One year ago, on November 24, 2019, we stopped by Hakone, Japan for a brief 2-day, 1-night stay while en route from Tokyo to Kyoto. Hakone is a well-known tourist destination for its onsens and mountain vistas. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience there despite the pouring rain.

Arrival in Odawara / Hakone Free Pass

We rode the Shinkansen from Shinagawa Station in Tokyo to Odawara. Upon arrival, we purchased Odakyu's Hakone Freepass, which we highly recommend.

The Hakone Freepass combines access to the buses, Hakone-Tozan train, cable car, ropeway, sightseeing cruise, Gora Park, and discounts to other participating businesses. The Freepasses without the round-trip ticket to/from Shinjuku were ¥4,600 per person (with Shinjuku round-trip would be ¥5,700). The transportation reaches all major attractions in Hakone (probably run by the same company lol...). No need to dig for change after each ride!

Day 1: Gora Park, Hakone Ropeway, Lake Ashi

We rode the bus from Hakone-Yumoto to Hakoneyutowazen (箱根ゆとわぜん), the closest bus stop to Gora Park. We didn't spend long in the park, but it was a nice place to take in the fall colors and relax near the park's large fountain. Conveniently, there was a cable car stop at the back of Gora Park that led directly to the ropeway.

Right when we got on the ropeway, visibility became near-zero and a strong wind started rocking our gondola. What was supposed to be a scenic ride ended up boing a thrilling fear-for-our-lives ride! Luckily, the weather subsided, revealing the wonderfully golden leaves underneath the ropeway.

At the top of the ropeway was Owakudani, a hot springs stop that sold their famous "black eggs". The charcoal-gray color was truly one-of-a-kind! The eggs did taste pretty normal though.

Then, we descended to the other end of the ropeway, which connected directly to our sightseeing cruise. Hakone really felt like an amusement park with the Freepass! We didn't wait long before boarding our ship, the Queen Ashinoko, newly built in 2019. The ship handled the crowd of tourists gracefully, and it offered several decks to explore. It had fewer emergency exits than I expected though, so I felt a little nervous while sitting inside.

Queen Ashinoko Lake Ashi Hakone sightseeing cruise ship

The pier we disembarked at was right next to a bus terminal. How convenient! We knew we had to brave the rain to catch one last major attraction, the Hakone Shrine Heiwa-no-Torii (箱根神社平和の鳥居), before we left. First, we stopped by a store to pick up a hot matcha latte from a vending machine (cheap, but not recommended). The Torii gate itself was impressive in size and very picturesque -- perfect for romantic shots!

Overall, we were impressed by Hakone's beauty. Besides the inclement weather, none of the sightseeing spots disappointed.

Tips:

The route from that bus stop to Gora Park is an uphill climb. Plan accordingly.
The black egg store in Owakudani sells both pre-packaged and fresh black eggs at a booth. Make sure to try the fresh ones.
We didn't find many food options as we did our tour. You might want to pack some food from the conbini before you head out.
The Torii gate is quite a walk from the Lake Ashi cruise pier. Plan accordingly.

Ryokan: Yaeikan (彌榮館)

We wanted to stay at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) that had an ✨in-room private onsen✨ at a reasonable price, since my boyfriend and I were quite shy about going to public onsens. After an extensive search, we found Yaeikan, which really exceeded our expectations!

Hakone Yaeikan ryokan in-room dining area

How we booked: We booked Yaeikan's Houjou (北条) room about four months in advance in July, $432 USD total for two adults, through Agoda. Note that ryokans charge per-person because they include dinner service (and breakfast service in our case). Agoda's description was "Superior Japanese-Style Room with Open Air Bath". We triple-checked Agoda's pictures with Yaeikan's website to ensure that we booked the right room. Once we arrived, all we had to do was sign our names, since we paid everything upfront through Agoda.

Arrival: We arrived at around 12pm (earlier than check-in) hoping that we could drop off our luggage. The receptionist graciously accepted our luggage and even lent us some umbrellas to brave the rain. What a relief!

Food: We always love the variety of traditional Japanese small dishes that ryokans offer for dinner service (ご夕食). We scheduled our service at 7pm. Our hostess brought all the food to our room, which was extremely convenient. Yaeikan's menuke (red snapper) sashimi were delicious. The other appetizers ranged from beef tartare to swordfish rice with dashi. Our main dish was stone-grilled chicken, cooked at our table. The breakfast was surprisingly on par as dinner -- meticulously prepared with maguro (tuna) sashimi, miso soup, and other dishes pictured below. Most higher-end ryokans also provide such a high-quality dining service, not just this one. Still, we couldn't have asked for much more from Yaeikan's amazing meals.

Private onsen bath: The in-room onsen bath was by far THE BEST PART of our Hakone trip. I got to experience the bath three separate times during our stay, at my own leisure! I loved the temperature, slightly hot to touch and perfect for a cold day. My boyfriend couldn't last too long in that heat though. The water itself was infused with onsen minerals, not ordinary tap water. So relaxing!!!

Private onsen (in-room open air bath) Hakone Yaeikan ryokan

Tips:

Book well in advance of your visit, about 4-6 months.
Researching is tedious, but it's worth it! We thought about booking an $800 room that was easier to find before we found Yaeikan.
We recommend Hakone-Yumoto over Gora. Gora has the higher-end ryokans, but it's a longer commute from Odawara. Also, if the Hakone-Tozan train stops service, Gora ryokan guests have to squeeze into small buses.
Avoid choosing Japan as the last leg of your Asia trip. Luggage storage is expensive, and carrying luggage around public transit sucks.

Day 2: The Hakone Open-Air Museum

With our Shinkansen at 2pm, we could only manage to visit one more attraction. We were so glad to have chosen The Hakone Open-Air Museum! This museum houses a collection of life-size sculptures on an expansive hillside campus -- a welcome change from walking through crowded indoor museums like NYC's MoMA or the Louvre.

The main attraction is the Symphonic Sculpture Tower, a beautiful tower of stained glass, with a staircase you can climb to a scenic lookout point. Everyone around us couldn't help but say きれい！(beautiful!) once they reach the top. The fall colors on the sparsely-inhabited mountains truly instill a sense of awe.

Symphonic Sculpture Tower Hakone Open Air Museum

Other highlights: This museum also features an outdoor public foot bath, which is pretty cool but does cost extra. The other sculptures were interesting but not too memorable. Overall, this was a fantastic vacation spot to unwind and enjoy art with nature.

Tips:

Do not rely on the information on the physical bus stop signs. Getting back to our ryokan from the museum turned out to be a monumental struggle.
If buses are too packed, they may skip your stop.

Overall Impressions

Even though we had such bad luck with weather on our trip, we still managed to have a great time. For reference, I'd say we timed the fall colors pretty accurately, though earlier in November may be better. Finally, Hakone's tourism infrastructure was well-developed -- we encountered relatively few problems with transportation and the attractions. We hope you get a chance to experience Hakone sometime as well!