Culture & Landmarks
Pola Museum of Art
Hakone
Hakone wraps around Lake Ashi in a tangle of volcanic peaks, sulfur vents, and open-air onsen fed by the same fissures that still steam over Owakudani. Eighty kilometers south-west of Tokyo, this highland crescent doubles as both weekend escape and showcase of Japanese craft—a place where you ride a switchback mountain train through tunnels blasted in 1919, then step off into a Picasso pavilion or a glasshouse full of Lalique perfume bottles.
Ideal length1–2 days
Best seasonApril–May, October–November
Budget / day€120–200 per person
Airport → centerJR Tokaido line + Odakyu Romance Car from Shinjuku, approx. 90 min
Getting aroundHakone Free Pass: loop of train, cable-car, ropeway & lake boats
Hakone deserves 1–2 days according to Lamaglide's analysis of 70 verified places with measured visit durations. Top sights include Lake Ashi, Owakudani, and Old Tokaido Road.
Volcanoes, Verrerie & the View That Made Hokusai Famous
01Owakudani Valley
Black Eggs & the Smell of Rotten Brimstone
The ropeway cabin swings over a grey-brown gash of rock where nothing grows, and the sulfur smell hits before you slide open the door at station. White plumes hiss out of cracks in the hillside; the valley floor is a jigsaw of boiling pools and mineral crust the colour of rust. Vendors up by the viewing deck sell kuro-tamago—ordinary chicken eggs boiled in the hot springs until the shells turn coal-black and the whites take on a faint grey tinge—five to a net bag, still warm. Local lore promises seven extra years of life per egg; what you actually get is the yolk's mild sulfur funk and a perfect excuse to crack one open while the wind carries steam across the ridge.
The swings between Sōunzan and Tōgendai in four segments, but Owakudani is the stop everyone remembers. On clear days the cone of Mount Fuji fills the southern horizon, close enough to count the snowfields. On cloudy ones you're inside the cloud, and the boardwalk through the fumaroles feels like walking on another planet. A small geology museum tucked beside the main plaza walks you through cross-sections of the caldera, but most visitors spend their ten minutes breathing through their mouths, taking photos of the steam vents, and queuing at the before the next gondola swings in.
Preview
Owakudani
The sulfur vents have been active for three thousand years, and the valley floor still shifts: paths are occasionally rerouted when new fissures open. The viewing platform sits at roughly 1,040 metres, high enough that you'll want a jacket even in July. Volcanic gas levels are monitored in real time; when concentrations spike, loudspeakers warn visitors with respiratory conditions to retreat indoors.
Why we love it
- ✓The black eggs' shells peel away to reveal whites tinged pale grey and yolks that taste faintly mineral—a flavour you won't find anywhere else.
- ✓Standing at the crater rim on a clear winter morning, with Fuji dead ahead and steam pouring sideways across the rocks in the wind.
What we sometimes hear
- ~The sulfur smell can be overwhelming, especially if the wind is blowing your way—but it's also the proof that you're standing on an active volcanic system, and it fades after the first two minutes.
Preview
Hakone Ropeway
The ropeway opened in 1959 and runs eighteen-person gondolas every minute during peak hours, a conveyor-belt ballet that somehow never feels rushed. Each cabin is named and numbered; attentive riders collect their favourite digits. Engineers inspect the cables every night after the last descent, a ritual that's kept the system accident-free for six decades.
Why we love it
- ✓The moment the gondola clears the ridge and the entire caldera—lake, peaks, and Fuji—unfolds in one sweeping frame below you.
- ✓Riding the Sōunzan–Owakudani leg in early morning, when mist still clings to the valley and the fumaroles look like ghosts breathing.
What we sometimes hear
- ~Queues at Owakudani can stretch to forty minutes on weekends and holidays—but the Tōgendai side is usually quieter, and riding the loop backwards skips the worst crush.
Preview
Kurotamago-kan
The eggs are boiled in a pool where the water hovers around 80°C, then steamed at 100°C in wooden boxes—a two-stage process that blackens the shell with iron sulfide. Each net bag comes with a pinch of pink volcanic salt mined nearby. The shop also stocks bottled spring water, sweet-potato ice-cream, and a small selection of geology books in Japanese.
Why we love it
- ✓Cracking open a black egg while it's still warm, the shell brittle and faintly metallic to the touch.
