collated google map list of the places I visited each day and linked them below.

Day 1: Tokyo (Shinjuku) → Odawara → Hakone Yumoto → Kowakidani → Chokoku-no-mori

Day 1 adventures saved here on Google Maps.

For Day 1, I left Tokyo after the daily rush hour to avoid crowded trains and headed to the small town of Odawara to check out the quiet town. There, I took my own tour of the castle grounds before moving onto Hakone-Yumoto Station.

At Hakone-Yumoto station, make sure to check out the street right along the station where you can find many snacks and stop by for lunch! I stopped by a recommended soba place called “Yama Soba” where they’re known for their “Tororo soba” but I tried their “Tempura soba” instead.

After refueling myself with food, I carried on to Kowakidani station and walked a short distance to the Chisuji falls. If you’d like a brief reprieve from the towns and people, and want to reconnect with nature, here’s the place for you. There are very few people who will alight at this station just to visit the falls and you have the view to yourself! Although it is nothing magnificent, you get to enjoy the view for yourself! ╰(*°▽°*)╯

Thereafter, I headed back onto the Hakone Tozan train to Chokoku-no-mori station, where I was able to sneak in a visit to the Open Air Museum (¥400 — Discounted price if you show the freepass) before they closed for the day at 5pm. After the tour, I checked into the hostel which was right next door and decided to rest after the long journey and traveling from the day to recharge and start off early the next day.

Day 2: Chokoku-no-mori → Owakudani → Sengokuhara → Togendai-ko → Gora → Chokoku-no-mori

Day 2 adventures saved here on Google Maps.

Well rested, I began with an early start to Day 2 ready to explore more of Hakone! It began with a Cable car ride to Sounzan, where you change to the Hakone Ropeway to head up to Owakudani. I got off here to explore the area created by the eruption of Mount Hakone 3,000 years ago. Check out the eggs sold here as they are cooked in the naturally hot water, thus the shells are blackened by the sulfur and are said to prolong one’s life by 7 years! They are sold in bags of 5 and are not sold singularly, hence, I did not try them out as I didn’t think I’d want to finish 5 eggs by myself. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Here at Owakudani, there is also a Geomuseum which teaches you about the museum where you can enter for a small fee of ¥100. It was about time for lunch after I finished touring the museum, and the Katsu Curry (¥1,500) at the restaurant located in the station was recommended.

Thus, I took a brief stop for lunch there and thereafter continued on the ropeway till the end to Togendai-ko. After alighting the ropeway, I took a bus at the station to get to the Sengokuhara Susuki Grass Fields, where the scenery was really peaceful and serene. Similar to the Chisuji falls, it is not a commonly visited area, and I got the views of the whole place to myself (●’◡’●).

After coming back to Togendai-ko station, I took the sightseeing Cruise to the other end, where I stopped by the Hakone Checkpoint (¥400 — Discounted with the freepass), and took a scenic walk from the checkpoint, through the Old Tokaido Road (Cedar Avenue) which was filled with ancient cedar trees, to MotoHakone Town.

After strolling the town of MotoHakone, I took the Gora Line bus from Hakonemachi to Gora Station, where I decided to check out the Onsen at Hakone Tent. It ended up being a private onsen experience for ¥500 as there was no one else in the onsen. Thereafter, I decided to call it a day and went back to the hostel at Irori Tenmaku.

Day 3: Chokoku-no-mori → Gora →Tokyo (Shinjuku)

Day 3 adventures saved here on Google Maps.

For the last day, I decided to sleep in a little and headed out slightly before I had to check out of the hostel. Energized after a good nights rest, I headed out to Gora again to explore Gora Park (Free entry with the freepass).

Thereafter, I headed to Tamura Ginkatsutei that serves Tofu Katsu (¥1,380) for lunch. Their opening times are split into 2. Their lunch runs from 11:00–14:30, and they would close until dinner which runs from 17:30–19:30.

Tip: Head there early as there would be a queue even if you arrive once they open!

(It may not look the best, but it tastes divine with melt-in-your-mouth textures!)

After filling my stomach with such a pleasant meal, it was time for the journey back to Shinjuku…(T_T)

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Sightseeing cruise and Hakone Tozan Bus Timetable:

Special Mentions:

• Onsen theme park: Hakone Kowakien Yunessun

There are both indoor and outdoor baths in this theme park, and they accept customers with tattoos. I personally did not visit the park because it was kind of pricey so I can’t really provide any feedback. However, if you have more of a budget, you can experience the quirky onsens that they have such as wine and coffee baths.

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This sums up my 3D2N in Hakone, and if you felt it was informative or helped with your trip planning, do give this article a clap, and share it with your friends and family! Thank you for all your support! (❁´◡`❁)