The Hakone Free Pass Loop

The Hakone Free Pass is the backbone of almost every visit to the area. Sold by Odakyu, the pass bundles the train from Shinjuku to Odawara with unlimited rides on the Hakone Tozan railway and cable car, the Hakone Ropeway, the Lake Ashi sightseeing cruise and the local Hakone Tozan buses, so the whole mountain-and-lake circuit becomes a matter of hopping on and off. The classic loop runs from Hakone-Yumoto up the switchback railway to Gora, takes the funicular to Sounzan, floats over the steaming valley of Owakudani by ropeway, glides down to Togendai on Lake Ashi, and crosses the water on a pirate-style ship to Moto-Hakone or Hakone-machi, with a bus back to the station. The version sold on Tiqets also comes in a Fuji-Hakone variant that adds the Fujikyu railway and buses toward Kawaguchiko, which is handy if you plan to continue to the Fuji Five Lakes. Because every leg is a different type of transport, the day feels like an attraction in itself, and the pass removes the headache of buying six separate tickets.

How the loop works in practice: the first stretch from Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto climbs through forest on the Hakone Tozan railway, a small mountain train that uses switchbacks to gain height, and it is especially lovely when hydrangeas bloom in early summer and when the leaves turn in late autumn. At Gora you change to the cable car to Sounzan, where the ropeway begins. The ropeway is made up of three roughly fifteen-minute legs, Sounzan to Owakudani, Owakudani to Ubako and Ubako to Togendai, and on clear days Mount Fuji appears behind the mountains. Operating hours run a little shorter in December and January, and the ropeway can stop for strong wind, bad weather or annual maintenance, so check the day-of status before you commit.\n\nPlanning the day: start early, because the boat and ropeway queues build through the late morning, and decide in advance whether you want to go clockwise or the reverse. Many visitors stop for lunch at Owakudani, where a new restaurant opened on the second floor of the ropeway station in July 2026, and where the famous black eggs are sold. If cloud or volcanic-gas precautions close the Owakudani section, replacement buses are normally arranged, though they can be crowded. Pick up your physical pass at the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center in Shinjuku or at Odawara if you buy a mobile voucher.\n\nWho it suits and what to know: first-timers and families will get the most from it, and it works well with an overnight in an onsen ryokan so you are not rushing back to Tokyo. The Tiqets listing is non-refundable and cannot be rescheduled, so book it once you have a weather window, and confirm the validity period shown at checkout. Photo opportunities cluster at the lake, so keep your camera ready when the ship passes the red torii gate of Hakone Shrine.