- ✓The ritual of queueing, buying, peeling, and eating all in the span of five minutes, surrounded by strangers doing exactly the same.
What we sometimes hear
- ~Five eggs is more than most people want to eat in one sitting—but they keep for a day in a backpack, and they make excellent mid-afternoon trail snacks or gifts for Tokyo friends.
02Lake Ashi & the Shrine
A Red Gate Half-Submerged & the Boats That Look Like Galleons
sits in a grove of cryptomeria above the lake's eastern shore, its stone steps slick with moss even in summer. The main hall is handsome but unremarkable; what stops everyone is the vermilion torii standing shin-deep in , framing the water and—if the weather holds—Fuji's perfect triangle beyond. Weekday mornings before nine the gate is almost yours; by eleven tour groups have claimed every angle and you're elbowing for a clear shot. The shrine dates to 757, rebuilt a dozen times; the floating torii was added in 1952, yet it's become the postcard.
From the shrine precinct a five-minute walk downhill brings you to the Moto-Hakone pier, where the replicas—gilded figureheads, absurd fake cannon—chug back and forth across the lake. The forty-minute cruise to Tōgendai is pure kitsch on the surface and pure pragmatism underneath: it's the fastest link in the Hakone loop, and the open upper deck gives you an unbroken scan of the caldera rim. On the return leg the boat swings close enough to the torii that you can see the barnacles crusting its lower beams.
Preview
Hakone Shrine
The shrine's annual festival on August 1 features a fleet of illuminated boats crossing the lake at dusk, torches reflected in the black water. The main deity is Ninigi-no-mikoto, grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu; samurai warlords made offerings here before heading into battle. Behind the main hall, a smaller sub-shrine honours the dragon god said to dwell beneath Lake Ashi.
Why we love it
- ✓The floating torii at dawn, when the lake is mirror-still and the mountains carve perfect reflections into the water.
- ✓Walking the shaded stone path from the upper shrine down to the water's edge, moss and ferns pressing in on both sides.
What we sometimes hear
- ~Tour groups flood the torii between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., making a clean photo nearly impossible—but arrive by 8:30 or after 4:30 and you'll often have it to yourself.
Preview
Lake Ashi
The lake formed roughly three thousand years ago when a volcanic eruption dammed the Hayakawa river; its deepest point reaches forty-three metres. Water temperature stays cold year-round—around 10–15°C—so swimming is rare and wetsuits essential. Fishermen target trout and bass from rental rowboats, especially off the quieter northern shore near Kojiri.
Why we love it
- ✓Watching the lake's surface shift from slate-grey to cobalt as clouds break apart and sunlight rakes across the caldera.
- ✓Catching a glimpse of Fuji perfectly framed between two peaks, the kind of view that makes you stop mid-sentence.
What we sometimes hear
- ~Fuji hides behind clouds more often than not, especially in summer—but that makes the clear-day reveal feel like winning a lottery, and the lake itself is dramatic even without the icon.
Preview
Hakone Pirate Ship
Three ships ply the route: the Royal II (launched 2007), the Victory (2013), and the Queen Ashinoko (2019), each modelled after a different era of European naval design. The Queen Ashinoko's stern gallery is panelled in faux-Baroque gilt; the forward observation deck is all 21st-century glass. Bilingual announcements point out landmarks, but most passengers ignore them in favour of their cameras.
Why we love it
- ✓Claiming a spot on the open top deck as the boat pulls away from the pier, wind in your face and the whole caldera turning slowly around you.
- ✓The sheer absurdity of a fake 17th-century galleon chugging across a volcanic lake in the shadow of Japan's most sacred mountain.
What we sometimes hear
- ~The lower cabins can feel crowded and stuffy on hot days—but the top deck is first-come, first-served, and worth the climb even if it means standing the whole crossing.
03Art & Hot Springs
Picasso in the Pines, Then Naked in a Cedar Tub
sprawls across a hillside above Gōra, seventy-odd sculptures dotted among azaleas and Japanese maples. Henry Moore bronzes share the lawn with a Miró, a monumental Rodin, and a stained-glass tower you can climb inside. The Picasso Pavilion holds three hundred ceramics, prints, and paintings in a building designed to feel like flipping through a private collection; the contrast between the sun-drenched sculpture garden and the pavilion's cool galleries is deliberate, and it works. At the exit, a footbath fed by the local hot spring lets you soak your feet while you look back over the grounds—a small grace note that reminds you you're still in onsen country.
