Thank you for the informative video. We were there in Hakone Japan last week, and we purchased the Hakone 2 days freepass from Shinjuku station. What a disappointing trip that was. It doesn't matter if two or three days pass once you return back to Shinjuku station, the freepass cannot be reused again. In our case the station staff took away our two-day pass which was only used for one day. He said it is done. We were shocked and confused. He showed us a brochure of the Hakone freepass with a fine print that said, "The Hakone Freepass (including those valid for multiple days) cannot be used after returning to your departure station." We gave up arguing after we read that. Basically, the freepass is encourages people to stay in Hakone to fully benefit from it. Which I don't mind at all if I knew this information beforehand, I could plan the trip differently. We can't believe this kind of thing will happen in Japan. The whole entire trip in Japan was only positive until this happened. Read the fine print.
As someone who used to sell the Hakone Freepass at Shinjuku, your explanations are so detailed I feel you did my job way better than I ever did 😅. Sadly that baito disappeared because of COVID, so this video brought me some nostalgia of those times :O. For anyone reading, some extra info that might be useful: - There is a version of the Hakone Freepass combined with the area near Mount Fuji (the Fuji Hakone Pass) and another one combined with Kamakura/Enoshima (the Hakone Kamakura Pass). Both are valid for three days and you'd need at least two days to cover everything. I've seen some mad lads do Fuji and Hakone in one single day; I do not recommend it lol. - There are different models of the Romance Car which vary depending on the day and time. Also, depending on the side you sit you might be able to see Mount Fuji (I think it was right when going from Shinjuku and left when coming back, don't take my word for it though 😅). - When the pandemic is finally over, if tourism comes to be the same way it was before, AVOID the Chinese new year. The amount of tourists in Hakone (and any main tourist areas in Japan) is absurd and you can barely move. - This isn't useful per se but is a fun fact: Hakone is "Tokyo 3" in Evangelion, so if you like that show you can recognize some of the landscapes in person :).
Thank you so much for adding useful info! Mad lads everywhere. I know people who joined a Mt. Fuji climbing tour and decided they didn’t want to join the bus home, but instead run from the 5th station all the way down to the foot of the mountain. 😅 Railway passes are one of the things I enjoy in Japan, and I have quite a bit of professional experience developing guides for them. One of these guides I worked hard on never really saw the light of day because of COVID (it was released, but the site was shut down right after). It was sad, but now I want to leverage that experience into making guides for Tokyo Past 3. Hope you’re staying warm and safe!
Michelle, your video was wonderful. You were very clear when you spoke, so it was easy to understand and I loved your descriptions. It had a lot of details so it made it very informative and much easier to understand than other videos I've watched. Since I'm going to Japan for the 1st time, I had 2 questions (1) Since the Open Air Museum is outdoors, can you give me an idea of what is there to see (is it worthwhile to go there) (2) At the end of your video you mentioned that most restaurants close early...around 5PM, so you recommended picking up something and eating on the train. Yet, I thought you said you took that bus (Hakone Yumoto Station), so I was confused....were you suggesting to eat on the bus, or was there another part of the trip via train that I overlooked. Thank you, Ron
Hello Ron! Thank you for watching the video. (1) The Open Air Museum has a lot of interactive displays - some of which are rather quirky. You can go inside some of them, take photos with them, etc. (2) The bento was for the train going back to Tokyo from Hakone Yumoto Station. Hope this answers your questions. Have fun in Hakone! 😊
It’s Toki no Yu Setsugetsuka maps.app.goo.gl/rZxc8Z3pNz1mKj238?g_st=ic I lost my files for the onsen after this so I wasn’t able to upload the video😢 I’m planning to go again this winter season and reshoot because a lot of people are asking about it.
Hi, we will be staying in Hakone for 1 night. how can we manage our luggage if we are doing sightseeing in Hakone on the 2nd day and checking out on the same day.
Hi, these are the options I can think of based on my experience: ① Upon checkout, ask the hotel you stayed the night before to keep your luggage in the meantime. You’ll have to tell them what time you’ll come back to get it. ② Store your bags in a station locker. Just be aware that lockers are limited, especially the ones that can fit big luggage. ③ Go to the next hotel you’ll be staying at and have them keep the luggage before check-in. ④ Have your luggage be delivered to the next hotel via Kuroneko Yamato. Some hotels provide assistance with this. Try asking the hotel staff.
