Hakone day trip

[supratentorium]

Hi,

Can anyone advise?
I plan to go to Hakone for a day trip next month which is my first. Just do that loop. No need to see museums.

I plan to buy tickets for both round trips now because the Panoroma seats for the Romance car seems to be selling out really fast


1)I plan to take the 7am train. Can suggest how much time I should spend there so that I have an idea which time slots for return tickets I should buy.
In case I finish really early, i don't want to be waiting around for hours doing nothing.

I read the website it is about 4 hours not counting stopping for breaks and lunch.

2)Clockwise or anti-clockwise?
I read AHSS trip report he does clockwise so that it's not so crowded.


Thanks

 

[Gixxerfied]

Hi,

Can anyone advise?
I plan to go to Hakone for a day trip next month which is my first. Just do that loop. No need to see museums.

I plan to buy tickets for both round trips now because the Panoroma seats for the Romance car seems to be selling out really fast


1)I plan to take the 7am train. Can suggest how much time I should spend there so that I have an idea which time slots for return tickets I should buy.
In case I finish really early, i don't want to be waiting around for hours doing nothing.

I read the website it is about 4 hours not counting stopping for breaks and lunch.



2)Clockwise or anti-clockwise?
I read AHSS trip report he does clockwise so that it's not so crowded.


Thanks

I did anti clock wise before and yes, clockwise is less crowded..I took 7am train(not the one with the view), and before Lake Ashi cruise, i detour to Gotemba Premium Outlet for awhile..Without that detour, tink i should finish around 2pm..

 

[princessreiko]

TS, you can refer to my post here:

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/116129449-post25.html

 

[princessreiko]

Hi,

Can anyone advise?
I plan to go to Hakone for a day trip next month which is my first. Just do that loop. No need to see museums.

I plan to buy tickets for both round trips now because the Panoroma seats for the Romance car seems to be selling out really fast


1)I plan to take the 7am train. Can suggest how much time I should spend there so that I have an idea which time slots for return tickets I should buy.
In case I finish really early, i don't want to be waiting around for hours doing nothing.

I read the website it is about 4 hours not counting stopping for breaks and lunch.

2)Clockwise or anti-clockwise?
I read AHSS trip report he does clockwise so that it's not so crowded.


Thanks

It is very difficult to get the panorama seats as they allow people to book without conditions and people just anyhow chope and cancel later.

In order to get the panorama seats, you need to make a reservation.
Then they will give u a deadline to collect it.

I can't remember when but i think it is 1 week before your trip in Hakone, you need to present ur Hakone pass to confirm the panorama seats, otherwise it will be given up.

So it is almost impossible unless you are in Shinjuku 1 week before ur Hakone trip.

Anyway, the non panorama seats are good enough for me.

Don't buy the return tickets until you finish ur day in Hakone.
In that way, you won't have to waste time.

I spent 7- 8 hours there.
I reached Odawara at 8.30 am and left at 5pm.

It was a very leisurely tour.
I had a slow breakfast , lunch and tea there.

Clockwise direction has slightly less people than the usual anticlockwise direction and good especially you want to visit the tori gate as your first stop and have lunch at the cafes nearby.

Then you can finish ur day with tea at Gora park.

You can see my post in the link below.

TS, you can refer to my post here:

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/116129449-post25.html

 

[supratentorium]

I did anti clock wise before and yes, clockwise is less crowded..I took 7am train(not the one with the view), and before Lake Ashi cruise, i detour to Gotemba Premium Outlet for awhile..Without that detour, tink i should finish around 2pm..

Thank you. Very helpful.
I did some imagination and checked the various timings of the modes of transport and came up to around 2pm+ to finish the entire course.

 

[supratentorium]

It is very difficult to get the panorama seats as they allow people to book without conditions and people just anyhow chope and cancel later.

In order to get the panorama seats, you need to make a reservation.
Then they will give u a deadline to collect it.

I can't remember when but i think it is 1 week before your trip in Hakone, you need to present ur Hakone pass to confirm the panorama seats, otherwise it will be given up.

So it is almost impossible unless you are in Shinjuku 1 week before ur Hakone trip.

Anyway, the non panorama seats are good enough for me.

Don't buy the return tickets until you finish ur day in Hakone.
In that way, you won't have to waste time.

I spent 7- 8 hours there.
I reached Odawara at 8.30 am and left at 5pm.