, twenty minutes downhill by bus, strips away the museum gloss. The changing-room smells of hinoki wood and damp stone; outside, a dozen pools step down a forested slope, each fed by a different source and each a shade warmer or cooler than the last. One basin sits directly under a man-made waterfall—a shoulder massage that borders on punishment. There are no lake views, no English signage, and no tattoo prohibition enforced with any real conviction. Weekday afternoons the clientele skews local and older; you soak, rinse, soak again, then sit on the edge of the highest pool while the forest canopy filters the light into something green and ancient.
Preview
The Hakone Open-Air Museum
The museum opened in 1969, Japan's first dedicated sculpture park, and the permanent collection has grown to include over one hundred works by artists from thirty countries. Seasonal plantings—tulips in spring, hydrangeas in June—frame the sculptures deliberately. The on-site restaurant serves French-Japanese fusion; the terrace overlooks a reflecting pool and a massive stabile by Alexander Calder.
Why we love it
- ✓The Picasso Pavilion's ceramic plates—bulls, owls, faces—each one a three-minute story in glaze and line.
- ✓Soaking your feet in the hot-spring footbath at the exit, watching other visitors drift past sculptures you've just walked among.
What we sometimes hear
- ~Three hours is the recommended visit, but you can easily spend half that if you skip the temporary galleries—and the footbath alone justifies the entry fee on a long walking day.
Preview
Tenzan Onsen
Tenzan has been family-run since 1951, and the stone-lined pools date back nearly as far. The water emerges at 57°C and is cooled by open air and distance as it flows downhill; each basin is a few degrees different. Tattoos are officially discouraged but rarely questioned. A small restaurant on-site serves simple donburi and cold beer; most people eat after soaking, not before.
Why we love it
- ✓The waterfall pool's thundering cascade pounding the knots out of your shoulders, cold enough to make you gasp when you first step under.
- ✓Sitting chest-deep in the uppermost pool at dusk, watching the forest fade into silhouette and feeling every muscle unknot.
What we sometimes hear
- ~It's a twenty-minute bus ride from Yumoto and not on the main Free Pass loop, so it sees fewer crowds than the hotel onsen—and that remoteness is exactly why regulars keep coming back.
The Hakone Open-Air Museum sprawls across a hillside above Gōra, seventy-odd sculptures dotted among azaleas and Japanese maples.
04Yumoto & the Tōkaidō
Soba by the Station & the Road Shogun's Messengers Walked
is the gateway, the transport knot where the Odakyū line from Tokyo ends and the mountain railway begins. The village clings to the banks of the Hayakawa, and the main shopping street—souvenir shops selling yosegi parquetry boxes and black-egg keychains—funnels everyone toward the station plaza. sits one block back, up a narrow staircase: a soba house where the noodles are cut by hand each morning and served cold on lacquer trays with a dipping sauce of dashi, mirin, and soy. The tempura set adds fat rounds of sweet potato and shiso leaf, crunchy enough to shatter. It's a lunch that takes fifteen minutes, costs under ¥2,000, and sends you back into the crowds ready to tackle the next switchback.
West of Yumoto the climbs through cedar forest so tall the midday sun barely reaches the trail. This is the same route that linked Kyoto to Edo under the Tokugawa shoguns, and a two-kilometre stretch between Moto-Hakone and Hatajuku survives almost intact—stone pavement grooved by centuries of sandal traffic, cobbles slick with leaf-rot. The at the eastern end lines up four hundred trees, some of them planted in 1618; their trunks are thick enough that three people linking hands can't encircle them. In autumn the path is a tunnel of shadow and the only sound is your own footsteps and the occasional crack of a branch overhead.
Preview
Hakone-Yumoto Station
The Hakone-Yumoto Ekimae shopping street runs two hundred metres along the river, lined with shops selling kamaboko fish-cakes, yosegi marquetry, and green-tea soft-serve. The Hayakawa tumbles over a small weir just below the main bridge; in summer the sound of the water cuts through the crowd noise. A handful of public footbaths dot the riverside walkway, free to use if you bring your own towel.
Why we love it
- ✓The hiss and clack of the switchback train pulling into the platform, ready to zigzag up the mountain through tunnels and forest.
