Things to do in Hakone: what the place is actually famous for
Hakone is famous for the loop, and on the loop the transport is the attraction. You ride a switchback mountain railway, a cable car, a ropeway strung over a live geothermal valley and a boat across a caldera lake with a vermilion torii standing in the water. The eggs boiled black in the hot springs at Owakudani are the local speciality. The onsen are the other reason people come, and the reason a lot of them end up staying the night.
Owakudani and the black eggs
Owakudani is a live geothermal valley: sulphur vents, steam coming off bare hillside, and a smell you notice from inside the gondola before the doors open. The local speciality is eggs boiled in the springs until the shells turn black. That is the one food fact about Hakone we could verify, and I would rather say so than invent a restaurant guide, which is why our food page is deliberately short. The valley sits at volcanic alert Level 1, normal caution, with no restriction in force as of August 2026.
The torii standing in Lake Ashi
Hakone Shrine’s vermilion torii stands in the water at Motohakone, at the far end of the lake from the ropeway. It is the photograph everybody has seen, and it is also the natural end point of the circuit: boat across, gate, bus home. The cruise across is ¥1,700 for an adult one way, and Hakonemachi to Motohakone is ¥600 if you want both ends of the lake.
The switchback railway
The Hakone Tozan Railway climbs from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora by reversing up the mountainside, ¥460 and about 35 minutes. In early summer the hydrangeas grow right against the line. People treat this leg as a commute to the good part and they are wrong; it is one of the good parts. More on when to catch it is on the best time page.
The ropeway
Four stations: Sounzan on the Gora side, Owakudani in the middle where everyone gets off, and Togendai down at the lake. One way is ¥2,000 for an adult and ¥700 for a child, round trip ¥3,000 and ¥1,000. It runs 9:00 to 16:45 from February to November and 9:00 to 16:15 in December and January, and it suspends in severe weather. Fares and the honest note on the e-ticket are on the ropeway page.
Onsen, and the things we did not verify
Hakone is an onsen town and has been for centuries, which is the other half of its reputation. I am not printing bath prices or opening hours here because we verified none of them, and the same goes for the museums. The private tour on this site will build a day out of Gora Park, the Open-Air Museum, the Cedar Avenue, an onsen and a café if you ask it to, and its guide will know the hours; a website that guesses at them will not. Note that the private product starts in Hakone and does not include travel from Tokyo.
“Even though the thick fog meant we couldn’t see Mt. Fuji, this tour was still a fantastic and memorable experience.” — Kristina, 5★. Fuji is the thing most people are hoping for, and it is the one thing on the whole itinerary nobody can promise you.
Fitting it into one day
All of the above sits on a single circuit, which is why Hakone works as a day trip at all. The order and the timings are on the Hakone Loop page, and how you get to the start of it from Tokyo is on Tokyo to Hakone.
Cheapest way inHakone: Hakone Ropeway One-Way / Round-Trip E-Ticket
Do it yourselfHakone: Train Pass with Unlimited Rides & Activity Discounts
Best ratedRopeway ticket includedMt. Fuji & Hakone Tour: Arakurayama, OshinoHakkai, Owakudani
Frequently asked questions
What is Hakone famous for?
Its hot springs, its views of Mount Fuji across Lake Ashi, and the loop of unusual transport that connects them: a switchback railway, a cable car, a ropeway over the Owakudani vents and a boat across the lake to the torii at Hakone Shrine.
What are the black eggs at Owakudani?
Eggs boiled in the geothermal springs until the shells turn black. They are the local speciality and the one Hakone food fact we could verify, which is why our food page is a short one rather than a padded list of places we have not checked.
Can you see Mount Fuji from Hakone?
On a clear day, yes, across Lake Ashi. Nobody can tell you the odds for your particular day, and any site quoting you a percentage made it up. Fog and cloud are common enough that reviewers mention missing the summit entirely.
Do you need to walk much in Hakone?
The loop itself is transport rather than hiking, though individual stops involve some climbing about, Owakudani especially. The walkability question is answered here, and the ropeway fare that saves your legs is ¥2,000 one way.