It was a very leisurely tour.
I had a slow breakfast , lunch and tea there.

Clockwise direction has slightly less people than the usual anticlockwise direction and good especially you want to visit the tori gate as your first stop and have lunch at the cafes nearby.

Then you can finish ur day with tea at Gora park.

You can see my post in the link below.

Miss Reiko,

Thank you for the advice. I went to the website and just bought the express round trip tickets, apparently i just have to store the confirmation of purchase page on my phone and show it to the conductor if the situation arise.
I managed to secure the panorama seats for both round trips on a weekday.

I don't know how the reservation without purchase works though, i read through the clause and was abit confused, and you have to buy the ticket physically at the station as a 2nd step.

5pm is a very comfortable timing. I estimated I may be done by 2.30pm and that is just by eating handheld food. I guess the extra time allows you to have that leisurely slow drink of tea, breakfast and lunch. Did you manage to squeeze 1 museum in also?

 

[princessreiko]

Miss Reiko,

Thank you for the advice. I went to the website and just bought the express round trip tickets, apparently i just have to store the confirmation of purchase page on my phone and show it to the conductor if the situation arise.
I managed to secure the panorama seats for both round trips on a weekday.

I don't know how the reservation without purchase works though, i read through the clause and was abit confused, and you have to buy the ticket physically at the station as a 2nd step.

5pm is a very comfortable timing. I estimated I may be done by 2.30pm and that is just by eating handheld food. I guess the extra time allows you to have that leisurely slow drink of tea, breakfast and lunch. Did you manage to squeeze 1 museum in also?

You are most welcome.

Good that you secure the panorama seats.
But having reserved and paid for the return trip, you have to be mindful of your time and not miss the train, or else you would have to go by a more complicated route back to Shinjuku or pay again to take the next Romance train.

2.30 pm is a bit rushed.
I hope you have factored in the time needed to get to Hakone Yumoto station to catch the Romance car back to Shinjuku.


Didn't visit any museum there.

 

[tamarack15]

Hi,

Can anyone advise?
I plan to go to Hakone for a day trip next month which is my first. Just do that loop. No need to see museums.

I plan to buy tickets for both round trips now because the Panoroma seats for the Romance car seems to be selling out really fast


1)I plan to take the 7am train. Can suggest how much time I should spend there so that I have an idea which time slots for return tickets I should buy.
In case I finish really early, i don't want to be waiting around for hours doing nothing.

I read the website it is about 4 hours not counting stopping for breaks and lunch.

2)Clockwise or anti-clockwise?
I read AHSS trip report he does clockwise so that it's not so crowded.


Thanks

We did clockwise direction on our Hakone trip last year too, indeed lesser crowd. Reserved the Romancecar seats tickets online exactly a month before our departure to Hakone. Went to Hakone on 21 Dec and back to Shinjuku on 23 Dec. Bought our 3 days Hakone Free Passes and collected train tickets at Odakyu Sightseeing Service Centre @Shinjuku on 17 Dec upon our arrival in Tokyo. Took 7.27am train (EXE10, without observatory deck) to Hakone-Yumoto station. Took tozan bus to Moto-Hakone where we did a detour to Mishima Skywalk by transferring to a Tokai bus (covered by the free pass). Then bus back to Hakone-machi where we walked to Moto-Hakone, passing by Hakone Checkpoint, Detached Palace and Onshi Hakone Park. Took 2.10pm sightseeing cruise and did the remaining loop. Reached Hakone-Yumoto station at about 4.30pm. Next day morning, we trained to Odawara station to visit Odawara Castle. Then took bus to Moto-Hakone to visit Hakone Shrine which we had no time to visit the day before. Arrived at about 1.15pm and already there was a short queue for phototaking before the “floating” torii gate. Took the 2.10pm sightseeing cruise again. This time we made a stop for visit at Hakone Open Air Museum. The next day we took 10.45am Romancecar (VSE) back to Shinjuku. Had managed to reserve the front observation deck seats but 2nd row, the view was good too. For the front/back observation deck, there isn’t any overhead compartment for putting your stuffs. However the legroom is very spacious, more than enough to put all your bags and still have room to rest your legs comfortably.

 

[tamarack15]

Miss Reiko,

Thank you for the advice. I went to the website and just bought the express round trip tickets, apparently i just have to store the confirmation of purchase page on my phone and show it to the conductor if the situation arise.
I managed to secure the panorama seats for both round trips on a weekday.