- ✓Browsing the parquetry boxes in the craft shops—geometric patterns in a dozen woods, each one a thumbnail puzzle.
What we sometimes hear
- ~The station area can feel like a souvenir gauntlet, especially on weekends—but one block off the main drag the side streets go quiet, and the ryokan alleys are peaceful even at midday.
Preview
Hatsuhana
Hatsuhana has occupied the same wooden building since 1934, and the upstairs dining room overlooks a narrow slice of the Hayakawa. The soba flour is stone-milled daily; noodles are cut to order and served within minutes. The house speciality is yamakake soba—cold noodles topped with grated mountain yam, slippery and faintly sweet. No reservations; expect a short queue at lunch.
Why we love it
- ✓The snap of the soba noodles between your teeth, firm enough to need chewing, delicate enough to dissolve on the tongue.
- ✓Watching the yamakake's raw yam slide off the bamboo basket into the dipping sauce, turning it creamy and pale.
What we sometimes hear
- ~The dining room is small and turnover is brisk, so solo diners sometimes share tables—but service is swift, and most people are in and out in under thirty minutes.
Preview
Old Tokaido Road
The Tōkaidō was one of five highways radiating from Edo, and Hakone-juku was the tenth of fifty-three post-stations immortalised in Hiroshige's woodblock prints. The stone-paved section between Moto-Hakone and Hatajuku climbs roughly 160 vertical metres through forest; it's the longest intact stretch of the original route still walkable today. Wayside shrines and moss-covered jizō statues mark rest-stops where porters once caught their breath.
Why we love it
- ✓The feel of the worn stone underfoot, grooved smooth by three centuries of sandals, hooves, and wooden cart-wheels.
- ✓The absolute quiet of the forest mid-week, broken only by birdsong and the rustle of leaves when the wind picks up.
What we sometimes hear
- ~The trail can be slippery after rain and steep in places, so it's not ideal for small children or anyone unsteady on their feet—but the payoff is walking the same route samurai and merchants traveled four hundred years ago.
Preview
Cedar Avenue
The avenue was planted in 1618 on the orders of the Tokugawa shogunate to provide shade for travellers on the Tōkaidō road. Of the original 420 trees, around 400 survive; each trunk is tagged and monitored. The largest specimens measure more than five metres in circumference. In typhoon season the forestry service props weakened giants with wooden crutches to prevent collapse.
Why we love it
- ✓Craning your neck to follow a cedar trunk skyward, so tall the crown vanishes into the canopy and dwarfs everything else in the forest.
- ✓The green-gold light filtering through the needles on a sunny afternoon, turning the path into a cathedral aisle.
What we sometimes hear
- ~The avenue stretches for more than five hundred metres and can feel repetitive if you're in a rush—but it's one of the few places in Japan where you can walk beneath trees older than the United States, and that alone is worth slowing down.
Also worth it
A few more you shouldn't miss
When to go
Every season, a different face
Average temperatures, crowds and recommended windows — at a glance, month by month.
Jan3°
Feb4°
Mar7°
Apr12°
May16°
Jun19°
Jul23°
Aug24°
Sep21°
Oct15°
Nov10°
Dec5°
Jan3°
Feb4°
Mar7°
Apr12°
May16°
Jun19°
Jul23°
Aug24°
Sep21°
Oct15°
Nov10°
Dec5°
Best window
Best window
Recommended monthLow crowdsHighPeak seasonAverage temperature
Climate data based on JMA averages 1991–2020 for Hakone area
Spring (Mar–May)
BestCherry blossoms crown the lakeshore in early April, azaleas blaze across the Open-Air Museum's hillside by May, and the ropeway swings over valleys still patched with late snow—clear skies and Fuji sightings peak before the June rains roll in.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
MixedRainy season blurs June into a string of grey mornings and wet stone paths; July and August bring heat, humidity, and the year's thickest crowds—but the forested trails stay cool, the lake stays cold, and evening onsen feel like earned relief after a day dodging tour groups.
Autumn (Sep–Nov)
BestMaples ignite across the caldera from mid-October through November, the Tōkaidō cedars turn bronze at the edges, and the crisp air makes Fuji visible three days out of five—this is peak season for a reason, and the crowds reflect it.
Winter (Dec–Feb)
GoodFrost silvers the volcanic slopes, snow dusts the higher peaks, and the onsen pools steam harder in the cold—fewer visitors mean shorter queues and quiet trails, though Fuji hides more often and some outdoor sculpture gardens feel stark without foliage.
