Mt. Fuji and Hakone tour with return by bullet train review
My verdict: the cheaper of the two tours here that send you home by train, and the only one of those two that collects you from your hotel. The ropeway, the cruise and the train leg are all in the price, translation is offered in twenty languages, and you are dropped at JR Tokyo Station rather than left on a kerb in the dark. Its rating is the soft spot: it sits below both the most-booked tour and the all-inclusive one, on a large enough sample that the gap is real rather than noise. Lunch is an option you select, not something you get.
What is in it
An air-conditioned bus, the ropeway gondola ticket, the Lake Ashi cruise ticket, an English guide, translation in twenty languages, hotel pickup and drop-off, and a Shinkansen ticket for the return leg. Departure is from the Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture in Shinjuku. The train from Odawara takes about thirty-five minutes and drops you at JR Tokyo Station. Lunch is included only if you select that option.
Hotel pickup matters more than it sounds. The all-inclusive tour at ¥24,000 does not offer it, and neither does the most-booked one. On a day that starts before eight in the morning, not having to find Matsuya Ginza in the dark is worth something.
- “Going back by Shinkansen was a Great experience” — Hans-Juergen, 5★
- “Mount Fuji was not visible for long owing to the clouds but we got a clear view for a few mins.” — Katie, 5★
Katie’s few minutes is the realistic version of this day, and it is why I will not put a percentage on your odds anywhere on this site. Nobody can. The mountain does what it does.
Usually included
- A/C bus and an English guide
- Translation in 20 languages
- Hakone Ropeway gondola ticket
- Lake Ashi cruise ticket
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Shinkansen ticket for the return leg, about 35 minutes
Not included
- Lunch, unless you select that option
- The outbound journey by train — you go out by coach
- Any control over cloud
Why 4.2 and what that means
4.2 from 1,618 reviews is a real number, not a small-sample wobble. It sits below the 4.7 of the most-booked tour and the 4.4 of the all-inclusive one, and above the 4.0 at the bottom of this site. Guides named in the reviews are Shun, Shin, Yuka and Ai, and the feedback on them is warm.
I have not captured enough of the critical reviews to tell you with confidence what drives the gap, and I would rather say that than construct a reason. What I would flag is structural: hotel pickup and drop-off across a city the size of Tokyo means a longer collection run at the start, and any tour that touches more hotels has more chances to be late.
What works
- Hotel pickup and drop-off, unusual among the tours here
- Ropeway and cruise tickets both included
- Shinkansen home from Odawara, about 35 minutes
- Translation offered in 20 languages
- ¥5,840 cheaper than the all-inclusive equivalent
Worth knowing
- 4.2 is below both the most-booked and the all-inclusive tour
- Lunch only if you select that option
- Ten hours, with the outbound leg by road
- Hotel pickup rounds can lengthen the morning
- Still nearly triple the cost of doing it yourself on a pass
The Shinkansen appears at the end of the day because it has to. There is no Shinkansen station in Hakone; the nearest is Odawara, and Kodama plus some Hikari services stop there while Nozomi does not.
Against the alternatives
Against the ¥24,000 all-inclusive tour: this one is cheaper and adds hotel pickup; that one adds a buffet lunch option, Wi-Fi, six-language headsets and a better rating on triple the reviews.
Against doing it yourself: a seated direct train from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto is ¥2,470 and takes 75 to 90 minutes, and going home by Shinkansen from Odawara is a ticket anybody can buy. The whole comparison, with fares, is on Romancecar vs Shinkansen and Tokyo to Hakone. If what you want is the ropeway and nothing else, that is ¥2,000.
Who should book it
Book it if you want the ropeway, the cruise and a train home, collected from your hotel, without paying the top price. That combination exists once on this site and this is it. Skip it if you are counting yen, and compare everything on all tours before you commit.
Compare it against
All-inclusiveRopeway, cruise, lunch & ShinkansenTokyo Mt Fuji 5th St & Hakone Cruise Bus Tour w/Bullet Train
Most bookedRopeway one-way includedTokyo: Mt. Fuji Tour, Hakone Ropeway, Owakudani, Lake Ashi
Cruise + cable carRopeway + cruise includedTokyo: Mt. Fuji and Hakone Tour with Cable Car and Cruise
Frequently asked questions
Does this tour include hotel pickup?
Yes, pickup and drop-off, which the ¥24,000 all-inclusive tour and the most-booked tour both leave out. Departure is from the LOVE sculpture in Shinjuku for those joining there. Compare the two train-return options on the all-inclusive review.
How long is the bullet train leg?
About thirty-five minutes, from Odawara to JR Tokyo Station, at the end of the day. You travel out by coach. Hakone has no Shinkansen station of its own, which is the single most common misunderstanding about this trip and is explained on Tokyo to Hakone.
Is lunch included?
Only if you select that option when booking. The ropeway gondola ticket and the Lake Ashi cruise ticket are included as standard.
Why does it rate lower than the other tours?
4.2 from 1,618 reviews is a large enough sample that the gap to 4.7 and 4.4 is real, but I did not capture enough critical reviews to say confidently what causes it, so I am not going to invent a reason. Read the alternatives on the reviews hub and pick on what is included.