Japan / Tokyo & Kanto / HakoneHakone
Hot-Spring Inns, a Volcanic Valley and Views of Fuji
The classic onsen getaway from Tokyo: a loop by mountain railway, cable car, ropeway over the steaming Owakudani valley, and a mock pirate ship across Lake Ashi, with Mount Fuji in view on clear days (more often in winter). Stay a night in a ryokan with its own hot-spring bath and a multi-course kaiseki dinner. The ropeway and Owakudani close when volcanic-gas levels rise.
Highlights
- Owakudani's steaming vents and black eggs
- Hakone Ropeway with Fuji views
- Pirate ship across Lake Ashi
- Hakone Shrine's torii in the lake
- Hakone Open-Air Museum
- Switchback Hakone Tozan Railway
- Ryokan night with a private onsen
- Kaiseki dinner
- Old Tokaido cedar avenue
Things to do
- Hakone loop: Tozan railway, cable car, ropeway & Lake Ashi cruiseMorning · 5h
- Owakudani volcanic valleyMorning · 1h 30m
- Hakone Open-Air MuseumAfternoon · 2h 30m
- Hakone Shrine & the lakeside toriiAfternoon · 1h 30m
- Ryokan onsen & kaiseki dinnerEvening · 3h
Tours & tickets
Tourisma may earn a small commission if you book — it never changes your price.
When to go
Best time: October – May
Worth knowing
Autumn Leaves Peak: Prices and Crowds
The maples peak from mid-November to early December, and Kyoto in particular is as full and as dear as in cherry-blossom season. Book rooms months ahead and go to the famous gardens at opening time or for the evening light-ups.
Heads up
Golden Week Crowds (29 April – 5 May)
Golden Week is a run of national holidays from 29 April to 5 May: shinkansen and domestic flights sell out, hotels raise prices, and sights are packed. Book transport and rooms early, or plan around those dates.
Heads up
Obon Holiday Rush (mid-August)
Around 13–16 August Japan travels home for Obon: trains and flights are full (Nozomi trains ran reserved seats only at Obon 2026), and resort hotels charge peak rates. Reserve seats for every long journey that week.
Heads up
Rainy Season (Tsuyu)
From early June to mid or late July it rains most days, often all day, on Honshu and Kyushu: carry an umbrella, keep outdoor plans flexible, and expect landslide warnings to close mountain roads and some railways after heavy downpours. Hydrangeas are in flower and the crowds are thinner.
Heads up
Typhoon Season
Typhoons reach Kyushu and Honshu from August to October, worst in September. A direct hit stops shinkansen, flights and ferries for a day and closes sights; most pass within 24-48 hours. Check forecasts in the days before travel and keep a spare day before an international flight.
- Autumn leaves (koyo) — The maples turn red from late September in Hokkaido, through October in Nikko and the Alps, to mid-November to early December in Kyoto, Nara and Tokyo. Kyoto's temples open at night with lit-up gardens; trains, buses and hotels are as full as in cherry-blossom season.
- Golden Week — Four public holidays in a week, when much of Japan travels: shinkansen and domestic flights sell out, hotel prices rise, and sights are packed. Avoid travelling between cities on the first and last days.
- Obon — The festival of the ancestors, around 13-16 August: families travel home, shinkansen and flights sell out (Nozomi trains ran reserved seats only at Obon 2026), and there are Bon dances and lantern floats in towns across Japan.
- New Year (Shogatsu) · 31 Dec — Japan's biggest holiday: temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight on 31 December and millions make the first shrine visit (hatsumode), Meiji Jingu and Fushimi Inari above all. Many museums, restaurants and offices close from about 29 December to 3 January; trains run, but are full around the start and end.
- Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu · 3 Nov — On Culture Day a costumed feudal lord's procession of a few hundred people walks the old Tokaido road through Hakone-Yumoto, in the autumn colours.
Part of a longer route
Hakone is a stop on a curated circuit through Japan.