The Hakone Free Go might save you time and cash throughout your journey to Hakone. However is it value it? And the way does it work? We’ve received all the information for you!
With Japanese scorching springs, a volcanic valley and beautiful views of Mount Fuji, Hakone is the right journey from Tokyo. If you happen to’re planning to go to this well-known mountain resort, the Hakone Free Go could possibly be an enormous money and time saver!
This low cost go features a return ticket from Shinjuku Station, limitless entry to public transport inside the Hakone space and particular reductions at over 70 areas round Hakone, together with museums, eating places and onsen.
If you happen to’re nonetheless uncertain whether or not to put money into a Hakone Free Go, we’ve received all the information you want. Beneath, we’ll go over the prices, what’s included, when it’s value shopping for one and a breakdown of how a lot cash it saved us throughout our journey to Hakone.
What’s the Hakone Free Go?
The Hakone Free Go is a reduction go created by the Odakyu Railway that will help you discover Hakone. It features a return ticket from Shinjuku Station, limitless entry to public transport within the Hakone space (together with the ropeway and pirate ships), and reductions to a number of museums, eating places and onsen.
2- or 3-day variations of the go can be found. Most individuals choose to make use of the Hakone Free Go’s return ticket from Shinjuku Station, however you too can purchase a less expensive model from Odawara Station that doesn’t embrace the return ticket from Shinjuku Station. From Odawara Station, you need to use the Hakone Tozan Prepare to get to Hakone Station.
You’ll save fairly a bit of cash with this go. For a Hakone day journey from Shinjuku, the Odakyu web site estimates that you just’ll save about ¥1,220 per particular person. That features all of your public transport for the day, the well-known sightseeing cruise on Lake Ashi and the Hakone Ropeway in direction of Owakudani, making the go a no brainer when you’re visiting Hakone for the primary time.
The Hakone Free Go will even prevent a number of problem in Hakone. With the go, you don’t have to fret about paying for bus fares or shopping for tickets for the sightseeing cruise – as a substitute, you simply present your go and also you’re good to go.
I used the go after I visited Hakone for the primary time, and it made my journey a lot simpler. You want a number of public transport to get round Hakone and the go made it tremendous simple, so I might give attention to having fun with my time out.
What’s Included within the Hakone Free Go?
If you happen to purchase the Hakone Free Go from Shinjuku, you need to use the next companies during your go:
- One return practice ticket from Shinjuku Station to Odawara Station
- Limitless rides on the Hakone Tozan Prepare
- Limitless rides on the Hakone Tozan Cable Automotive
- Limitless rides on the Hakone Ropeway
- Limitless rides on the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise
- Limitless rides on the Hakone Tozan Bus (designated areas)
- Limitless rides on KANKO SHISETSU-MEGURI, Hakone Tozan’s sightseeing bus
- Limitless rides on the Odakyu Freeway Bus (designated areas)
- Limitless rides on the Tokai Bus (designated areas)
- Reductions at 70+ museums, eating places, onsen and extra.
Passes from Odawara embrace all the above besides the practice ticket to Shinjuku.
Romancecar Restricted Specific Tickets
For an extra price, you too can improve your Shinjuku Station return tickets to seats on the Romancecar restricted specific. This direct specific service is the quickest option to get from Hakone to Tokyo, taking round 80 minutes from Shinjuku Station. It is going to knock round half-hour off every leg of your return journey and in addition prevent altering trains at Odawara Station.
Romancecar tickets usually are not included within the Hakone Free Go, however you should purchase them for an extra price of ¥1,200 every method. Romancecar tickets can be found on the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Facilities or on-line by way of the e-Romancecar Platform. The web site is slightly tough to make use of, however Odakyu has a step-by-step information when you’re up for a problem.
Since I used to be staying in a single day in Hakone, I made a decision to not pay additional for the Romancecar ticket and travelled on one of many slower specific trains that’s included within the Hakone Free Go. This took about 2 hours and was utterly high-quality – we even noticed some beautiful views of Mount Fuji on the best way.
Planning to go to Hakone for a number of days? Take a look at our information on the place to remain in Hakone with the most effective lodges, visitor homes and ryokan.
Hakone Free Go Costs 2025
Listed below are the costs of the Hakone Free Go when departing from Shinjuku Station:
| 2-Day Go | 3-Day Go | |
| Grownup | ¥6,100 | ¥6,500 |
| Kids (6–11) | ¥1,100 | ¥1,350 |
If you happen to don’t want the return practice ticket from Shinjuku Station to Odawara Station, you’ll be able to go for a barely cheaper model of the Hakone Free Go. These might be purchased at ticket merchandising machines at Odakyu Line practice stations. Costs differ relying on the station. The costs from Odawara Station are as follows:
| 2-Day Go | 3-Day Go | |
| Grownup | ¥5,000 | ¥5,400 |
| Kids (6–11) | ¥1,000 | ¥1,250 |
The place to Purchase the Hakone Free Go
The Hakone Free Go might be purchased at a number of locations in Japan, however we purchased ours on-line from Klook. We acquired the e-vouchers inside minutes and exchanged them for our Hakone Free Passes on the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Middle at Shinjuku Station the following day. From there, we jumped on the practice to Odawara, prepared for our journey to Hakone.
You may have a number of completely different choices for buying the go, relying on whether or not you like a bodily or digital model. Listed below are a number of different methods you could pay money for the go.
Odakyu Sightseeing Service Facilities
These Odakyu ticket places of work supply the Hakone Free Go as a bodily practice ticket, in addition to different useful info in English. There are two Facilities in Shinjuku on the south and west sides of the station, one in Odawara Station and one in Hakone-Yumoto Station. You will discover instructions to all the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Facilities on the Odakyu web site.