Food & drink
What to eat here
Hakone's table leans heavily on two things: soba noodles made with mountain water, and the novelty of cooking with volcanic heat. You'll find elegant kaiseki in ryokan dining-rooms and hand-cut noodles in century-old shopfronts, but the true signature is simpler—black eggs boiled in sulfur springs, eaten warm on a windy ridge.
Yamakake soba at Hatsuhana
Street/counterCold buckwheat noodles crowned with grated mountain yam, slippery and faintly sweet, served in a second-floor room overlooking the Hayakawa. The noodles are cut to order; the yam turns the dipping sauce creamy. Pair it with tempura if you're hungry—fat rounds of sweet potato, shiso leaf, shrimp.
Where: Hatsuhana Soba Honten — Hakone-Yumoto
Kuro-tamago from Owakudani
Street/counterChicken eggs boiled in the valley's sulfur hot springs until the shells turn coal-black and the whites take on a pale grey tinge. Sold five to a net bag, still warm, with a pinch of pink volcanic salt. Folklore promises seven extra years per egg; what you get is a mild mineral funk and a story.
Where: Owakudani Kurotamagokan — Owakudani
Kaiseki tasting menu at Nadamangaden
Premium tableSeasonal parade of small plates—sashimi, grilled fish, simmered vegetables, steamed rice—each course timed to the last. The dining-room faces a mossy garden; the sake list runs to twenty labels. Expect two hours, ten courses, and a bill that reflects the precision.
Where: Hakone Nadamangaden — Hakone-Yumoto area
Tofu katsu at Tamura Ginkatsu-tei
Street/counterSlabs of firm tofu breaded, fried golden, then simmered in a sweet soy-and-onion sauce until the crust softens and the sauce soaks through. Served over rice in a lacquer bowl, with pickles and miso soup. Comfort food that sticks to your ribs and costs less than a museum ticket.
Where: Tamura Ginkatsu-tei — Gōra
Slurping soba noodles is not just accepted—it's expected, a way of aerating the buckwheat and showing appreciation. If you're sharing onsen-boiled eggs, peel them over the paper bag to catch the shell fragments; littering is the fastest way to draw a frown.
Itinerary
Want it all planned out?
Our engine builds your days hour by hour, based on your actual dates.
Build my trip →For you
Depending on who you are
With family
- The pirate ships and ropeway are instant hits with children, and the Open-Air Museum's sculpture garden doubles as a giant playground—climbing the net tower and soaking feet in the footbath are family rituals.
- Black eggs at Owakudani turn a geology lesson into a treasure hunt; kids love the drama of the steam vents and the myth of seven extra years.
- The Hakone Free Pass covers most transport and keeps logistics simple: one ticket, endless loops, no need to decode fare charts with tired children in tow.
- Many ryokan offer private family onsen reservations, sidestepping the communal-bathing nerves that can unsettle younger kids or first-timers.
Solo
- Hakone feels safe at all hours—villages are quiet after dark, stations are well-lit, and the last trains and ropeways run until evening, so you're never stranded on a ridge.
- Solo onsen bathing is the norm, and properties like Tenzan welcome walk-ins; bring a small towel, follow the routine (wash before soaking), and you'll blend in seamlessly.
- The Tōkaidō trail and Cedar Avenue are peaceful mid-week, perfect for solo walkers who want silence and centuries-old trees without chatter.
- English signage is patchy outside major sites, but the Hakone Free Pass map is bilingual, station staff are patient, and Google Maps works reliably even in the mountains.
- Dining solo is standard in noodle shops and casual restaurants; counter seats at Hatsuhana put you elbow-to-elbow with locals slurping soba, a companionable solitude.
Accessibility
- The Hakone Tozan Railway, ropeway, and pirate ships are all wheelchair-accessible, with staff assistance available at major transfer points.
- The Open-Air Museum provides wheelchairs for loan and has paved paths through most of the sculpture garden, though some slopes are steep.
- The old Tōkaidō road and Cedar Avenue are uneven stone and dirt, challenging for wheelchairs and anyone with limited mobility—modern paved alternatives exist via bus routes.
- Many traditional ryokan have steps, tatami rooms, and floor-level bathing that can pose difficulties; newer hotels near Yumoto and Gōra offer lifts and Western-style rooms.
