So our TA just booked two front row (1A/B) seats for us in the panorama cabin aboard the Romance Car VSE 50000 from Shinjuku to Hakone... the ride is approx. 1 hour 20 min. We're leaving later than anticipated (departing Shinjuku at 12:40) because after a bit more planning and figuring out logistics, it makes more sense this way. Anyhow this may sound kind of absurd but would it be unheard of to bring a bottle of wine or something on this ride? I know that it's both common and accepted for people to eat full meals on trains, but what about alcohol? I'm not talking about drinking cheap beer on the metro, but for a leisurely 1.5 hr train ride in the very front of the Romance Car, would a little wine seem out of place?

Beer is a common sight on any limited express train, and I've seen people having petite wine bottles on bullet trains. But I can't recall seeing anyone pulling out big wine bottles, glasses and everything.

If you're trying to catch the 12.40pm Romance Car, you'd probably have to get done eating at Rokurinsha by ~12pm. Timing may be tricky. Rokurinsha opens for lunch at 11am, but I've seen people lining up already well before opening. If you get there at 11am, I'm not sure that you'd be done eating by 12pm unless you're one of the first group to be let in. I tried to eat there earlier this year, but I was again deterred by the line.

Thanks but are you certain that they open at 11am? I was under the impression it was much earlier during the week. Perhaps they have different hours for weekends but I'm almost certain I've read that they open around 7:30am during weekdays.


On a side note, how easy and quick is it to get around by public transit in Hakone? We'll be staying at Gora Kadan but would like to visit the POLA, the Open-Air Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Sekirakuen Garden and Moss Garden at Hakone Museum of Art, Hakone Jinja, Hakone Sekisho and the Old Tōkaidō Walking Trail (Hakone Kyukaido) that runs to Hatajuku, Sengokuhara, etc. We'd also like to visit some of the local onsens, the Fujiya Hotel, Chimoto Yumochi Shop, Shinshou, etc. Is this all very easily accessible by bus, taxi, etc. from our ryokan or will it be an inconvenience each time we want to go out without having a vehicle?

Lastly, how long should we set aside for Ōwakudani and the hot springs and mountain trails near the ropeway? We'll likely not be embarking on any long hikes beyond the immediate areas of interest as we've so much else to do.

The Hakone freepass covers most public transport in the Hakone area. Did you have look at their webpage? They got a map (Edit: the map in the net is not showing the buslines), showing all public transport in the area (you will also get a copy when you buy the ticket). The freepass allows unlimited rides on the train and buses. The train and buses are frequently riding and it is no problem to get from one village to the next. For example the Fuijya Hotel is a short stroll from Miyanoshita train station. The train runs every 30mins if i remember correctly. The cable car from Gora further up to the resorts is running until late.

At Hakone Gora station there are usually cabs waiting when the train arrives. Handy for transport to the Hotel with heavy luggage.

Their hours are 7:30 ～ 10:00 （Last order 9:45), then 11:00 ～ 22:30 （Last order 22:00). From http://rokurinsha.com/access.html (Jpnese).


Those places are all accessible by either bus or train. Bus can be a bit confusing at certain places, because each stop could have two different bus companies running different routes and the distinction is not always straightforward. Although buses run to/near most places, certain attractions may be better off using taxi to reach if you've just missed the bus for instance.

I personally would never try to visit all those places in one single trip to Hakone. I think you're trying to do/see too much. Also, not all of them are worth it. You have to understand that, for most people, the #1 Hakone attraction is your onsen ryokan, especially if you're staying at a place like Gora Kadan. When I go spend a night at a ryokan in Hakone, I usually will get to the hotel right at check-in time, then will not leave premises until check-out the next day. In your case, I believe you're staying 2 nights, so you could decide to venture out a bit on day#2. But you don't want to forget to enjoy the ryokan and the onsen.