At Shinjuku Station, the Shinjuku South middle is simpler to search out normally because it’s positioned on the bottom ground close to the station’s large south exit. If you happen to’re arriving at Shinjuku Station by JR, comply with indicators for the South Gate.
The Odakyu Sightseeing Service Facilities are an ideal selection when you choose to have a bodily ticket on your journey. If you happen to’re nonetheless feeling slightly overwhelmed by the Japanese trains, the workers will be certain that you get the fitting ticket and make it easier to with some other questions on your journey.
Nevertheless, shopping for your ticket on the Facilities leaves you on the mercy of the queues, which can be lengthy throughout weekends and peak seasons. If you happen to’re brief on time, it could be higher to purchase your tickets upfront.
The Odakyu Web site
Odakyu additionally affords a digital model of the Hakone Free Go, which you should buy on their web site. These smartphone tickets embrace a QR code and a ticket display, which you’ll be able to scan at ticket gates round Hakone or present to move workers.
To purchase the net go, go to Odakyu’s digital tickets web page and click on ‘Digital Hakone Freepass’. This can direct you to Odakyu’s official ticketing platform, EMot.
You’ll be requested to pick the kind of Hakone Free Go you need – with or with out a spherical journey from Shinjuku – in addition to the beginning date of your journey and different mandatory info. If that is your first time utilizing the service, you’ll must create an account earlier than finishing your buy.
If you happen to’re travelling as a part of a gaggle, needless to say you’ll be able to solely have one digital go per telephone. Each particular person in your group will need to have their very own smartphone to make use of the digital tickets. You should buy a number of tickets on one account and switch them to different gadgets, however you want an EMot account to obtain the tickets.
On the day of your journey, simply log into the Odakyu web site in your telephone, activate the ticket after which be prepared to indicate, scan and show your go as you journey round Hakone.
The digital Hakone Free Go is tremendous handy when you’re a planner like me. You should buy the tickets earlier than you even arrive in Japan and easily activate them on the day – no want to fret about dropping your tickets or queuing on the ticket workplace.
The largest disadvantage of the digital go is the one ticket per machine rule. Everybody in your group must have a smartphone and handle their very own ticket on the day, which isn’t the most effective when you’re travelling with younger kids.
Different Areas
It’s also possible to purchase the go at Odakyu Line practice stations, 7-Eleven comfort shops, journey businesses and vacationer info desks in Odawara, Hakone, Mishima, Gotemba and Numazu.
How A lot Can You Save with the Hakone Free Go?
The Hakone Free Go is nice worth for cash. Earlier than even calculating any of the buses we took whereas in Hakone, we’d already saved over ¥1,000 every on a two-day journey.
If you happen to don’t get the go, you’ll be able to count on to pay all the following on a day following the Hakone Loop:
- ¥2,540 grownup return ticket Shinjuku – Hakone-Yumoto
- ¥1,080 minimal on the Hakone Tozan Bus (Hakone-Yumoto – Motohakone-ko)
- ¥1,200 Lake Ashi cruise
- ¥1,500 one-way journey on the Hakone Ropeway
- ¥590 minimal on the Hakone Tozan Prepare (Sounzan – Hakone-Yumoto).
That’s a saving of a minimum of ¥810 for only a single day utilizing the go.
Does the JR Go Cowl the Hakone Space?
However what if you have already got a JR Go to journey by practice via Japan? Must you nonetheless buy the Hakone Free Go?
You should utilize the JR Go to take the Shinkansen to Odawara Station. Nevertheless, you can’t use the JR Go within the Hakone space. If you wish to save a bit of cash in your travels round Hakone, getting a Hakone Free Go from Odawara Station could be the best choice.
Even when you’ve got a JR Go, it’s nonetheless value getting the Hakone Free Go for the convenience of use. As an alternative of shopping for particular person tickets for the practice to Hakone, the bus to Lake Ashi, the sightseeing cruise on Lake Ashi and the Hakone Ropeway, you’ll be able to merely flash your go and stroll via. It’ll prevent a lot effort and time.
Is the Hakone Free Go Price It for a Day Journey?
Sure, the Hakone Free Go is value shopping for even when you’re solely visiting for the day. Whilst you can solely purchase two- or three-day passes, you’ll nonetheless get monetary savings on a day journey.
If you happen to’re planning to comply with the Hakone Loop and see the principle sights, the Hakone Free Go will nonetheless prevent money and time. Nevertheless, when you’re solely going to Hakone for at some point, needless to say dangerous climate may cause points with the sightseeing cruise and ropeway. Control the climate forecast earlier than setting out within the morning.
When is it NOT Price Shopping for the Hakone Free Go?
Whereas I feel the Hakone Free Go is nice worth for cash and makes travelling to Hakone very simple, it might not be the fitting selection for you. Listed below are some explanation why it’s possible you’ll not need to purchase the Hakone Free Go:
- If you happen to’re heading off the principle vacationer path, it could possibly be cheaper to purchase particular person tickets. The go is designed that will help you get monetary savings on the Hakone Loop – a round route that takes in the principle sights, together with the Lake Ashi sightseeing cruise and the ropeway to Owakudani. If you happen to’re going elsewhere, do your analysis earlier than choosing up the go. Nevertheless, the Hakone Free Go does make it very simple to make your method round Hakone by public transport.
- If you happen to’re visiting Hakone as a part of a tour, you most likely received’t want to fret about shopping for the Hakone Free Go.
Conclusion – Is the Hakone Free Go Price It?
Sure, the Hakone Free Go is 100% value it. It’s among the finest low cost passes I’ve utilized in Japan. I might suggest it to nearly anyone who’s planning to go to Hakone. If you wish to save time, cash and energy, that is the go to get!