- Owakudani's main viewing platform is accessible, but the boardwalk trail around the fumaroles involves stairs and rough terrain.
Total budget
€240–400
for two people over one full day and one night, covering mid-range ryokan with dinner and breakfast, the Hakone Free Pass, museum entry, and meals. Budget breaks down roughly to €140–240 for accommodation (one night with half-board), €40–70 for additional meals and snacks, €20–30 for transport (Free Pass for two), and €40–60 for museum entries and activities.
The breakdown by category below — each range still depends on your choices.
Accommodation
per night (2 people)- Guesthouse / budget hotel€60–100
- Mid-range ryokan with half-board€140–240
- Luxury ryokan with kaiseki & private onsen€400–800
Food
per meal / person- Soba or donburi lunch€8–15
- Kaiseki dinner€50–120
Half-board ryokan rates include dinner and breakfast; budget €40–70 for additional snacks, black eggs, and café stops.
Transport
per journey- Odakyu Romance Car from Shinjuku (one-way)€25–30
- Hakone Free Pass (2–3 days, unlimited loop)€40–50 for two
Activities
per entry- Hakone Open-Air Museum€14
- Onsen day-pass (Tenzan, Yunessun)€12–25
- Museum entry (Pola, Okada, Lalique)€10–15
Budget €40–60 total for two museum entries plus one onsen visit.
Good to know
What we wish we'd known
Buy the Hakone Free Pass before you arrive
Sold at Odakyū stations in Tokyo (Shinjuku is the main hub), it covers the round-trip Romance Car upgrade, all loop transport (train, bus, ropeway, boat), and discounts at museums—trying to buy individual tickets wastes time and money.
Fuji is a morning phenomenon
The mountain hides behind cloud and haze by midday most of the year; your best shot at a clear view is before 9 a.m., especially in winter and late autumn.
Owakudani closes when volcanic activity spikes
Gas levels are monitored constantly, and the ropeway will skip the station or shut down entirely if readings climb—check the official Hakone Ropeway website the morning of your visit.
Tattoos and onsen: ask first
Many public baths still prohibit visible tattoos; Tenzan is relaxed, but hotel onsen policies vary—if in doubt, book a private bath or ask at reception before undressing.
The loop is one-way by design
Most visitors go clockwise (train to Gōra, cable-car to Sōunzan, ropeway to Tōgendai, boat to Moto-Hakone, bus back to Yumoto)—fighting the flow means longer waits and fuller carriages.
Cash still rules in smaller shops and restaurants
Major museums and hotels take cards, but the soba joint, the egg vendor, and the kamaboko stall expect yen—carry enough to cover meals and snacks.
Frequently asked
Before you go
Is one day enough for Hakone?+
One full day covers the core loop—ropeway, Owakudani, lake cruise, shrine, and one museum—but you'll be moving briskly and skipping the deeper trails and onsen soaks. Two days lets you slow down, explore the Tōkaidō road, try multiple hot springs, and have dinner at a ryokan without feeling rushed.
Can you see Mount Fuji from Hakone?+
Yes, on clear days Fuji dominates the southern horizon from Lake Ashi, Owakudani, and the ropeway. Your best odds are early morning (before 9 a.m.) in winter, late autumn, and early spring; summer is the worst season for visibility, with haze and cloud blocking the view most days.
Do I need to book the Hakone Free Pass in advance?+
No, you can buy it on the day at any Odakyū station, but booking online or buying it the day before in Shinjuku saves queuing time and lets you catch an earlier Romance Car—especially useful on weekends and holidays when trains fill fast.
Is Hakone worth it in the rain?+
Yes, with caveats. The onsen are glorious in the rain, the museums are all indoors, and the forest trails turn moody and atmospheric. You'll miss Fuji, the ropeway views lose drama, and the lake cruise feels less magical, but Hakone's volcanic character—steam, stone, hot water—holds up in any weather.
Are there luggage lockers at Hakone-Yumoto station?+
Yes, coin lockers line the station concourse in three sizes (small to large), and they're heavily used—arrive before 10 a.m. on busy days to claim one, or use the staffed luggage-forwarding service to send bags directly to your ryokan or next hotel.
Ready to go?
Build my trip to Hakone — free
Curated places, an itinerary optimized around your dates — endlessly editable.