A day in Hakone.
A big family works back from the 17:00 ropeway.
Hakone is a mountain hot-spring area where you can ride a loop of mountain railway, cable car, ropeway and sightseeing cruise from the spa town of Yumoto to the volcanic valley of Owakudani and on to Lake Ashi. With a three-generation family of 6 or more, you have to gather everyone at every change and be ready for stoppages from volcanic gas or strong wind. So this article sets out the order to ride, worked back from the last ropeway out of Owakudani at 17:00, and where the family splits and meets again.
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The orderThe 17:00 ropeway decides the order
The answer: ride the loop from Yumoto towards Togendai, working back so that you leave Sounzan by 16:45 and Owakudani by 17:00. Once you add time at Owakudani and lunch, that means leaving Yumoto in the morning.
Journey times on Hakone Navi as of September 2026 (the mountain railway climbs the steep slope by reversing at 3 switchbacks). If you go on to the sightseeing cruise, Togendai to Hakone-machi Port or Moto-Hakone Port takes about 25–40 minutes.
| Ride | Section | Rough time |
|---|---|---|
| Hakone Tozan Railway | Hakone-Yumoto–Gora | About 40 min |
| Hakone Tozan Cable Car | Gora–Sounzan | About 10 min |
| Hakone Ropeway | Sounzan–Owakudani–Ubako–Togendai | About 10 min per section (about every minute) |
| Hakone Sightseeing Cruise | Togendai–Hakone-machi Port / Moto-Hakone Port | About 25–40 min |
| What you do | Latest time | Working |
|---|---|---|
| Board the ropeway at Owakudani | 17:00 | Owakudani Station closes (Feb–Nov) |
| Board the ropeway at Sounzan | 16:45 | Sounzan Station closes (Feb–Nov) |
| Board the cable car at Gora | 16:35 | About 10 min |
| Board the mountain railway at Hakone-Yumoto | 15:55 | About 40 min |
The time the ropeway closes at Owakudani Station (Feb–Nov).
Sounzan and Togendai close at 16:45, and all stations at 16:15 in Dec–Jan.
- The table above is the tightest possible plan. Ropeway hours differ by station: Sounzan, Ubako and Togendai until 16:45, and only Owakudani Station until 17:00 (Feb–Nov; all stations until 16:15 in Dec–Jan).
- If you get off at Owakudani, have lunch, or queue on a cherry-blossom weekend, leave Yumoto that much earlier (the official pages do not give waiting times in minutes).
- If you ride the sightseeing cruise as well, its last sailing can become the real deadline. From 20 March to 30 November, the last sailing from Togendai Port is at 17:00 (terminating at Hakone-machi Port), from Moto-Hakone Port at 16:30 and from Hakone-machi Port at 16:20. Until 19 March the winter timetable ends earlier, so check the official timetable.
A day in Hakone ― from Yumoto, and the next morning after a night by the lake
The answer: on day one, ride from Yumoto, finish at Togendai and check in by the lake. If you stay by the lake, the next morning you can ride the loop the other way, from Togendai.
| When | What you do | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Hakone-Yumoto to Gora by mountain railway (about 40 min) → Sounzan by cable car (about 10 min) | Leave Yumoto in the morning |
| Around midday | Ropeway to Owakudani (about 10 min) | Decide as a family whether to get off (see the next section) |
| Afternoon | Ropeway on to Togendai (2 sections, about 20 min) | Leave Owakudani by 17:00 |
| Evening (staying by the lake) | The Togendai villa is about 10 min on foot from the station | Save the cruise for a relaxed next morning |
| Evening (staying in Yumoto) | Hakone Tozan Bus from stop 1 at Togendai Station towards Yumoto | About 35–45 min to Yumoto (about 36 min on buses for Odawara Station, about 45 min on buses terminating at Yumoto Station; longer in traffic) |
| Next morning (after a night by the lake) | Cruise there and back to Togendai (about 25–40 min each way), then the ropeway the other way to Sounzan | Last departure from Togendai is 16:45 |
You can hop on and off the rides with the Hakone Freepass (mountain railway, cable car, ropeway, sightseeing cruise, Tozan buses and more). How to buy it and how to get Romancecar seats is in Shinjuku to Hakone for a family of 6, and whether to stay at a Yumoto inn or a lakeside villa is in Hakone for 6 in one room.
