【箱根編】絶対に失敗しない日帰り箱根旅行！ゴールデンコースを満喫
Hello! This time it’s a trip to Hakone! Hakone is a popular hot spring spot in Kanagawa Prefecture, and you can go on a day trip from Tokyo. This time I would like to use Odakyu Romancecar. Romancecar is the fastest way to get to Hakone from Shinjuku in 1 hour and 35 minutes.
I arrived at the Odakyu Line platform. The Romance Car I will be driving this time is the GSE type. GSE stands for Graceful Super Express, which apparently means elegant train. It’s a cool red train. This time, we will take the Romance Car at 7 o’clock and return by the Romance Car at 16:00.
It looks like the inside of the car has been cleaned, so let’s get in. Although it was a weekday, there were many foreign tourists and the place was nearly full. Car 1 has observation seats, but of course they are full. This time I will head to the general seat.
The table is stored in the armrest. There seems to be an outlet as well. When riding the Romance Car, you will need a train ticket in addition to the limited express ticket. They are also sold on the station platform, so don’t forget. I used the Hakone Freepass this time.
If you buy a Hakone Freepass, you can ride the Romance Car with just a limited express ticket, and almost all local rides are free. It’s also a great service with discounts at 70 tourist spots!
You can only buy a free pass for 2 days, but if you’re going around the Golden Course like we did today, it’s better to buy a one-day pass, so it’s definitely worth it. I forgot to explain about the golden course. Hakone Golden Course is a classic course that goes around Hakone.
You will travel by various vehicles such as mountain train, cable car, ropeway, pleasure boat, and bus, so it is recommended even for those who are not confident in their physical strength! If you can leave in the morning, you can go around Hakone on a day trip.
The remaining stops are Odawara and Hakone Yumoto. The scenery has become much more natural. If you connect to the free Wi-Fi called Romance Car Link and scan the QR code inside the car, you can see the scenery from the observation seats in real time!
You can see both the view from the front and the view from the back, so you can enjoy the view even if the observation seats are full!
Only the GSE model has observation seats and allows you to view the scenery in real time on your smartphone, so I recommend this model when going to Hakone. Hakone coming soon. It went by so quickly.
Well, I’m busy, but as soon as I get off, I transfer to the Hakone Tozan train bound for Gora. The mountain train stops right in front of you, so you can change trains right away.
The train has departed. A mountain train is literally a train that climbs mountains, and it is a 3-car train that climbs up ridiculously steep slopes with the spirit of a railway company. The train was full. Half of the tourists were foreign tourists, and the other half were tourists from the senior generation.
The mountain train ride is so steep that you can’t climb it all in one go. So, I will proceed while changing the direction of travel. Change direction at Ohiradai Station. Immediately after this, we changed direction again at Kamioheidai. I’m planning to go to Gora Station, but before that, I’ll go to Chokoku-no-Mori Station.
This is the nearest station to the Hakone Open-Air Museum. The Open Air Museum is a popular tourist spot in Hakone, and is visited by many tourists of all ages. It’s a good thing that it’s only a 1-2 minute walk from the station.
It’s a uniquely shaped fountain. Admission fee is 1,600 yen for adults. If you have a Hakone Free Pass, you will get a 200 yen discount. You can enter by showing your admission ticket. Re-entry is also possible, so don’t forget your ticket.
We arrived. This is the first open-air art museum in Japan, so the works are displayed outside. There seems to be a Picasso mansion here as well, and there are many works that are quite thorny. It makes you realize that art is not just beautiful-looking works.
There is a fork in the road here at the beginning. A flat road or a road going downhill. Please note that the time required will vary depending on which direction you go.
If you want to see the sights in 40 minutes to 1 hour, choose the flat road, and if you want to see the sights at a leisurely pace over 2 hours, choose the road that goes down the hill.
The “Symphony Sculpture that Brings Happiness”, which is popular on SNS, is located on the flat road. This time I want to go around quickly, so I’ll take a road that doesn’t go downhill. What is this? There is something like a maze in the back.
All the works are interesting and make you think about various things. A picture of something, and a person. What? Person? I was shocked for a moment lol. Is it a work of art? It’s confusing lol. As you pass by these works, you will see the “Symphony of Happiness Sculpture” right next to them.
This is it. Quite vertically long. It is said that there is beautiful stained glass all over the place. Now let’s go up the stairs. Oh, that’s beautiful. It’s so beautiful that I’m speechless…
The spiral staircase and stained glass. It’s the kind of scene that makes you want to set up your campus here and paint a picture. You will need to be prepared to climb up 4 or 5 floors of stairs. I like high places, so I go quickly.
