Avoiding a coach bus to Hakone? Shinkansen both ways?
 

Hi folks,

I’m going to Tokyo with my parents. They would like to take one of those Mt. Fuji/Hakone tours (e.g. the one on viator.com http://bit.ly/1f8Zl5t, Hato http://bit.ly/1f8Ze9M, etc)

If I’m reading these correctly, it looks like most of the tours take a coach bus to Hakone/Mt Fuji, then the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. This seems like a real waste of time on the outbound. Does anyone understand why this is? Is there a way to take the Shinkansen outbound and take a tour from there?

Has anyone had experiences with either of these tours, or any insights?

Thanks!

One of the standard ways to go to Hakone is on the Odakyu Line's "Romance Car" from Shinjuku. I've never done it (I was planning to do it on my last trip, but I came down with the flu), but I believe it's cheaper than the Shinkansen.

My take of situation is this. Shinkansen (bullet train) does not serve directly to Mt. Fuji and Hakone. Closest Shinkansen station is Odawara, east of Hakone. Mt. Fuji is located northwest of Hakone.

If plan to take Shinkansen both ways then after visiting Hakone and Mt. Fuji have to track back same route all the way back to Odawara, which I do think is not efficient way.

It does make sense that from Tokyo take Chuuo Expressway by bus and head directly to Mt. Fuji. Then visit Hakone and come out at Odawara to catch Shinkansen.

However, if you want to do Hakone only, no Mt. Fuji, then it become more probable to do Shinkansen both way.

Sounds like you are looking to take a tour, not travel independently. If you look for a tour which visit Hakone only, no Mt. Fuji, then you may find a tour which take Shinkansen both way.

We did a Hakone day trip last March. We took the Romance Car train from Shinjuku and it was pretty good, as well as fairly quick as there are minimal stops. We didn't go on an organized tour. We don't speak Japanese but managed just fine. We did the whole Hakone "round trip" (narrow gauge train, tram, ski lift thing, boat, bus) and to/from Tokyo in a single day, which was a bit much. If I'd researched it more before deciding to go, I would've stayed at least one night in Hakone.

The Hakone Roundtrip is doable in a day, but it will become a quite long day. As mentioned above one night stay in Hakone is recommened.

The Hakone-Free-Pass included all transport along the route. It is easy to navigate you way through and you get along with english prett well. Most restaurants in the villages along the way have english menues.

There is also a three day pass if you would like to combine Fuji and Hakone.


If you want to find a resonable priced option, i think you cant avoid the bus along the way. You may be able to tailor your own itinenary using the train to Mt. Fuji, get by Bus to Hakone and return on the Romance Car.


http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/

AlwaysAisle is right in that the fastest way to get to Mt.Fuji is by one of those express highway buses. I have heard good things about some of these one-day bus tours, that they really do have things well-planned out. I don't know how old your folks are, but my mother (late 60's) can never be bothered to take a train to Hakone and do any sort of walking and carrying things. So I can appreciate how some folks would just want to do the bus tour thing.

I think Mt.Fuji 5th Sta by bus then swinging over to Hakone and then wrapping up the day with a ride on Shinkansen is great. It's a bit of a whirlwind, but it'll still work out with a guided bus tour. What I think is a waste of time is the pirate ship ride on Ashinoko Lake. Komagatake Ropeway is okay, but I think a better option would be to do the Hakone Ropeway which takes you over the breathtaking Owakudani and still gives you the great view of Mt.Fuji (if the weather's nice). There're just so many better ways to spend time in Hakone than to do the pirate ship and Komagatake Ropeway imo.

Also, the shinkansen leg between Tokyo and Odawara is done at relatively slow speeds (for the shinkansen, that is). If that's all the shinkansen experience you can manage, I guess you do it, but it doesn't showcase the service at its best.

My parents are in the 60's. This could be an issue as well. Hm.

If money is no object, you can get from Tokyo to Hakone in 25 minutes.

http://www.mcas.co.jp/en/private/ordermade/

I think I need to mine some more bitcoins first. Thanks though. :p

For those that did the Hakone "round trip", how long does it take? I get to Hakone around 12pm and have to be back to the ryokan by 6pm for dinner, is it doable in 5-6 hours?

Hakone is very spread out. You can't "do" all of it in three days, let alone three hours, so you'll have to pick one spot of interest and settle for that.

Some ideas on where to focus:

Hakone Yumoto (the area right outside the train station. Also the start of a hiking trail)
Miyanoshita (Fujiya Hotel)
Gora (Gora Kadan)
Yunessan
Moto Hakone/Hakone-en (boat cruise on Lake Ashi)
Owakudani

If the ryokan is somewhere in the Hakone area it can be done.

I have done the Sunshine Tour from Tokyo Station to Hakone / Mt. Fuji at least three times. Pretty sure that you can pick different routes depending on who you ride with.

One of them included Hakone Peace Park, another included some lake, another included a rope tram. I am hazy in the details because I kind of want to forget. Each trip was for the expressed purpose of seeing Mt. Fuji - never got to see it.

Snow, torrential rain storms, wind storm so strong.

Tour buses are great - I just remember the tour guides really working hard to make the trip interesting because Mt. Fuji was a bust.

I am not saying this sarcastically, they really did a good job on the tour - too bad the weather really sucked.