Splitting and meeting upSplit at Owakudani, meet again at Togendai
The answer: Owakudani gives off volcanic gas, and the official guidance comes in two levels. If anyone in the family cannot ride the ropeway or will not get off, plan to split up and meet again at Togendai Station.
1. Strong level: cannot ride, cannot sightsee Officially confirmed
People with allergic asthma, bronchial, respiratory (lung) or heart conditions, a pacemaker, or who feel unwell cannot ride the ropeway between Sounzan and Ubako because it is life-threatening (Hakone Ropeway). They also cannot sightsee outside the vehicle at Owakudani (Kanagawa Park Association).
2. Weaker level: consider not going Officially confirmed
The official guidance asks people who are pregnant, newborns and small children, people with allergies, and older people to think carefully, including about not going, before riding the ropeway or getting off at Owakudani, because even a tiny amount can trigger an attack.
3. Meet at Togendai Station Officially confirmed
Togendai Station has a lift, toilets and coin lockers, and the ropeway, sightseeing cruise and buses all meet here. Agree that whoever arrives first waits at Togendai Station.
- Split ① (the ropeway group, including anyone at the weaker level): those getting off do so at Owakudani; those staying on ride straight through to Togendai. Gondolas come about every minute, so those who got off can catch up on a later one. Riding straight through does not mean it is safe.
- Split ② (the group not taking the ropeway; anyone at the strong level always goes this way): take the Hakone Tozan Bus for Togendai from stop 3 at Hakone-Yumoto Station, or from stop 3 at Gora Station (about 50 minutes by timetable from Yumoto).
- If you buy black eggs at Owakudani Kurotamagokan, a pack of 4 is ¥500 (tax included), and they are sold until a little after 4 p.m. (varies by season).
Who should get off, and the official information to check before you go, is in Can you take kids to Owakudani? Volcanic gas and alert levels.
When it stopsWhat to do when the ropeway stops
The answer: if the ropeway stops, switch to the Hakone Tozan Bus rather than count on a replacement bus. On days of light rain or strong wind, change your plan to the Hakone Open-Air Museum on the mountain railway line.
- Why it stops: strong wind, lightning, an approaching typhoon. Depending on volcanic gas levels, the whole line can be suspended.
- Replacement buses have run during sections closed for scheduled inspection, but there is no guarantee of a replacement bus when it stops suddenly for weather or gas.
- From stop 1 at Togendai Station, the Hakone Tozan Bus takes you towards Hakone-Yumoto and Gora stations. The other way, take the bus for Togendai from stop 3 at Hakone-Yumoto Station or stop 3 at Gora Station.
- Check the operating information on Hakone Navi on the morning you set out.
How much is a day in Hakone for 6? The Freepass covers the rides
Amounts in this article are calculated for a family of 6 — two parents, two elementary-school children and two grandparents.
The answer: the Hakone Freepass covers the rides, so there is almost nothing extra to pay along the loop. If you switch to the museum on a day of light rain, you pay admission.
| What you pay for | 5 (4 adults + 1 child) | 6 (4 adults + 2 children) | 7 (4 adults + 3 children) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hakone Freepass (2 days from Shinjuku) | ¥30,000 | ¥31,600 | ¥33,200 |
| Hakone Open-Air Museum (on-the-day ticket) | ¥8,800 | ¥9,600 | ¥10,400 |
- The Freepass is ¥7,100 for adults and ¥1,600 for children (2 days from Shinjuku). The Romancecar limited express ticket is extra (the total is worked out in our transport article).
- The Hakone Open-Air Museum is ¥2,000 for adults and ¥800 for elementary and junior-high students (on-the-day ticket). Adults pay ¥1,800 with the web ticket. Preschoolers are free.
- Grandparents are counted at the adult price. The official price lists for the Freepass and the museum have no senior category.
- If your mix is different: each extra adult adds ¥7,100 for the Freepass and ¥2,000 for the museum.
- We have not worked out whether the Freepass beats paying section by section on the mountain railway, cable car, ropeway and cruise (we could not fully confirm the revised section fares officially).
