Hakone passes or single tickets: what each covers

Start with what a pass replaces

The decision in Hakone is not which attraction to book first. It is whether to buy a transport pass, and if so which of three, because a pass and a single ticket can cover the same ride. Odakyu's Hakone Freepass page lists eight transport services on the pass: the Odakyu Line, Hakone Tozan Train, Hakone Tozan Cable Car, Hakone Ropeway, Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, Hakone Tozan Bus, the "Kanko Shisetsu-Meguri" sightseeing bus, Odakyu Highway Bus and Tokai Bus, in designated areas. The Komagatake Ropeway and the museums are not on that list; they are separate tickets, which the second half of this guide compares.[8]

Three Odakyu passes

Hakone Freepass. SkyGate sells it as a 2-day or 3-day option, each including one round trip on the Odakyu Line from Tokyo to Hakone plus unlimited travel on the local services for the chosen number of consecutive days. Odakyu describes it as including a round trip from Shinjuku, and says the Romancecar limited express needs a separate ticket, which SkyGate also states as an additional surcharge.[8][1] Odakyu's FAQ says a 2-day pass ends after the last train or bus service on the second calendar day, not 48 hours after purchase.[8] Both options are exchanged at a counter: SkyGate's text says to redeem the voucher at the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center at Shinjuku West or at Odawara, and the option data says the voucher needs printing.[1]

Hakone Kamakura Pass. SkyGate lists one 3-day option that adds unlimited rides on all Odakyu and Enoden lines to the same Hakone services.[2] Odakyu says it covers unlimited rides in both the Hakone and Enoshima-Kamakura areas, and all Odakyu lines for three days, which it notes also suits sightseeing in Tokyo. It is a transport entitlement, not an itinerary: Odakyu's sample itinerary shows Kotoku-in and Enoshima, but the pass does not include any admission.[9] Redemption is the same counter exchange as the Freepass.[2] See the Kamakura and Hakone pages on XTOUR for the destinations.

Fuji Hakone Pass. SkyGate lists a 3-day option and its page gives no redemption text.[3] According to Odakyu, the pass includes a discounted Odakyu round trip between Shinjuku and Odawara, the Hakone services, and unlimited rides on the Fujikyu Railway (Otsuki to Kawaguchiko) and Fujikyu Bus in designated areas at Mount Fuji. Odakyu says the JR Chuo Line to Otsuki and the Chuo Expressway highway bus from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko are not covered. Odakyu's FAQ also says this pass cannot be bought online or from a ticket machine and is sold at the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Centers at Shinjuku West or Odawara as a paper ticket; SkyGate's page gives no such instruction, and XTOUR has not reconciled the two.[3][10]

Eligibility differs by source. SkyGate's Freepass and Kamakura Pass pages say the pass is only for non-Japanese citizens and that a passport or ID may be checked at collection.[2][1] The Odakyu pages XTOUR read state no residency rule, and XTOUR has not reconciled the two, so treat SkyGate's wording as the condition of the SkyGate listing.[9][8] SkyGate's Fuji Hakone Pass listing states no eligibility rule.[3]

The single tickets

Hakone Lake Ashi Sightseeing Cruise Ticket. SkyGate sells three one-way options that differ only by departure port: Hakonemachi-ko to Togendai-ko, Motohakone-ko to Togendai-ko, and Togendai-ko to Hakonemachi-ko or Motohakone-ko, each listed at 35 minutes and non-refundable. You exchange the voucher for a boarding pass at the counter of any of three ports, then show the boarding pass at the gate; SkyGate says services can change or stop for strong wind or heavy fog, and that wheelchair users can board.[4] The operator's Japanese page lists four ports, Sekisho-ato, Moto-Hakone, Hakone-en and Kojiri, and XTOUR has not matched SkyGate's port names to them.[12] XTOUR's reading is that a Freepass holder does not need this ticket, because the pass lists the cruise.[8]

Hakone Komagatake Ropeway Round-Trip Ticket. This is the Prince Hotels ropeway from Hakone-en beside Lake Ashi to the summit, which SkyGate and the operator both put at about seven minutes each way.[5] The operator's page says the first ascent is at 9:00 with departures every 20 minutes, and that operation can change with the weather.[13] SkyGate says the option is non-refundable, that children under 7 are free, and that renovation or inspections may be scheduled at any time.[5] Hakone Navi lists the ropeway among Freepass discount facilities with a discounted fare and no free on-and-off, so a Freepass holder may still want this ticket.[11] It is a different ropeway from the Hakone Ropeway on Odakyu's list.[8][13] See the Hakone Komagatake Ropeway page on XTOUR.

The Hakone Open-Air Museum Ticket. The operator says the grounds hold about 120 sculptures on roughly 70,000 square metres, with the Symphonic Sculpture in stained glass by Gabriel Loire and a forest footbath, and gives 9:00 to 17:00 with last admission 30 minutes before closing.[14] SkyGate offers Admission and Admission (Youth: 15-18 Years), and says photography is for personal use only and video recording is not allowed inside the indoor exhibition spaces.[6] Hakone Navi lists the museum among Freepass discount facilities.[11] See the Hakone Open-Air Museum page on XTOUR.

Hakone Venetian Glass Museum Ticket. The operator says it is the first museum in Japan specialising in Venetian glass, with a collection of about 1,000 pieces and about 100 on display, and a garden.[15] SkyGate offers Admission and a student option for high school and university students, who must bring a student ID to the ticket counter. SkyGate's page warns that some areas have no ramps and that steps and level changes may affect wheelchair, pushchair and cart users, and that tripods are not permitted.[7] The operator's site showed daily hours of 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM on the day XTOUR read it and says it closes for 11 days each winter and may close on other days.[15] Hakone Navi lists it among Freepass discount facilities.[11] See the Hakone Venetian Glass Museum page on XTOUR.

How to choose

• Hakone only, from Shinjuku, one to three days of local rides including the cruise: the Hakone Freepass, in its 2-day or 3-day option.
• Hakone plus Kamakura and Enoshima on Odakyu and Enoden lines: the Hakone Kamakura Pass.
• Hakone plus the Fuji lakes by Fujikyu Railway and bus: the Fuji Hakone Pass, and confirm how it is collected first.
• A single crossing of Lake Ashi with no pass: the Hakone Lake Ashi Sightseeing Cruise Ticket, choosing the departure port you will actually be at.
• A summit viewpoint over the lake: the Hakone Komagatake Ropeway Round-Trip Ticket.
• Art, either outdoors or indoors: the Hakone Open-Air Museum Ticket for sculpture and the Hakone Venetian Glass Museum Ticket for glass.

XTOUR's reading is that the pass is worth pricing against your own list only when you plan several rides, and that any single ticket for a service the pass already lists should be dropped.

Before you book

• Check who the pass is for: SkyGate's Freepass and Kamakura Pass text says non-Japanese citizens only, and Odakyu's pages do not state it.[8][2][1]
• The Romancecar needs its own limited express ticket on any of the three passes.[10][9][8]
• The cruise and ropeway options are listed as non-refundable.[5][4]
• Museum and ropeway hours are set by their operators and can change; check the operator's page for your date.[13][15][14]