Quick Tips

One important tip for staying in Hakone is to buy the Hakone Free Pass. This single card, available for two or three days, covers unlimited use of the Tozan Railway—near the hotel, the cable car, the ropeway, and the pirate ship on Lake Ashi among the eight different modes of transportation. It is of immense value and helps one explore the whole region from the hotel with utmost ease.

Get the best of the in-house hot spring by trying to use it at off-peak hours, for example, in the midafternoon or late at night, to get a more private and relaxing experience. Remember to be on your best onsen behavior: you have to wash really well in the shower area before getting into the hot spring bath, and no swimsuits are allowed. Now isn’t that a great refreshing Japanese tradition to do a little soaking after a day of sightseeing?

As dining options in the little village of Ohiradai are scarce, the wise traveler must plan his evening’s repast in Hakone-Yumoto or Gora before returning to the hotel. There are many more fine restaurants to be found in these towns. Otherwise, a jolly and thrifty idea is to drop by a 7-Eleven or Lawson in a larger town and snatch up a delicious bento box or equivalent prepared repast that can be brought gaily home to one’s room.

For comparatively uncrowded viewing, try to hit the Hakone Open-Air Museum early. It’s only a short ride up the line from Ohiradai station. If you get there at opening times, you’ll be able to take in an enormous collection of sculptures – with the mountains as a backdrop – in relative peace before the tour buses arrive. It’s one of Japan’s best museums and a must on any trip to the region.