Light rain or strong wind: the Hakone Open-Air Museum (mostly outdoor)
The answer: on a day of light rain or strong wind when you skip the ropeway, get off the mountain railway at Chokoku-no-Mori station for the Hakone Open-Air Museum. It is 2 minutes on foot from the station, lends strollers and wheelchairs, and has a nursing room.
- Open 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), every day of the year.
- The exhibits are mostly outdoors. There are indoor galleries too, such as the Picasso Pavilion, the Main Gallery and the Art Hall, but we could not confirm how much of a day of steady rain you can spend indoors.
- Strollers and wheelchairs can be borrowed (free, at the information desks in the main building and the annex); the nursing room is at the annex information desk. Coin lockers at the museum entrance return your ¥100.
- There is a notice that showing the Hakone Freepass gets a discount on admission (check the amount officially before you buy).
For a rainy-day switch, get the museum tickets ready
An admission ticket for the Hakone Open-Air Museum, 2 minutes on foot from Chokoku-no-Mori station on the mountain railway. When we checked in September 2026, Klook showed ¥1,800 — the same as the official adult web ticket (on-the-day at the counter: ¥2,000).
Check the selling price, child prices and how to enter on the booking page. The Freepass discount and the web ticket cannot be compared here, so check the official site before you buy.
In spring, Hakone's cherry blossoms climb the mountain over a month
The answer: Hakone's cherry blossoms usually bloom from early to late April. Because of the height difference between Yumoto and Lake Ashi, they bloom about a month apart, so what is in flower changes as you go round the loop.
| Where | Rough peak | Where on the loop |
|---|---|---|
| Miyagino, Hakone Gora Park, Hakone Kowakien Horaien | Early to mid-April | Around the mountain railway and Gora |
| Onshi-Hakone Park | Mid to late April | The Lake Ashi side |
On cherry-blossom weekends, leave Yumoto early Officially confirmed
In Miyagino, a row of Somei-Yoshino cherry trees runs for about 450 m along the Hayakawa River. The official guidance says ropeway journeys can take longer when it is crowded, so on cherry-blossom weekends set off earlier than the times worked back from 17:00.
Honest notes (5)
These are things we have not been able to verify, so we do not assert them.
Waiting times and crowds in minutes
The official pages do not give them, so we have not either. The working-back table is the latest in theory, with no waiting.
Ropeway hours are written two ways
Hakone Navi's station pages for Togendai and Sounzan say "until 17:00", while the ropeway guide page says "until 16:45 (only Owakudani Station until 17:00)". This article follows the latter, which lists each station separately.
The cruise until 19 March, and where the bus times come from
We could not confirm the cruise's winter timetable (until 19 March) officially. The Togendai–Yumoto bus times are from a timetable site (Ekitan) showing the timetable revised on 1 October 2026 (we confirmed its departure times match Hakone Navi's official timetable). The official pages do not give journey times to stops along the way. Traffic makes it longer.
How much of a day of steady rain you can spend indoors at the museum
We confirmed there are indoor galleries, but could not confirm how much of a rainy day you can spend inside.
Whether the Freepass beats paying section by section
We could not fully confirm the revised section fares, so we have not worked it out.
A day in Hakone for a big family: FAQ
Can you see Hakone in one day?
Including the sightseeing cruise, about 2 hours is spent on board (Yumoto to Togendai alone is about 1 hour 20 minutes). If you leave Yumoto in the morning, you can take your time at Owakudani and still reach Togendai before the ropeway closes (Feb–Nov: Sounzan 16:45, Owakudani 17:00). On days you ride the cruise as well, check the last sailing first.
Can 6 of us ride the same ropeway gondola?
Yes. Gondolas hold 18 and come about every minute.
What if the ropeway stops?
The Hakone Tozan Bus from stop 1 at Togendai Station takes you towards Yumoto and Gora. On days of light rain or strong wind, switch to the Hakone Open-Air Museum on the mountain railway line.
Can we take a baby or grandparents to Owakudani?
The official guidance asks small children, pregnant people and older people to think carefully, including about not going, before riding the ropeway or getting off at Owakudani. People with allergic asthma, heart conditions and similar cannot ride the ropeway between Sounzan and Ubako, and cannot sightsee outside the vehicle at Owakudani.
📍 One of the articles in our Hakone trip plan (Hakone | Trip plan for large families / all tickets and experiences articles)