Hakone and Mount Fuji on a Budget

Hakone and the Fuji lakes have a reputation as an expensive getaway, and a ryokan with kaiseki dinner certainly is. But you can enjoy the mountains, the lakes and the hot springs on a modest budget by choosing carefully where to spend and where to save. This guide gives practical ways to cut costs without losing the best of the trip.\n\nChoose the right transport. Transport is usually the largest cost after accommodation. The Hakone Free Pass bundles the train between Shinjuku and Odawara with the mountain railway, cable car, ropeway, cruise and local buses, and it saves money if you plan to do most of the loop in one or two days. If you only want one or two sights, individual tickets or a regional bus may cost less, so compare before buying. A Fuji-Hakone version of the pass adds Fujikyu railway and buses if you continue to Kawaguchiko. For the Fuji lakes, highway buses from Tokyo are often cheaper than trains, and local sightseeing bus passes cover repeated hops around Lake Kawaguchiko. Cycling the flat parts of the lake shore costs very little.\n\nFill your day with free sights. Some of the area's best experiences cost nothing. Chureito Pagoda and Arakurayama Sengen Park are free to enter, Hakone Shrine and its torii can be visited without a ticket, and the Old Tokaido cedar avenue is a free walk. The village lanes around Oshino Hakkai are free to wander, as are Lake Kawaguchiko's promenade and Lake Yamanaka's shoreline. Gotemba Premium Outlets is free to enter, and walking in Odawara Castle's grounds costs nothing, though the keep charges a small fee. Mix paid highlights, such as the ropeway or the Open-Air Museum, with plenty of free walking.\n\nDay baths instead of ryokan nights. A night in a top ryokan is a major splurge, but you can enjoy hot springs for far less by visiting a day-bath facility. Tenzan near Hakone-Yumoto is a classic example, and several lakeside spots at Yamanakako and Kawaguchiko offer baths with Fuji views. Combine a day bath with a stay in a business hotel, a hostel or a guesthouse, and you get the onsen experience at a fraction of the price. If you do want one memorable ryokan night, make it a single splurge, such as at Gora Kadan or Kozantei Ubuya, and stay elsewhere the rest of the trip.\n\nCheap places to sleep. K's House Mt. Fuji at Kawaguchiko is a friendly hostel with dorms and private rooms and a shared kitchen, while mid-range resort hotels such as Hotel Green Plaza Hakone offer a hot spring and a bed at a lower price than the traditional inns. In Hakone itself, rooms at small guesthouses and hostels cluster around Hakone-Yumoto and Odawara, which are also convenient for trains. Staying in Odawara or Gotemba and visiting Hakone as a day trip is another saving, since city-style hotels are cheaper than mountain ryokans. Book early for weekends, as the cheapest beds disappear first.\n\nEat well for less. Lunch is the cheapest meal of the day, and many restaurants offer set lunches at reasonable prices. Try noodle shops for soba or Fujiyoshida udon, and bakeries and convenience stores for breakfast and snacks. Village stalls at Oshino Hakkai sell inexpensive snacks, and supermarkets stock bento boxes in the evening, often discounted late in the day. If you stay in a ryokan, consider a room-only or breakfast-only rate and eat in town. Refill a water bottle rather than buying drinks, since tap water is safe and many sights have fountains.\n\nTime your trip. Prices rise sharply in cherry blossom season, autumn foliage season and during major holidays such as Golden Week, Obon and New Year. Late January and February, parts of the rainy season in June and the quieter days of early December tend to offer lower prices and fewer crowds, though weather and service hours change. Weekdays are cheaper than weekends. Day tours from Tokyo can also be good value if you want to see several sights quickly and do not want to buy multiple tickets.\n\nA sample budget plan. Spend one day on the Free Pass loop with a picnic lunch, walk to Hakone Shrine and the cedar avenue, soak in a day bath in the afternoon, and stay in a modest hotel near Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto. The next day, take a highway bus to Kawaguchiko, visit Chureito Pagoda and Oshino Hakkai by local transport and sleep in the hostel. This gives you the mountain, the lakes, the hot springs and the famous views at a fraction of the cost of a luxury ryokan itinerary.