Hakone Itinerary 2 Days: How to Spend TWO Days in Hakone

Last Updated on October 24, 2025 by Audrey

Hakone Itinerary 2 Days: Here's how to plan your perfect trip!

Last March I spent two days in Hakone in hopes of spotting the elusive Fuji-San. These few but glorious days consisted of soaking in onsen, strolling through abstract artwork, and exploring landmarks around the beautiful Lake Ashi.

Hakone was everything I dreamed of, and two days is perfect to uncover the area and experience the highlights of this wonderful small hot spring town.

In this guide you’ll get the exact itinerary I used while exploring Hakone, and my favorite restaurants and sites. I definitely learned quite a few things, and will teach you the best tips for a perfect vacation.

While people using public transportation recommend the Hakone Loop to visit Lake Ashi, Hakone Shrine, and Owakudani in one day, my itinerary takes a more relaxed approach and splits the main sights up in 2 days to fully delve into each landmark. We used a car, so this itinerary assumes that you will be driving. 

Now, let’s get started!

Short on time?

2 Day Hakone Itinerary Overview and Map

Day 1: Hakone Shrine, Lake Ashi, Motohakone-ko, Gotemba Outlets

Day 2: Owakudani Valley, Hakone Open Air Museum, Onsen

Getting to Hakone

By Car

We rented a car from Orix and drove to Hakone, which I highly recommend doing! The most popular cities to rent from are Odawara (30 mins from Tokyo) or in Hakone (1.5 hours). 

Don’t pick the car up in Tokyo, unless you want to drive through Tokyo traffic. 

The route to Hakone from Odawara is beautiful and quite safe, though there are loops. We drove through the Hakone Turnpike, which my boyfriend loved because it was featured on the Initial D anime. He pretended to drift in our little box car, making the ride very riveting as we sped through the loops at 15 miles an hour. 

Actually, my first sighting of Fuji-San was driving up to Hakone in our car! Having your own vehicle also makes it much easier to visit all the landmarks in Hakone, as they’re quite spread out.

There is tons of parking, and we were able to find spots during peak hours, even at Hakone Shrine. 

Taking the Train to Hakone

If you take the train to Hakone, the earliest train to Hakone from Shinjuku (Tokyo) departs around 7 AM-7:30 AM depending on the day of the week.

If you take the train from Tokyo Station to Odawara Station and then take a bus to Hakone-Yumoto Station, it will take about 2 hours and cost around ¥2,000.

If you take the Romancecar, it’ll take around 1.5 hours then you’ll arrive at Hamote-Yumoto Station around 9-10 AM. 

💡 Pro tip: Alternatively, if you want to start at Lake Ashi, change trains at Yugawara instead and get off at Moto-Hakone Port. This route takes a little under 2.5 hours.

Hakone FreePass

If you aren’t coming to Hakone with a guided tour or a car, then you should purchase the Hakone Freepass to get unlimited transport around Hakone.

There are 8 different modes of transport in Hakone, including trains, buses, cruise, cable car, etc, and you will often need to use multiple transportation modes. Almost all of these, including the Romancecar, are covered by the Hakone FreePass.

A 2-day pass is 6,000 yen, and 2 RomanceCar tickets are 5,000 yen, so it is worth buying if you’re relying exclusively on public transit.

Hakone Itinerary 2 Days

Here's my in-depth guide on spending two days in Hakone based on my personal experience.

Day 1: Hakone Shrine, Amazake Tea House, Gotemba Outlets

Morning: Hakone Shrine & Lake Ashi

I’ve listed Hakone Shrine as the first stop of our itinerary, but keep in mind that the Peace Torii, a.k.a the beautiful torii gate that floats on Lake Ashi, is busy all the time. Unless you manage to arrive here by 7-8 AM, there will be a line to the torii gate.

We arrived at the torii gate at 12 pm and it was PACKED.  Hakone Shrine isn’t too busy, but trying to get a photo at the Peace Torii requires an hour wait. That's right, 1 hour.

We ended up spending 30 minutes exploring Hakone Shrine instead, and returned at 6 PM to find the gate… just as packed. Dang!