I don't know how the reservation without purchase works though, i read through the clause and was abit confused, and you have to buy the ticket physically at the station as a 2nd step.

5pm is a very comfortable timing. I estimated I may be done by 2.30pm and that is just by eating handheld food. I guess the extra time allows you to have that leisurely slow drink of tea, breakfast and lunch. Did you manage to squeeze 1 museum in also?

Hope you have reserved the seats on the right side of the train when going towards Hakone, and the seats on the left when heading towards Shinjuku, because you can see Mount Fuji on a clear day.

 

[princessreiko]

We did clockwise direction on our Hakone trip last year too, indeed lesser crowd. Reserved the Romancecar seats tickets online exactly a month before our departure to Hakone. Went to Hakone on 21 Dec and back to Shinjuku on 23 Dec. Bought our 3 days Hakone Free Passes and collected train tickets at Odakyu Sightseeing Service Centre @Shinjuku on 17 Dec upon our arrival in Tokyo. Took 7.27am train (EXE10, without observatory deck) to Hakone-Yumoto station. Took tozan bus to Moto-Hakone where we did a detour to Mishima Skywalk by transferring to a Tokai bus (covered by the free pass). Then bus back to Hakone-machi where we walked to Moto-Hakone, passing by Hakone Checkpoint, Detached Palace and Onshi Hakone Park. Took 2.10pm sightseeing cruise and did the remaining loop. Reached Hakone-Yumoto station at about 4.30pm. Next day morning, we trained to Odawara station to visit Odawara Castle. Then took bus to Moto-Hakone to visit Hakone Shrine which we had no time to visit the day before. Arrived at about 1.15pm and already there was a short queue for phototaking before the “floating” torii gate. Took the 2.10pm sightseeing cruise again. This time we made a stop for visit at Hakone Open Air Museum. The next day we took 10.45am Romancecar (VSE) back to Shinjuku. Had managed to reserve the front observation deck seats but 2nd row, the view was good too. For the front/back observation deck, there isn’t any overhead compartment for putting your stuffs. However the legroom is very spacious, more than enough to put all your bags and still have room to rest your legs comfortably.

I totally missed out on Mishima Skywalk on the 2 occasions I was there as it wasn't highlighted in the map.
Looks like I have to make another trip down there!

 

[shadow84]

Hope you have reserved the seats on the right side of the train when going towards Hakone, and the seats on the left when heading towards Shinjuku, because you can see Mount Fuji on a clear day.

For non-romancecar, do we still need to reserve seats? Or can we?

If i plan to buy from klook, etc, when can i reserve? Only at shinjuku station when i arrive in Tokyo?

 

[princessreiko]

For non-romancecar, do we still need to reserve seats? Or can we?

If i plan to buy from klook, etc, when can i reserve? Only at shinjuku station when i arrive in Tokyo?

Non romance car is abit tricky as you need to go from Shinjuku to Odawara station, then take the Hakone Tozan train to Hakone Yumoto station.
Romance car is faster and direct from Shinjuku to Hakone Yumoto station.

If you buy from Klook, an e- voucher will be sent to you.
Then you go to Shinjuku station (Odakyu tourist centre) to exchange for the pass.
No need to join the general Q which is for people who are buying the pass.
You go to the collection counter directly.
Over there, you can top up for the romance car (I think it is <$15 each way).
The seat is reserved seat (reserved seat will be issued when you top up the price at Shinjuku) so if you miss it, you have to go by the non - romance car way or top up again for the next romance car.
So if u r planning to return by romance car, i would suggest you do not buy the return trip yet but buy it at Hakone Yumoto station after you have completed ur day in Hakone.

 

[Gixxerfied]

For non-romancecar, do we still need to reserve seats? Or can we?

If i plan to buy from klook, etc, when can i reserve? Only at shinjuku station when i arrive in Tokyo?

Free sitting..Took this before..Shinjuku is the 1st station so likely to get seats..After that will get crowded with the working crowds..

 

[shadow84]

Im in a slight dilemma as to whether to stay in Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto. Both hostels i selected are of a walking distance from station.

If stay in Odawara...

I plan to leave Tokyo early in morning and reach about mid morning. Will head directly to Hakone-yumoto station. From there, i will tour finish or as much as possible in hakone-yumoto to gora area. Once done or near dinner, i will then head back to Odawara to check in for the night and maybe dinner there. Next day then tour around Odawara and then back to Tokyo.

