How do I get from Tokyo to Hakone with JR Pass?

Hakone is a short 15-minute bus or train ride from Odawara Station. If using your JR Railpass from Tokyo, get the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station! If you have a JR Rail pass, take the Shinkansen to Odawara. At Odawara, you can by a Hakone Freepass that will cover your travels in the area.



To reach Hakone using a Japan Rail (JR) Pass, your primary route is taking the Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station to Odawara Station. The "Kodama" and some "Hikari" trains are fully covered by the JR Pass and will get you to Odawara in about 30 to 35 minutes. Once you arrive at Odawara, you have reached the limit of the JR network for this area. From here, you must transfer to the Hakone Tozan Railway or a local bus to reach Hakone-Yumoto, the gateway to the mountains. Since these local lines are operated by the private Odakyu Electric Railway, they are not covered by the JR Pass. To save money on the local portion of the trip, most travelers purchase a "Hakone Free Pass" at Odawara Station, which provides unlimited use of the mountain trains, cable cars, ropeways, and the famous pirate ships on Lake Ashi. While you could take the non-JR "Romancecar" directly from Shinjuku for a smoother ride, the Shinkansen-to-Odawara route is the fastest way to utilize your JR Pass investment for the bulk of the journey's distance.

Excellent question! Using the JR Pass for the Hakone trip is a bit tricky because the JR Pass does NOT cover the final, essential leg of the journey into Hakone itself. However, it can get you most of the way there very efficiently.

Here’s the standard and most recommended route using the JR Pass:

1. Tokyo to Odawara (Fully Covered by JR Pass)

This is the main leg where your pass shines. Take the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station to Odawara Station. Recommended Train: The Kodama or Hikari trains (your pass is NOT valid on the fastest Nozomi trains). Travel Time: About 35-50 minutes. Why Odawara? It’s the main JR gateway to the Hakone region. Your pass covers you completely to this point.

2. Odawara to Hakone (NOT Covered by JR Pass)

From Odawara, you must switch to private railway lines operated by Odakyu Electric Railway or the local Hakone Tozan Railway. Your JR Pass is not valid here, so you’ll need to pay separately. You have two main options:

Option A: Purchase the Hakone Free Pass (Highly Recommended) This is the most cost-effective and convenient way to explore Hakone once you arrive at Odawara. What it is: A discounted pass covering almost all transportation within Hakone (buses, trains, cable cars, pirate ships, and discounts on attractions). It also includes the round-trip from Od

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The JAPAN RAIL PASS is not valid for any seats, reserved or non-reserved, on “NOZOMI” and “MIZUHO” trains on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen lines. (The pass holders must take “HIKARI,” “SAKURA,” “KODAMA,” or “TSUBAME” trains.)

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With your pass, you can take unlimited rides on most shinkansen (bullet trains), as well as on rapid, express and local JR trains. Outside urban centers such as Tokyo and Osaka, the pass is best used to cover distance, as it does not include municipal subways and private suburban lines.

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Here is how to use your JR Railpass to get to Hakone. Yes, you can use the JR Rail pass to get to the Hakone area. The JR Rail Pass can be used on JR Trains and the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) only. You can get to Odawara Station using your JR Rail pass, but from there you will need to pay for transportation separately.

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Alternatively, the Odakyu line runs between Tokyo's Shinjuku Station and Hakone-Yumoto Station. There is an express train which takes around 85 minutes or a slower, cheaper train which takes around two hours (you change at Odawara Station). Another option is to buy a Hakone Free Pass.

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For a limited time only, you can buy a Japan Rail Pass from certain train stations and airports in Japan. Travelers should be aware it is more expensive to buy a JR Pass in Japan than to purchase the pass online.

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Helpful InfoHAKONE AND KAWAGUCHIKO Kawaguchiko gives one of the best views of Fuji in all of Japan, but the logistics of getting there and other activities are very limited. Hakone has good views of the mountain, but convenient connection to transportation and many other attractions in the area.

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Hakone: If you don't have a rail pass, the cost from Tokyo is much cheaper vs from Kyoto. And if you have a nationwide JR Pass, you can take Shinkansen to Odawara and then transfer to an Odakyu train to Hakone. The entire trip takes around 45 minutes.

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The pass is valid for two or three days (depending on the pass you select). It includes a round trip ticket on the Odakyu Line (from the departure station to Shinjuku) plus unlimited rides on different transportation modes in Hakone (additional fares are required for Limited Express Romancecar trains).

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Each person will need their own JR Pass.

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The JR pass is only worth it if you travel through different cities, if you are just travelling to Tokyo to Kyoto for example, I would just pay on the Suica. You can do the online calculator or just use google to calculate which trip is easier - paying individually on Suica or getting a JR Pass.

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