Even though we came back in the evening, we ended up waiting an hour anyway to get to the Peace Torii. So if you want that perfect picture, be ready to queue.

💡 Pro tip: If you can wake up early, the best time to arrive is 7 AM so you can skip the line. 

Hakone Amazake Tea House

Just a few minutes drive away is the Hakone Amazake Tea House, a charming tea house that’s been operating for over 400 years. 

Travelers who used to travel on the Old Tokaido Highway would stop at this very tea house to rest and enjoy traditional Japanese snacks, which they still serve today.

Instead of driving from Hakone Shrine, you can choose to walk this very same highway yourself for a scenic stroll on one of the five oldest highways in Japan that lies between Moto-Hakone and Hakone-Machi.  

We spent about 30 minutes here and shared their amasake drink (non-alcoholic sweet rice wine) with some mochi. Their signature drink was very good! I’ve never tasted anything quite like it, so it's definitely worth a try. Even babies can drink it!

💡 Pro tip: The interior is extremely smokey, so eat outside.

Lunch: Daimasa Honten

By this point we decided to eat lunch, since mochi isn’t the most sustaining food in the world. We chose to stay around the Motohakone-ko area and wandered into Daimasa Honten, a local restaurant serving fresh fish.

The wait was a little longer than I would’ve liked, around 20 minutes. Tables were free, but servers were limited. I barely managed to quell my hanger though, because our server was a sweet middle aged woman. 

Lunch was super worth it! We got the negi toro for 1500 yen and I added ebi tempura for an additional 400, but I wish I didn’t. The lunch came with miso soup and pickled vegetables to accompany our entree and I ended up not being able to finish, even though the flavor was so delicious.

Optional: Explore Moto-Hakone-ko 

We love shopping so we decided to head to Gotemba Outlets for the afternoon, but if you want, you can spend another hour or two exploring the Moto-Hakoneko area instead.

Here are a couple of things to do in Moto-Hakoneko:

• Lake Ashi cruise with Mt Fuji views: Ride a pirate ship over Lake Ashi to see the torii gate and Mount Fuji from the water. 
• Narukawa Art Museum: A contemporary art museum dedicated to nihonga, Japanese-style paintings. The museum also has a cafe with beautiful panoramic views overlooking Lake Ashinoko where you can spot the floating Torii gate and Mount Fuji.
• Hakone Checkpoint: Combine the Hakone Checkpoint, a historically important checkpoint with a gate, prison, and lookout tower, with a viewing of Hakone Detached Palace which was previously the Imperial Family’s summer palace. 

Afternoon: Gotemba Outlets

There were a lot of places I wanted to go to when we went to Kawaguchiko, so we decided to use part of our day in Hakone to visit the Gotemba Premium Outlets. This is Japan's most popular outlet mall, with 300 stores and tons of great restaurants. 

We spent 3 hours here, but I WISH we spent a whole day here. If you’re blessed with time and love to shop, spend at least 5-6 hours here! You won’t regret it!

You can spend the whole day here, as the food here is amazing too. We had lunch here and the fatty pork was so good! 

There’s so many shops and so many good deals. Some stores we went to were Moussy, Lily Brown, Snidel, BEAMS, Casio, and Onitsuka Tiger. 

I know I’m outing myself here, but I bought Louboutins here. I know, I know. But they were sold for $620, while a regular pair sells for 1,300 in the US! I bought them for over 50% off!!! If anything, I saved money, right?

Alternative Options: Mishima Skywalk or Venetian Glass Museum

Admittingly, Gotemba Outlet Mall is 30 minutes in between Hakone and Kawaguchiko, so it’s a bit far. If you’re not a shopper, here are some other attractions you could visit instead:

• Mishima Skywalk:  A picturesque spot where you can see Mt Fuji and Suruga Bay from Japan’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge. It’s also a 30 minute drive from Motohakone-ko.
• Venetian Glass Museum: The Hakone Glass no Mori is a small outdoor park featuring around 100 pieces of Venetian glass sculptures.

