Hi all,
I will be in Hakone in April 2026 and want to test my itinerary with all you clever people!
I also have a specific question about the pirate ship in Hakone: I've checked out the website and the portion of the journey that appears to have views of Mt Fuji (weather permitting) is the section between Motohakone-ko and Togendai-ko. The typical Hakone loop involves taking the pirate ship from Togendai-ko but according to the timetable this follows the route via Hakonemachi-ko, therefore missing the scenic viewpoint sections unless you were to do the full loop. Is this correct? Are the highlighted areas the only places you can see Fuji on a day when it is visible?
Itinerary (note will be purchasing 3-day Hakone pass):
This itinerary tries to balance activities across the three days while making the most of the one night spent in the ryokan.
Monday:
12:00pm-1:24pm Romance car from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto
Train to accomodation in Gora to check in (~30 mins)
Take ropeway to Owakudani, try black eggs and black ice cream, explore.
Take ropeway back to Gora
Dinner in Gora
Tuesday:
Full Hakone loop
Ropeway down to Togendai, pirate ship to Moto-Hakone, check out the shrine, then bus to Matsuzakaya Honten Ryokan for 3pm check in.
Dinner and onsen at ryokan
Wednesday:
Breakfast at ryokan and check out
Bus from ryokan to Moto-Hakone
Walk the path from Moto-Hakone to Amazake Tea House
Continue walking to Miharashichaya Utsuki for lunch (make reservation ahead of time)
Take a bus to Hakone-Yumoto
Train from Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara
Odawara shinkansen to Kyoto leaves at 2:07pm
by snowyblue06