If you are afraid of heights, try not to look down as much as possible. My legs might be shaking…lol Well, we’ve reached the top! It was great to be able to see not only the entire museum but also the mountain range!
Please see the photos here. Make sure you have enough energy to go down the stairs. I saw it as soon as I got off the “Symphony of Happiness Sculpture”. For those who are tired of walking, there is a footbath available. It’s free here.
Not too hot, not too lukewarm, just the right temperature. Perfect for a short break during your trip. If you forgot your towel, don’t worry. Foot towels are sold for 100 yen. I think I still have some time, so I’d like to stop by the cafe next to the footbath.
This is a food court. I ordered hot coffee. 450 yen per cup. There’s no denying that it’s a tourist price, but the admission fee is discounted, so it’s worth it. Well, my next train is coming in 15 minutes, so I’d like to take some time off from the museum.
On the way to the exit, there were also works on display inside the room. The stained glass mentioned earlier is also used in this window. depart. It was crowded with many tourists, including foreign tourists and elementary school social studies students.
The plan is to take the mountain train to Gora Station and then take the cable car from Gora Station. I got on the cable car just before it started, and there were so many people there. It’s full.
I was able to get on top of the train, so I was able to take some pictures of the front. The slope is so steep that it is difficult to climb it on foot. I’m glad there was a cable car. The line is split into two. Which way should I go?
The answer is right. The one on the left was for the down cable car. Now, we will arrive at the final stop, Sounzan Station, and from there we will board the Hakone Ropeway.
There is a lounge in front of it, so let’s stop by. Here you can enjoy the scenery and take a free footbath. I had already entered the footbath and there were people waiting for the footbath, so I decided to skip it this time. A wonderful ropeway. I think it seats about 10 people.
There was quite a line, but the ropeway came every minute so we didn’t have to wait long. The inside is larger than I expected. The final destination of the ropeway is Togendai, but since it stops at Owakudani Station, I would like to stop by.
It’s a nice view though. It’s great to see the faint autumn leaves. The ropeway takes 25 minutes from Sounzan to Owakudani and 20 minutes from Owakudani to Togendai, for a total of 45 minutes. You can ride for 1500 yen one way. Free pass users do not need to pay any additional fees.
Oh, this is Owakudani. A faint smell of sulfur entered the ropeway. Steam is coming out at a tremendous rate. Arrive at Owakudani Station. It’s an amazing view. The altitude is 1044m. Volcanic gas is spewing out from Hakone Volcano. When volcanic activity increases, entry restrictions may be imposed. No problems as of October 2023.
What you can see on the left is the ropeway we rode on earlier. From there, Owakudani can be seen all the way to the right. Owakudani is famous for its black eggs, and it is said that eating one can extend your life by seven years, so many people come here to eat them.
Of course, you can eat it on the spot, but it also makes a great souvenir. Although the altitude is quite high, it seems like you can come by car and there were so many people that it was like a theme park.
There is a spring where you can wash your hands and a place to pray. This area is the most remote part of Owakudani, so it’s recommended because there aren’t many people.
I ordered black ice cream at a nearby souvenir shop. I thought it was something like black sesame, but I was surprised that it was really black lol. It was vanilla flavored and delicious. The foreigners who were eating black ice cream next to me also looked delicious.
Now, before I knew it, I was descending the mountain on the ropeway. It may have been a coincidence, but all the people inside were foreigners except me.
When I say foreigners, it’s not just people from English-speaking countries, there are Chinese and other people on the ropeway too, so it’s a global society inside the ropeway. Everyone was very friendly and even though we spoke different languages, we were able to communicate and it was fun. It’s almost Togendai.
12:30 Lunch at Togendai View Restaurant. Steaks, hamburgers, omelet rice, and more are popular with meal tickets! This time I ordered beef stew omelet rice. It was hearty and delicious. Well, I’m already on my way, but this time I’m going to board the Hakone Pirate Ship.
The ticket office is located on the lower floor of the restaurant mentioned earlier. The ship we will be taking care of this time is the Victory. thank you!
This is what the inside of the ship looks like. There are two types of tickets: a regular room and a special room, and this time I chose the special one. You can ride in the special cabin by paying an additional fee of 480 yen to 600 yen on your boarding ticket.