Dinner: Yakiniku Sakae

Originally, I wanted to eat at Hatsuhana Soba Hoten, a historic restaurant that’s been serving authentic soba since 1934. Everyone recommends this spot, so if you are able to visit then I recommend it. However, it closes at 7 PM, so we missed it for dinner.

We decided to eat at Yakiniku Sakae instead and really liked it!

Located in the Hakone-Yumoto area, Yakiniku Sakae is a modern yakiniku restaurant that serves high end wagyu for a decent price. We paid around 3,500 yen/person ($23 USD), and ordered easily via a tablet. The meat selections were delicious and they had a good amount of variety.

The best part about the restaurant is that we were able to be seated right away without a reservation at around 8:30 PM.

Actually, that was probably the most important part because the majority of the restaurants in Hakone close by 8 PM. But the food was still incredible and affordable!

Evening: Konbini & Chill

Hakone is mostly dead by the time 8 PM hits, so there’s not much to do at night other than maybe 2 bars (Hana Geisha and Pub Ochiai). 

We opted to hit up the local 7-11 convenience store that was a few minutes walk from dinner and grab some snacks.

Enjoy a late night snack while you’re on vacation, and rest up for another full day in Hakone!

Day 2: Owakudani, Hakone Open Air Museum, Onsen

Morning: Owakudani Hot Spring

Owakudani is a volcanic valley formed from a volcanic eruption over 3,000 years ago. It’s an amazing landscape, and you can actually see Mt Fuji from here! It’s very windy at the top though, so our photos turned out kind of silly. 

While you’re here, you have to try the black eggs that are special to Owakudani. The whole gift shop is filled with treats and souvenirs resembling black eggs, and they really market it. We were super excited to get our hands on these magical black eggs that are said to add 7 years to your life.

The taste was… exactly like an egg. Honestly, I'm not sure what else I was expecting.

There’s also a cool museum about the geological history of Owakudani and hot springs in general. We spent around 1 hour here in total.

Optional: Ride the Hakone Ropeway to Gora

From Owakudani, you can pay 2,200 yen ($15 USD) for a roundtrip ticket on the Hakone Ropeway to head to Lake Ashi or Gora.

It’s cool to ride the ropeway because you get to float over the valley and see the active thermal vents from above.

I recommend going to Gora since you went to Lake Ashi yesterday. This way, you can visit Hakone Open Air Museum and then take the Ropeway back to your car. 

When I went, we accidentally went to Lake Ashi and Gora on Day 1, so when we took the Ropeway to Gora we didn’t really have anywhere to go and just took the ropeway straight back. Oops.

Anyways, I’ve grown from my experience and you’ll have a better trip because of my mistake.

Afternoon: Pola Museum or Hakone Open Air Museum

We chose the Hakone Open Air Museum because the Pola Museum seemed more European and we explored quite a number of museums in Europe already. However, if you're visiting in the winter and want to get inside, then the Pola museum might be a better choice.

I’m glad we chose the Open Air Museum, because it’s so unique! Pretty much everything is outdoors, and consists of modern abstract art.

We spent about 2 hours here. The Picasso exhibit had a ton of artwork, and was quite entertaining even though he isn’t really my style. I ended up getting invested in his crazy life and reading all about his history and wives, so I guess the exhibit worked.

My favorite exhibit was the stained glass exhibit! It’s utterly beautiful. Overall, if you enjoy museums or art in combination with nature, you'll love it.

Evening: Day onsen private bath: Hakone Yuryo

As your last day in Hakone winds down, pop into Hakone Yuryo to experience one of their private onsen!

We made reservations for their day use private open air onsen at 4:30 so that we would have enough time to make the last entry (7:00 PM) for dinner at their restaurant. Make sure to make reservations for both.

We originally chose the basic onsen for 9,400 yen, but ended up upgrading to the 13,000 onsen and it didn’t disappoint.

The private onsen is large, with a scenic forest view. They also provide some complimentary amenities like lotion, hair ties, and combs.

You get 2 hours to enjoy the private onsen. We enjoyed the onsen for about 45 mins-1 hour and thought we could eat dinner then return and pack everything up, but dinner ended up running late.

I recommend packing everything and exiting the onsen before dinner so you don’t feel rushed.