Riding the ropeway up to Owakudani is a must. Everything else is optional, although I highly recommend Hakone Open Air Museum (allow couple hours) and you could check out souvenir around Hakone Yumoto Station. I wouldn't try to squeeze in more a couple other attractions in Hakone. At Owakudani, set aside an hour. I don't see a need to go make trips to other onsens if you're staying at a premier onsen ryokan like Gora Kadan. Certainly forget about the onsen at Fujiya Hotel in Miyanoshita, as there really isn't a worthy rotenburo onsen there. However, Fujiya Hotel can be worth visiting just to go check out their garden and then have tea at their lobby lounge.

Thanks a lot!

We're definitely planning to spend most of our time at Gora Kadan, enjoying the ryokan and onsen. We will really only explore Hakone on the day of arrival and departure. We might venture out for lunch on our second day, but not much more than that.

I definitely want to briefly visit the POLA Museum, even if just for 45 minutes to do a quick walkthrough. I love the modernist architecture and would like to see some of the impressionist painintgs.

Same with the Rodins, Miros, etc. at the Open-Air Museum. I don't mind spending a half hour just walking through the sculpture garden; it doesn't need to be an exhaustive afternoon excursion.

Perhaps on our second afternoon at Gora, we'll venture out for a few hours in the afternoon to eat and explore. I would absolutely like to visit Sekirakuen Garden and Moss Garden at Hakone Museum of Art. The autumn foliage is supposed to be brilliant this time of year and I would really like to see the painted slopes and fall colors over Gora with picturesque mountain streams running through and scenic views over the valley. It looks and sounds really beautiful.

On that same day, probably beforehand, we'd likely stop by Hatsuhana (historic soba noodle shop) for lunch followed by a short drop-in at Chimoto Yumochi Shop for wagashi and other confections. This is really the only time we'd venture out of Gora Kadan, apart from our day of arrival and departure. We could eat lunch and squeeze in a short museum visit, and maybe have tea at the Fujiya Hotel.

On our last morning, I want to wake up early and hike along the Old Tōkaidō road. Look how pretty and atmospheric it is: http://blue_moon.typepad.com/blue_lo...04/post_2.html

We would eat lunch at Amazake-chaya: http://haikugirl.me/2014/09/02/japan...amazake-chaya/

Then do one more activity; probably the ropeway, which I agree is a must! I'm not sure if we should do that upon arrival or when we leave?

Due to limited time and maximizing what we do have at Gora Kadan, we'll likely take taxis to most of these places. Assumably transportation can be arranged through GK.

I'm pretty sure I read that Hakone Jinja (forest shrine) is directly across the street from Gora Kadan so that's easy to wander over if we feel like it.

I became aware of the phrase "it's a thing" some time in the last couple of years. The missing adjective is "trendy" or "popular", more or less. It's a short way to say "it's something a lot of people have been doing lately."

I kind of like the phrase. It's succinct and punchy. You'll often see it expressed as a question: "Is that even a thing?" Meaning, is this some new, probably bizarre trend I'd never heard of?

PS - Thanks for posting hours for Rokurinsha.

We'll probably plan to get to the station around 10:45 to lineup and hopefully get served no later than 11:30. That will give us plenty of time to make our connection at Shinjuku. Do you agree?

I figured it meant so much in a condescending kind of way. Our plans are entirely motivated by my desire to visit and experience each place and not influenced by what's trendy in the least. I don't get how eating ramen in Tokyo Station could ever be considered trendy, but what do I know... it's obviously a popular place for good reason and I'm looking forward to eating there!

Oh, i found the map.

There are several bus lines. POLA for example is reachable by bus. Same for the other museums.

I would recommend to spare one day to use the cable car and ropeway to get down to Lake Ashi, cross the lake to Machi-Ko, have lunch there, visit the ancient Hakone Checkpoint (old customs check-point), walk to the Sekisho Palace overlooking the lake and continue your walk to Motohakone (with a nice 'Torij' at the oposite lakeshore). Return by bus to Gora.

The Teahouse is anyway close to Motohakone on the way down to Hakone-Yumoto.

