The Hakone Loop is sometimes done as a day trip from Tokyo, but you can also stay in Hakone, which I recommend. If you are lucky, you can see Mount Fuji the whole day, or sometimes (not in my case). During the Hakone Loop you will take a scenic train, a ropeway, a gondola, a lovely hike, a scenic boat ride in a pirate ship, and a bus ride. You can have several activities, like visiting a tea house and a temple and enjoying a black egg on the way. Check out the details and recommendations for this loop.

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: 2 hours from Tokyo

How much time needed: 1 full day, but I recommend on sleeping in Hakone for 2 nights

Hakone Free Pass

The first thing to do is get a Hakone Free Pass, which is a pass that you can use for all transportation to and from and in Hakone. You can use this pass from Shinjuku Station, and you do not have to pay for the transportation to Hakone. It also gives reductions to certain sites in Hakone. I would recommend paying for three days, so your transportation is covered for the whole stay. The price for three days is ¥7,600, and that is way cheaper than buying everything separately. It is also very convenient, as you can just walk further every time. 

Where to stay

To do the Hakone Loop, you can best stay in the area of Hakone Yumoto. This is a relaxed village with some restaurants and bars. You can have a stroll here. Many trains and buses are coming to this village, so that is convenient. Besides, the first part of the Hakone Loop is here. The village has some great hotels to choose from.

How does the loop go?

Note that the Hakone Loop can be done both ways. I did the route against the clock because it is perfect to have lunch in Moto-Hakone.

Train to Chokoku No Mori (or Gora)

The first part of the Hakone Loop is the train! Normally this is just transportation, but this is a fantastic ride. The train leaves at Hakone-Yumoto, and you have to get out at Gora. You can also have a stop in Chokoku No Mori to visit the Hakone Open Air Museum (see below).  The train is going up and down to get up, so the driver has to switch every time, which is also fun. It gets higher the whole time, which gives stunning views. 

Visit the Hakone Open Air Museum

If you stop at Chokoku No Mori (which you absolutely should), you have to walk three minutes to the very cool Hakone Open Air Museum. The museum holds many very cool artefacts and statues. There is also a Picasso section, which is very cool, but not my highlight. The highlight is the Symphonic Sculpture, which has much stained glass, and you can get up to the top. This museum is fantastic to walk around and see modern art. Afterwards, get to the train to Gora.

Price: ¥2,000, but less if you have a Hakone Free Pass

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How much time needed: 1-2 hours, depending on your interest in modern art. 

Take the cable car to Sounzan

The cable car to Sounzan was the least interesting. It was very crowded, but it was the best way to proceed on the Hakone Loop. It takes about 20 minutes. The cable car is next to the train station. On the way up, you will have some stops, but you have to get out at the top at Sounzan, where almost everyone will get out. 

Take the Ropeway to Togendai, but stop at Owakudani

In Sounzan you do not need to stop, and you can go further with the ropeway to Togendai (but you have to stop at Owakudani). The ropeway is a small walk from the end of the cable car. The ropeway is impressive, and you can often have an impressive view. If the weather is good, you can even see Mount Fuji during the ride. 

Eat a black egg in Owakudani

Owakudani is mostly famous for its volcanic area. You will see some smoke throughout the site, and you can smell some sulphur. You can also do a hike, but you need tickets, and the small hike is only a couple of times a day. You can buy some fun food here: You can have black ice cream (which makes your teeth black), but the most fun is the black egg. You will live 7 years longer if you eat one. The taste is similar to a normal egg, but the shell is black. If lucky, you can see Mount Fuji from here. Owakudani is a lovely and important stop on the Hakone Loop. Afterwards, take the ropeway to Togendai. 

Take the pirate ship from Lake Ashi

When arriving in Togendai, you can straight away take the pirate ship towards Hakone-machi or Moto-Hakone on Lake Ashi. The boat will stop in both locations, so you can choose where to get out. We went out in Moto-Hakone. Lake Ashi is a gorgeous lake, so you can enjoy the boat ride, which takes about 40 minutes. Also here you have the possibility of seeing the gorgeous Mount Fuji. I really liked this part of the Hakone Loop.

Have lunch and visit a temple in Moto-Hakone

Moto-Hakone is not the most interesting place to be, but there are some restaurants to have lunch. The highlight of the village is the Hakone Shrine, which has a lovely temple and a gorgeous shrine to have a view of Lake Ashi. You have to be in a long queue to get a picture taken underneath.

Enjoy a lovely hike

From Moto-Hakone you can go back to your accommodation by bus, but we decided to go to a teahouse. To get there you can do a lovely hike. The hike is not far (a couple of kilometres), but very pretty. There are many stones, so it is not that easy, and you will not go fast. This hike was our surprising highlight of the day, so you should not miss this. 

Have some tea in Amakase Tea House

After the hike, you can enjoy a lovely tea in a very cool and traditional teahouse. You can sit very relaxed and have some traditional tea with some tasteful bites. Note that the last bus to Hakone-Yumoto is at 17.00 (5.00 pm), and otherwise it is pretty difficult to go back. This is a perfect ending to the Hakone Loop. A bus ride will bring you back.

Final Thoughts

We had an absolute fantastic day in the Hakone Loop. You have a huge amount of transportation, which is cool. You can have some interesting food, a lovely museum, gorgeous nature and views and more. However, if Mount Fuji is not visible the day is less interesting. I can recommend visiting the Hakone Loop, but it should not be the highest place to visit in Japan. 

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