Overall, it was super relaxing and an excellent alternative to booking a ryokan with a private onsen.

Dinner: Sukiyaki at Hakone Yuryo

Hakone Yuryo was one of the top meals we had during our 3 week trip to Japan! This quality restaurant serves sukiyaki beef, and you can also try irori, which is the Japanese style of grilling food over a hearth.

This was my first time eating sukiyaki beef with raw egg as a dipping sauce. I thought it was weird, but oh man. It was delicious. We also had the traditional grilled fish that was very good, albeit a little salty.

The sukiyaki was 2,400 yen and the fish was 1,100, making our total for dinner around 3,500 yen per person ($23 USD). So, so delicious, and quite affordable.

Overall, the private onsen and sukiyaki dinner combination was unbeatable, and a perfect ending to our 2 days in Hakone!

Things to Know About Hakone

As charming as Hakone is, there are a few things you should know before coming.

Things close early

Stuff closes early here. And by early, I mean like the restaurants close at 7 PM early.

That’s right, restaurants here close as early as 7-8 PM, so I highly recommend making reservations or be ready to queue in line at 5-6 PM as there are limited places to eat here.

Most of the attractions here will close around 4-5 PM. In fact, the Hakone Ropeway has their last departure around 4:30. So it’s best to start your day as early as possible.

Onsen are spread apart, and most are not tattoo friendly

There are 17 hot springs in Hakone spread out between various towns. Additionally, most onsen here are not tattoo friendly, with one exception being Tenzan Onsen. 

I’ve heard good things about Tenzan, but I chose to visit Hakone Yuryo instead because I prefer private onsen and they also served dinner. The private onsen was amazing, and dinner was delicious, so I have no regrets!

Where to Stay in Hakone

There are two main areas you can stay in Hakone. Yumoto, where the main station is located, and Gora, which is closer to the museums and the ropeway, but takes an extra bus or train ride to reach from Hakone-Yumoto Station. 

We chose to stay in Yumoto because we wanted to stay in a hostel and already planned to visit Hakone Yuryo, which was closeby. 

💡 Pro tip: If you stay in Yumoto, keep in mind that there is one street that has a steep incline and is really hard to turn in if you’re driving a larger car. You can easily avoid this street by routing the other way.

Book Early, or You’ll Regret It

Hakone is one of Japan’s most popular towns, and thanks to limited accommodation options plus hot springs luring in tourists from all over, this place is always booked out.

You should book at least 3-6 months in advance so you aren’t stuck with a crappy hotel as your trip comes closer. 

Budget: K’s House Hakone (Yumoto) ($)

I personally stayed at K’s House Hakone! On our last trip to Japan we decided to try out a bunch of hostels, including two different K’s Houses. 

I would say that K’s House Hakone is the epitome of what I expected a hostel to be. The travelers are nice and social, but definitely foreigners. It was probably the least private hostel that I’ve experienced after staying at 3, but the rooms were quiet, and the price was unbeatable at $42/night ($20 split between the 2 of us). 

If you’re a solo traveler or a couple, then I recommend checking it out. We were able to book a double room, and were the only couple in a room of solo travelers. Overall, the stay was pretty good! 

They offered free earplugs, towels, and yukata are available to rent. 

💡 Pro tip: Make sure to let them know in advance if you need a car spot, because they only have 3. We were the only car parked there though.

Mid-range: Masutomi Ryokan (Yumoto) ($$$)

Just a few minute’s walk from the train station, Masutomi Ryokan is a highly-rated authentic ryokan. You can relax in the private rooftop onsen on the outdoor balcony, and experience a traditional Japanese kaiseki meal. 

For all the ryokan in Hakone, I think Masutomi delivers delicious food and high quality service for a terrific price.

Luxury: Fujiya Hotel (Miyanoshita) ($$$$)

Have you ever seen a hotel that just made your jaw drop? That was what happened to me when we passed by Fujiya Hotel in Hakone.

With gardens, onsen, and multiple restaurants, this 5-star hotel is the place to stay in Hakone if you’re celebrating a special occasion. 