Because the rooms are separated by doors, you cannot go from the general rooms to the special rooms. In front of you is a divine golden ship. The structure of the ship seems to be the same. The deck is like that, and it is also divided into special rooms and general rooms.
I went out to the deck. The advantage of having a special room is that you can go up to the first deck. There is a deck for the general public, but since it’s the back deck and there are so many people, it’s difficult to fully enjoy the scenery.
There is approximately one boat every 30 to 40 minutes. It’s so convenient that there was a long line at lunchtime. The special rooms were quite empty, so I recommend them. Most of our customers are in their 40s to 60s. There are also a few foreigners.
There were many families in the general rooms, and children were having fun on the boat trip. Go to the top deck, which is exclusive to the special room. It’s so high that it makes you feel like you’re on a luxury cruise ship.
Personally, what I think is wonderful about this ship is the lack of shaking. There is almost no shaking. I’m a very seasick person, so I’m really grateful. . Please check the timetable before boarding, but it takes 20 minutes to get to Hakone-machi Port.
It will take you 45 minutes to reach Moto-Hakone Port. We quickly arrived at Hakone-machi Port. This time, I will pass through Hakone-machi Port and go to Moto-Hakone Port. It is closer to the famous tourist spot, Hakone Shrine, from Moto-Hakone Port.
Arrived at Moto-Hakone Port. I can already see the torii gate in front of me and I’m excited. So I got off the ship. The sea is sparkling. You can reach Hakone Shrine by walking along this beach. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk. We have arrived. Hakone Shrine. It’s a perfect day to visit.
I think this is the one that is famous on SNS etc. Torii of peace. Once you pass through the torii gate, you will find yourself in the ocean, making it a great place to take commemorative photos. More than 10 groups of people were lining up to keep their memories of their trip.
There seem to be rules regarding how to line up so that everyone adheres to their order, so be sure to read the instructions on the signboards. Well, the journey is coming to an end. Return to Moto-Hakone Port and take the bus back to Hakone-Yumoto Station.
Be sure to check the timetable carefully. If you take the express bus, you can return to Hakone Yumoto Station in about 30 minutes. Even while we were talking, there was a very sharp curve.
This bus passes along the Hakone Shindo Road, but there are many elevation changes along the way, making it difficult to climb up and down. I couldn’t sit down because it was just before the departure, but if you decide to stand up, make sure you hold on to something.
At 14:55, I returned to Hakone Yumoto Station. It may seem a little early, but I felt a sense of accomplishment as I completed all of the Golden Course!
There’s a big bridge in front of the station. Come to think of it, I remembered that I hadn’t taken a walk around the station, so I decided to sightsee a little more.
A rickshaw was waiting near the bridge. If I ride it, I wonder if it will take me to famous places in Hakone Yumoto. It’s a beautiful river, and the sun is getting stronger and it’s quite warm.
It seems that there is a local museum and Sounji Temple on the other side of the bridge. The area in front of the station is flourishing with many accommodation facilities, souvenir shops, and stores.
There is also a hot spring within walking distance, so you can enjoy yourself just by being in front of the station. The souvenir shop inside the station had such a good selection that it took quite a while to choose. Rusk, miso buns, and moon rabbits are said to be popular.
It was almost time for the Romancecar train, so I headed to the station platform. If you would like to purchase a limited express ticket, you can purchase it here. The Romance Car I will be driving next is an EXE model. It’s a retro train unlike this morning’s GSE model.
This time I went for the Golden Course, and it was crowded even though it was a weekday. I feel like the other side of the Golden Course (starting from the bus) would be a little more empty.
Well, I think this trip was a good one as well. Although it is not a special case, I highly recommend the Hakone Freepass. It’s cost-effective, and you can travel smoothly without having to buy a ticket or boarding ticket.
To use it, just touch the QR code on your free pass or show it to the person in charge. If you want to sightsee without using a car, I think it would be more convenient to have one.
From what I saw today, it seemed like about 60% of the tourists were using the Hakone Freepass. I would like to go to Hakone again! Thank you for your viewing! Thank you for your high rating and channel registration!
今回は箱根に行きました！
箱根へ行く際はゴールデンコースがおすすめです。箱根湯本駅から登山電車→ケーブルカー→ロープウェイ→遊覧船→登山バスに乗って箱根湯本に戻ってくるというルートです！
彫刻の森美術館や芦ノ湖、箱根神社など有名どころを効率よく周れるのでおすすめですよ。