Hi Mizh, thanks for sharing a detailed guide in using Hakone Freepass. hope you can enlighten me .Does the Hakone Freepass include the Romance car if i were to travel from Shinjuku station plus round trip back to Shinjuku Stat. or just the normal odakyu train.
You can choose to include it or not. The ¥6,100 (2 days) and ¥6,500 (3 days) tickets include the Romancecar from Shinjuku by default. You can buy it from vending machines or at Odakyu Sightseeing Service Centers. The Hakone Freepass without the round-trip Romancecar ride is mostly for people who prefer to drive, or for those who are already in Hakone and only need the ride-all-you-can within the area. This version is not available on vending machines and can only be purchased via the staff at Odakyu train stations or one of their Sightseeing Centers.
Hi. I'm currently planning my trip to Hakone and want to purchase the Hakone freepass. The thing I'm not sure is that the Romancecar is going directly from Shinjuku station to Hakone-yumoto or do I need to change train at Odawara station? Thank you for this useful video tho
@Mizhelle I already purchase my romance car tickets separately via Odakyu's website. So now I need a Hakone free pass. But which one do I need? Do I purchase the "2-day Hakone Area + Odakyu Round Trip" pass or just the "2-day Hakone Area Only" pass?
Hi! for the hakone freepass, is it worth it if I'm only taking one way train from shinjuku and heading onto gotemba? or should I buy the odawara version ? do I need to prebook the romance car ?
Thank you for the informative video. We were there in Hakone Japan last week, and we purchased the Hakone 2 days freepass from Shinjuku station. What a disappointing trip that was.
It doesn't matter if two or three days pass once you return back to Shinjuku station, the freepass cannot be reused again. In our case the station staff took away our two-day pass which was only used for one day. He said it is done. We were shocked and confused. He showed us a brochure of the Hakone freepass with a fine print that said, "The Hakone Freepass (including those valid for multiple days) cannot be used after returning to your departure station." We gave up arguing after we read that.
Basically, the freepass is encourages people to stay in Hakone to fully benefit from it. Which I don't mind at all if I knew this information beforehand, I could plan the trip differently.
We can't believe this kind of thing will happen in Japan. The whole entire trip in Japan was only positive until this happened. Read the fine print.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I’ve pinned your comment to help others be aware.
As someone who used to sell the Hakone Freepass at Shinjuku, your explanations are so detailed I feel you did my job way better than I ever did 😅. Sadly that baito disappeared because of COVID, so this video brought me some nostalgia of those times :O. For anyone reading, some extra info that might be useful:
- There is a version of the Hakone Freepass combined with the area near Mount Fuji (the Fuji Hakone Pass) and another one combined with Kamakura/Enoshima (the Hakone Kamakura Pass). Both are valid for three days and you'd need at least two days to cover everything. I've seen some mad lads do Fuji and Hakone in one single day; I do not recommend it lol.
- There are different models of the Romance Car which vary depending on the day and time. Also, depending on the side you sit you might be able to see Mount Fuji (I think it was right when going from Shinjuku and left when coming back, don't take my word for it though 😅).
- When the pandemic is finally over, if tourism comes to be the same way it was before, AVOID the Chinese new year. The amount of tourists in Hakone (and any main tourist areas in Japan) is absurd and you can barely move.
- This isn't useful per se but is a fun fact: Hakone is "Tokyo 3" in Evangelion, so if you like that show you can recognize some of the landscapes in person :).
Thank you so much for adding useful info! Mad lads everywhere. I know people who joined a Mt. Fuji climbing tour and decided they didn’t want to join the bus home, but instead run from the 5th station all the way down to the foot of the mountain. 😅
Railway passes are one of the things I enjoy in Japan, and I have quite a bit of professional experience developing guides for them. One of these guides I worked hard on never really saw the light of day because of COVID (it was released, but the site was shut down right after). It was sad, but now I want to leverage that experience into making guides for Tokyo Past 3.
Hope you’re staying warm and safe!
Thank you for the info. I also read about the Fuji Hakone Pass and stumbled upon this video so I wondered how Hakone Freepass is different.
very informative Mizhelle, thanks!
Thank you for helpful video , it will be useful to plan for future Japan trip.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you very complete and good video
I think the romancecar is not included in the package. You need to pay extra 1200 for it
Beautiful guide to Hakone Mizhelle!
thank you for your video!!!
Hello, thank you for such an informative video! Could you provide the name of the tea house that has Geishas? I could not find the link you mentioned.
