HAKONE FREE PASS – Is It Worth Buying?

Hakone is well known for its stunning viewpoints of Mt Fuji, hot springs, pristine Lake Ashi, Owakudani (Hell Valley), fascinating museums, and many other attractions. Located only 60 miles west of Tokyo, Hakone is a perfect day trip destination.

If you are planning a trip to Hakone, then you are probably wondering if Hakone Free Pass is worth buying.

Here are all the details:

• find out which pass to buy (different options are available)
• how much does Hakone Free Pass cost (it is called ‘Free Pass’, however, it is not ‘Free’)
• where can you buy the pass
• what is included in Hakone Free Pass (and what is not covered by the pass)
• will you save if you buy the pass

There are two kinds of passes available. You can purchase:

• 2-Day Hakone Free Pass, or
• 3-Day Hakone Free Pass

To clarify, 1-Day Pass is NOT available.

The prices vary for 2-Day Pass as well as for 3-Day Pass. It all depends on what station you are leaving from.

Let’s take a closer look:

Specifically, if you are leaving from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo:

• 2-Day pass costs 6,100 yen for an adult ticket and 1,100 yen for a child ticket
• 3-Day pass costs 6,500 yen for an adult ticket and 1,750 yen for a child ticket

If you are leaving from Odawara Station in Odawara, Kanagawa, which is the gateway station to the Hakone area, then:

• 2-Day pass costs 5,000 yen for an adult ticket and 1,000 yen for a child ticket
• 3-Day pass costs 5,400 yen for an adult ticket and 1,250 yen for a child ticket

Moreover, a child ticket is for a child between the ages of 6 to 11 years old.

Hakone Free Pass can be bought at Odakyu Sightseeing Service Centers.

There are several Odakyu Sightseeing Service Centers. Following are their locations:

• Tokyo Station
• Shinjuku Station (West Exit) in Tokyo
• Shinjuku Station (South Exit) in Tokyo
• Odawara Station in Odawara

Each location is clearly marked. Once you get to the station, follow the signs for Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center.

In addition, you can purchase the pass at Ticket Vending Machines located at every station on Odakyu lines.

As an example, I purchased my Hakone Free Pass at Odawara Station in Odawara.

It was not difficult to locate Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center. Once, I exited the train terminal, I followed the signs for Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center.

Following is the map of the station and the picture of the center.

Map of Odawara Station / Hakone Free Pass – Is It Worth Buying?

Hakone Free Pass includes round-trip travel on the Odakyu Line from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, and Odawara Station in Odawara (you can also purchase Hakone Free Pass which does not have round-trip tickets).

In addition, it includes unlimited use of eight Hakone-area transportation modes:

• Hakone Tozan Line
• Hakone Tozan Bus
• “Kanko Shisetsu-meguri” Bus (Tourist Attraction Sightseeing Bus)
• Hakone Tozan Cable Car
• Hakone Ropeway
• Sightseeing Cruise
• Odakyu Hakone Highway Bus
• Tokai Bus Orange Shuttle

On top of that, you will get discounted entrance tickets to many of Hakone’s top attractions.

For example, the entrance ticket to Hakone Open Air Museum costs 1,600 yen, however with Hakone Free Pass, you can purchase it for 1,400 yen!

I calculated that you can save over 1,000 yen by purchasing the pass instead of making individual purchases for each mode of transportation.

Here is a breakdown of what you would have to pay if you do not have the pass (this is going the Hakone Loop clockwise). These prices will change and are about what I paid whenever I visited Hakone.

1. First, if you travel from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo to Odawara Station in Odawara, it will cost you 1,418 yen.

2. Second, from Odawara Station you will need to take the Hakone Tozan Line train to Hakone-Yumoto. The cost is 460 yen.

3. Third, from Hakone-Yumoto you will hop on Tozan Bus Line H and take it to Motohakone-ko. The cost is 1,400 yen.

4. Fourth step: from Motohakone-ko you can walk to Hakonemachi-ko via Ancient Cedar Avenue. You can also visit the Hakone Checkpoint along the way if interested. Free! (not the Exhibition Hall, though)

5. Next, from Hakonemachi-ko board Hakone Sightseeing Cruise across Lake Ashi and get off at Togendai-ko. The cruise will cost you 1,050 yen.

6. Moreover, once at Togendai-ko take the Hakone Ropeway to Owakudani, and from Owakudani take another ropeway to Sounzan. This part will cost you 1,550 yen.

7. Furthermore, from Sounzan you can hop on the Hakone Tozan Cable Car and take it to Gora. This part of the journey will cost you 420 yen.

8. Next, from Gora, take the Hakone Tozan Train all the way back to Odawara. It will be 670 yen

9. Finally, from Odawara take Odakyu Line to Shinjuku Station in Tokyo (one-way). It will cost 880 yen.

If you add it all up you will be saving some money with the pass!

There is another option of getting to Hakone from Shinjuku. It is via the Romancecar.

Romancecar travels from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo directly to Hakone-Yumoto train station. The journey on Romancecar takes only 75 minutes.

You save time when you travel on Romancecar since you do not need to transfer in Odawara.

The ticket for the Romancecar costs 2,280 yen. If you have Hakone Free Pass, then you need to pay a surcharge of 1,090 yen for the Romancecar.