Thanks so much; we'll do this on our final day in Hakone!

Would that be the "Komagatake Rōpuwē" from Lake Ashi to Mount Komagatake?

I would definitely like to do the ropeway to Ōwakudani (Sōunzan – Ōwakudani – Tōgendai) as well.

When you suggest we cross the lake to Machi-Ko, would that be by ferry or one of the tour ships? I'd also really love to do the old checkpoint early in the morning so does it matter if we attempt to do this in reverse or does that not work out so well?

The Hakone Free Pass can cover travel on Odakyu Line from Shinjuku to Hakone and most public transport in the Hakone area. You can pay a supplement of 890 yen one-say in order to travel on the Romance Car.

http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/hakone/
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5210.html

I'm going to hijack this thread if I may, as what I post seems very close to the subject.

I am travelling in October from Tokyo - Hakone (JR from Tokyo Station to Odawara) arriving mid morning. I then intend to purchase the 2 day free pass, then take the Tonzan to Hakone Yumoto. My Ryokan is around a 10 minute walk from there, so I was planning to drop my bag, then come back to Hakone Yumoto to explore the area.

My thinking is take the Tozan railway from Hakone Yumoto to Chokokuno-Mori, visit the Open Air Museum, walk the ~10 minutes to Gora, take the Cablecar to Sounzan, then the Ropeway down to Togendai, then the boat across the lake to Moto-Hakone (is this where the 'pirate' ship goes to?) and the bus back up to Hakone Yumoto. Does this sound like a reasonable plan? How long would the trip around take (without the museum stop). Are there any additional places that you would suggest stopping at? Does anyone know a link to an English web page showing a train / boat / cable car / ropeway schedule (how often they go, or times)?

Thanks!

What time are you leaving on your last day?

I get that you wanted ramen for breakfast somewhere where they open early enough to serve it. Now that you are prepared to renounce all manner of morning activities so that you can have ramen in Tokyo station (before heading off to shinjuku to get the Romance Car) rather than grabbing a deluxe bento... You've definitely turned it into a thing (just as renouncing more conveniently timed trains to Hakone for the panoramic view became "a thing").

For someone so keen to squeeze so much into his itinerary, day 1 to Hakone involves a massive amount of squandered and wasted time. You'll arrive at 2pm, it will take you at least half an hour to get close to any if the places you are keen on visiting and none of them will allow entry after 4:30pm. In short, you'll have time to visit one museum and then it will get dark.

If you can leave late on Thursday, you might be able to do half the things you mentioned. If you plan in leaving in the morning, you'll have the chance to see one thing on Tuesday and then there's just Wednesday. Wednesday happens to be the day when things are likely to be closed (Sunday being good for business from visiting weekenders).

You'll need at least 2 hours for the Hakone Open Air Museum, it's not the sort of place you can walk through in 30 minutes.

We have a really late night beforehand and need to pack and check-out of the Peninsula so it makes sense to catch the 12:30 train as we'll have set aside an hour for brunch regardless. Arriving at Tokyo Station just before 11 AM seems most convenient. We'll wake up at 9-ish, pack, shower and get ready to leave. Any earlier and we would be exhausted given that we'll have been out all night. So arriving in Hakone and visiting the Open Air Museum, then going straight to Gora Kadan suits us just fine.

We can still visit one of the two other museums on any of the following days and then save the ropeway, Ōwakudani, and toll road for our final day. We'll have the entire day with our only plans being dinner in Tokyo at 7:30 PM.

We're losing 2 hours at most by adjusting our plans but it makes for a much more practical morning, giving that we'll need to pack and get ready. We'll have two full days in Hakone and I'd rather enjoy the morning than rush. We now have a nice lunch that we're both looking forward to and a scenic train ride which I plan to bring a nice bottle of champagne along for.

What is closed on Wednesdays? We're spending most of the day on the ropeway, mountain, toll road, etc. We'll likely visit POLA on Tuesday afternoon for an hour and maybe have tea at Fujiya.