Michelle, your video was wonderful. You were very clear when you spoke, so it was easy to understand and I loved your descriptions. It had a lot of details so it made it very informative and much easier to understand than other videos I've watched. Since I'm going to Japan for the 1st time, I had 2 questions (1) Since the Open Air Museum is outdoors, can you give me an idea of what is there to see (is it worthwhile to go there) (2) At the end of your video you mentioned that most restaurants close early...around 5PM, so you recommended picking up something and eating on the train. Yet, I thought you said you took that bus (Hakone Yumoto Station), so I was confused....were you suggesting to eat on the bus, or was there another part of the trip via train that I overlooked. Thank you, Ron
Hello Ron! Thank you for watching the video.
(1) The Open Air Museum has a lot of interactive displays - some of which are rather quirky. You can go inside some of them, take photos with them, etc.
(2) The bento was for the train going back to Tokyo from Hakone Yumoto Station.
Hope this answers your questions. Have fun in Hakone! 😊
can we buy the hakone freepass prior to the day of? or do we have to buy it the day of?
Yes, you can buy it beforehand and designate the start date.
Link to the ryokan video? would love to know which ryokan you visited
It’s Toki no Yu Setsugetsuka
maps.app.goo.gl/rZxc8Z3pNz1mKj238?g_st=ic
I lost my files for the onsen after this so I wasn’t able to upload the video😢 I’m planning to go again this winter season and reshoot because a lot of people are asking about it.
Hi, we will be staying in Hakone for 1 night. how can we manage our luggage if we are doing sightseeing in Hakone on the 2nd day and checking out on the same day.
Hi, these are the options I can think of based on my experience:
① Upon checkout, ask the hotel you stayed the night before to keep your luggage in the meantime. You’ll have to tell them what time you’ll come back to get it.
② Store your bags in a station locker. Just be aware that lockers are limited, especially the ones that can fit big luggage.
③ Go to the next hotel you’ll be staying at and have them keep the luggage before check-in.
④ Have your luggage be delivered to the next hotel via Kuroneko Yamato. Some hotels provide assistance with this. Try asking the hotel staff.
Hi Mizh, thanks for sharing a detailed guide in using Hakone Freepass. hope you can enlighten me .Does the Hakone Freepass include the Romance car if i were to travel from Shinjuku station plus round trip back to Shinjuku Stat. or just the normal odakyu train.
You can choose to include it or not.
The ¥6,100 (2 days) and ¥6,500 (3 days) tickets include the Romancecar from Shinjuku by default. You can buy it from vending machines or at Odakyu Sightseeing Service Centers.
The Hakone Freepass without the round-trip Romancecar ride is mostly for people who prefer to drive, or for those who are already in Hakone and only need the ride-all-you-can within the area. This version is not available on vending machines and can only be purchased via the staff at Odakyu train stations or one of their Sightseeing Centers.
Mizhelle, what is the name of the hotspring hotel you stayed in? Am planning a trip this December and this hotel looks divine.
It’s Toki no Yu Setsugetsuka. You can find it on Booking.com.
Hi. I'm currently planning my trip to Hakone and want to purchase the Hakone freepass. The thing I'm not sure is that the Romancecar is going directly from Shinjuku station to Hakone-yumoto or do I need to change train at Odawara station? Thank you for this useful video tho
It goes directly to Hakone Yumoto, no need for transfers. Hope this helps! 🙂
How do I commute to Hakone if im at Yokohama?
Finish sightseeing at Hakone and de-tour at fuji 5th station Is that possible ?
Hey, are you sure we can ride the romantic express for free?
Can we book the romance car seats in advance if we book the hakone freepass with roundtrip tickets in odakyu lines?
Hi, im planning to go to hakone, if i come from shinjuku (6100 yen ticket),two way express ticket (romancecar) is already included?
@Mizhelle I already purchase my romance car tickets separately via Odakyu's website. So now I need a Hakone free pass. But which one do I need? Do I purchase the "2-day Hakone Area + Odakyu Round Trip" pass or just the "2-day Hakone Area Only" pass?
I have a question to ask ? Does the romance car ticket do not cover in the Hakone 2 day free pass ?
Hi! for the hakone freepass, is it worth it if I'm only taking one way train from shinjuku and heading onto gotemba? or should I buy the odawara version ? do I need to prebook the romance car ?
❗ERRATUM: Odakyu Romancecar requires a surcharge.
You speak too fast !