One of the oldest hotels in Japan and the very first resort hotel in the country, this incredibly beautiful hotel has been operating since the 1800s.

Staying here would not only be a once in a lifetime experience, but you’d also experience Hakone’s cultural heritage. 

Hakone Itinerary 2 Days FAQs

Is 2 Days in Hakone Enough?

If you have a car, yes. If you’re using public transportation, you’ll probably benefit from 3 days. You can click this post to learn about the top things to do in Hakone to see how much time you want to spend there.

Can you see Mt. Fuji from Hakone?

Yes, you can! I went in March and was unlucky. We didn’t see Mt Fuji from Hakone Shrine, and while we did spot Fuji-San at Owakudani, the view wasn’t the best. We finally got lucky on our last day in Kawaguchiko. 

The most important factor is the weather, as you won’t see Mt Fuji if it’s cloudy. The more time you can afford to stay in Hakone/Kawaguchiko, the higher your chances will be.

Should I stay in Hakone or Kawaguchiko?

We opted to stay 2 days in Hakone and 1 day in Kawaguchiko because we wanted to spend a full day in Kawaguchiko, and thought it was perfect. 

But if you can only choose 1, then Hakone has more options and is cheaper than Kawaguchiko. 

Renting a Car in Japan

I loved renting a car and exploring Hakone and Kawaguchiko. It was so much easier to see all the landmarks we wanted to visit in two short days. 

And if you want to continue heading over to Kawaguchiko after Hakone, then I would highly recommend renting a car as Lake Kawaguchi is not very accessible by public transit. 

We personally used Orix with Booking and were able to rent our car easily. You can check prices, choose the type of vehicle you want, and add affordable full coverage insurance upon checkout. 

Tips for Renting a Car in Japan

• Drive on the left: You’ll be driving on the left side of the road, and the steering wheel is on the right. It’s not too difficult to get used to, but have some time to adjust before driving in the city. I personally would avoid driving in cramped cities like Tokyo or Osaka in general.
• Learn the rules: Watch a YouTube video about the rules! You have to come to a FULL stop at the stop signs, big red signs that read “止まれ”. Remember that pedestrians always have the right of way, and make sure everyone wears a seatbelt.
• Get car insurance: Between tiny parking spots, winding roads, and the occasional wildlife sighting, car insurance is worth the peace of mind. When you use Booking, you have the option to add insurance at checkout.
• Pick a car that fits: Japan has quite a number of narrow roads in the countryside. A small or mid-sized car is usually best. Booking lets you filter by size, transmission, and even luggage space, so you know what you’re getting.
• Watch out for toll roads: If you’ll be using the expressways, it’s best to include an ETC card. Japan has a lot of toll roads! The card makes paying tolls way faster and way less stressful than having to look for cash.

What you need to rent a car in Japan

• Bring your valid license from your home country.
• An International Driving Permit (IDP) based on the 1949 Geneva Convention. We got ours in 20 minutes with Triple A in California before we left for Japan. 
• A credit card under the driver’s name for the deposit.
• Most rentals require you to be at least 18, and some may require you to have had your license for a year. If you're under 25, there might be a young driver fee.

Ready to give left-sided driving a spin? Click here to book with Booking!

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance

While traveling in a foreign country, it’s a good idea to get full coverage trip insurance just in case an emergency happens. I recommend VisitorsCoverage for affordable prices and great insurance benefits.

Or, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card, you get automatic car and trip insurance!

Conclusion: 2 Day Hakone Itinerary

There you have it, our 2 day Hakone itinerary that we loved! There is so much to do in Hakone that it’s hard to choose what is the most important, but I feel like we were able to explore Hakone fully and slowly fell in love with the town along the way.

If you have an additional day, I encourage you to continue on to Kawaguchiko! We spent 2 days in Hakone and 1 day in Kawaguchiko and loved it. It was utterly perfect and never felt rushed. 

If you need any assistance planning your trip, I offer custom itinerary services! You can email me at audrey@getlostinjapan.com or leave a comment and I’ll try to help. I hope you have the best time exploring Japan!

Related Posts

Where to Stay in Tokyo

The Best Day Trips from Tokyo