If stay in Hakone-Yumoto...

I will have to tour odawara first which i hope should be done by early afternoon. Then head over hakone-yumoto for their attractions. Will finish up in next day if not enough time.

Alternative is i do all activities in hakone-yumoto first. Once check out next day, i can drop off at Odawara for a short tour then go back to Tokyo.

Does romance car stop by Odawara or one-way to Shinjuku?

 

[purpleberry]

Apart from Odawara castle, I dont think there's anything much to see. I would recommend Hakone-Yumoto as it's nearer to Hakone sights and local delicacies.

 

[princessreiko]

Im in a slight dilemma as to whether to stay in Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto. Both hostels i selected are of a walking distance from station.

If stay in Odawara...

I plan to leave Tokyo early in morning and reach about mid morning. Will head directly to Hakone-yumoto station. From there, i will tour finish or as much as possible in hakone-yumoto to gora area. Once done or near dinner, i will then head back to Odawara to check in for the night and maybe dinner there. Next day then tour around Odawara and then back to Tokyo.

If stay in Hakone-Yumoto...

I will have to tour odawara first which i hope should be done by early afternoon. Then head over hakone-yumoto for their attractions. Will finish up in next day if not enough time.

Alternative is i do all activities in hakone-yumoto first. Once check out next day, i can drop off at Odawara for a short tour then go back to Tokyo.

Does romance car stop by Odawara or one-way to Shinjuku?

If you take the romance car, you won't need to go to Odawara.
Romance car is direct from Shinjuku to Hakone Yumoto (no need to stop at Odawara).
I don't think there is much at Odawara (except for the castle).
If you don't have sufficient time, you may consider skipping Odawara and concentrate on Hakone.

If u take romance car then it is better to stay at Hakone itself.

If you do not take the romance car, you will be passing through Odawara and in that case can consider staying there. But concentrate on Hakone as well and leave Odawara to the end of the day.

 

[shadow84]

Ok thanks for advice. I will need to check how much is the top up for romancecar. But i still need the 2 days freepass, right? Also shld i decide to stop at odawara for a while, will my reservation still be valid for next train or must redo at odawara?

Might consider forgoing odawara totally if it will be complicated.

 

[princessreiko]

Ok thanks for advice. I will need to check how much is the top up for romancecar. But i still need the 2 days freepass, right? Also shld i decide to stop at odawara for a while, will my reservation still be valid for next train or must redo at odawara?

Might consider forgoing odawara totally if it will be complicated.

Top up for romance car : 1090 yen.

https://www.odakyu.jp/english/romancecar/surcharges/

Minimum they sell for Hakone pass is 2 days.

Romance car is direct from Shinjuku to Hakone Yumoto station (although the train stop at Odawara)

https://www.odakyu.jp/english/romancecar/timetable/

But once you stop at Odawara, it means u can't board the next romance car without topping up again without a seat reservation.
Once you stop at Odawara, you have to go to Hakone Yumoto by the Tozan railway (covered by the pass).

 

[shadow84]

Top up for romance car : 1090 yen.

https://www.odakyu.jp/english/romancecar/surcharges/

Minimum they sell for Hakone pass is 2 days.

Romance car is direct from Shinjuku to Hakone Yumoto station (although the train stop at Odawara)

https://www.odakyu.jp/english/romancecar/timetable/

But once you stop at Odawara, it means u can't board the next romance car without topping up again without a seat reservation.
Once you stop at Odawara, you have to go to Hakone Yumoto by the Tozan railway (covered by the pass).

Like this, i have to forgo odawara le. Thanks for link.

Also, i presume the normal fare is for ppl that nvr buy hakone free pass and need to add on? If i alrdy have the pass, i only need to up 1090yen? And its for one-way?

Lastly, i saw i can book 1 mth in advanced from my date of trip?

 

[princessreiko]

Like this, i have to forgo odawara le. Thanks for link.

Also, i presume the normal fare is for ppl that nvr buy hakone free pass and need to add on? If i alrdy have the pass, i only need to up 1090yen? And its for one-way?

Ya, I think just skip Odawara and concentrate on Hakone la.

Yes, if you have the Hakone pass, just top up 1090 yen (one way) if you are boarding from Shinjuku.

Romance car top up can be done without the Hakone pass too.

Refer to this website:
https://www.odakyu.jp/english/romancecar/surcharges/