Mt. Fuji, Hakone Ropeway, Owakudani and Lake Ashi tour review
My verdict: this is the one I would put a first-time visitor on if they do not want to think about trains. It is the most-booked Hakone day out of Tokyo by a wide margin, the guides get named in the reviews far more often than they get complained about, and it gives Owakudani a proper stop rather than a drive-past. Two things are not in the price and both catch people out: the ropeway fare covers one direction only, and the pirate-ship cruise on Lake Ashi is an optional extra you pay for on the day. Bring cash, and expect Tokyo traffic to eat into the schedule.
What the day actually is
Pickup is at 7:30 in the morning at JR Tokyo Station, by the BEAMS sign at “STAND T”, or at 8:00 at Shinjuku Station by Tokyo Mode Gakuen. Then two hours on a coach. You get twenty minutes at the Heiwa no Torii and twenty at Hakone Shrine, twenty-five on the Lake Ashi cruise if you have paid for it, thirty on the ropeway, and fifty at Owakudani. After that a twenty-minute photo stop at Shirahama, forty minutes for lunch, forty at Oshino Hakkai, and two hours back.
Fifty minutes at Owakudani is the number that matters. It is a live geothermal valley with sulphur vents and the black eggs boiled in the springs, and it is the stop people come back talking about. Several tours on this site give it fifteen.
Usually included
- A/C coach and a live multilingual guide
- Hakone Ropeway fare, one way
- Tolls, fuel and parking
- Heiwa no Torii and Hakone Shrine
- Owakudani, with fifty minutes on the ground
Not included
- The Lake Ashi cruise, about ¥1,700, paid on the day
- The return ropeway leg — the fare is one way
- Lunch, during the forty-minute stop
- Hotel pickup: you meet the coach at Tokyo or Shinjuku
The two catches, in plain terms
The ropeway inclusion is one way. The operator’s own adult one-way fare between Sounzan and Togendai is ¥2,000 and the round trip is ¥3,000, so if you want to come back over the top rather than continue round the lake, that is money you had not budgeted. The ropeway page has the full fare table, adult and child, both directions.
The cruise is not included at all. It is roughly ¥1,700 for the adult one-way sailing and the guide will buy it for you if you ask, in cash, on the day. That is a reasonable way to run it and it keeps the headline price down, but nobody enjoys discovering it at the jetty. One reviewer put it better than I can.
“The tour was great, little annoyed cash was needed. Perhaps include the boat ride in the trip and provide an option to pre-pay for the lunch. Had to spend time and money getting cash from an ATM.” — LeVan, 5★
What 7,661 reviewers agree on
Guides come up by name constantly — Kousei, Jack, Kurosu and James recur — and almost always warmly. The consistent gripe is time: the day is long, and Tokyo traffic is unforgiving of a schedule with two two-hour coach legs in it.
- “Tokyo traffic pushed back the schedule and made it a long day.” — Delfin, 5★
- “It was a long day, but we got to see so many different areas around Mt. Fuji.” — Nico, 5★
- “It was a nice outing with a lot of travel, but it was an outing that we might not have done on our own.” — Joachim, 5★
- “We were in the 10% that actually saw the summit of Mount Fuji.” — Patricia, 5★
Patricia’s line is hers, not a statistic. I have no idea what the real odds of seeing the summit are on a given day and I am not going to invent a figure. What I can tell you is that reviewers on this tour describe both thick fog and a clear summit, sometimes in the same week.
What works
- Fifty minutes at Owakudani, the longest stop of any tour here
- Guides named and praised across thousands of reviews
- Two pickup points, at Tokyo Station and Shinjuku
- Cheaper than every other coach day here except the viewpoints tour
- The lake torii and Hakone Shrine, back to back
Worth knowing
- Ropeway fare covers one direction only
- The Lake Ashi cruise costs about ¥1,700 extra, cash, on the day
- Four hours of the ten are spent on the coach
- Traffic regularly pushes the schedule back
- No hotel pickup — you get yourself to the meeting point
Who should book it, and who should not
Book it if you have one day, no interest in working out train changes, and you want Owakudani rather than a photograph of Owakudani from a coach window. It is the safest coach product on this site and the volume of reviews means you are not gambling.
Skip it if you would rather move at your own speed. Riding the same ground on the Hakone Freepass costs ¥7,100 for two days of validity and includes both the ropeway and the cruise, which this tour does not. What the loop is and how long it takes is on the Hakone Loop. Skip it as well if an eleven-hour day sounds worse than an early train; Tokyo to Hakone lays out every route with fares.
The alternatives worth a look
Best ratedRopeway ticket includedMt. Fuji & Hakone Tour: Arakurayama, OshinoHakkai, Owakudani
Cruise + cable carRopeway + cruise includedTokyo: Mt. Fuji and Hakone Tour with Cable Car and Cruise
Do it yourselfHakone: Train Pass with Unlimited Rides & Activity Discounts
Frequently asked questions
Is the Lake Ashi cruise included in this tour?
No. The operator excludes it and lists it as an optional extra of about ¥1,700, which you pay in cash on the day; the guide will buy the ticket for you if you ask. Two of the three tours on this site that do include the cruise cost considerably more, and both are compared on all tours.
Does the price include the ropeway both ways?
One way only. The operator's own adult fare is ¥2,000 one way and ¥3,000 round trip, so the return leg is a real cost if you want it. Full fares by direction and age are on the ropeway page.
How long is the tour and where does it leave from?
Ten hours. Pickup is 7:30 AM at JR Tokyo Station by the BEAMS sign at “STAND T”, or 8:00 AM at Shinjuku Station by Tokyo Mode Gakuen. Roughly four of the ten hours are coach time, which is why reviewers describe it as a long day.
What happens if the ropeway is closed on the day?
It suspends in high wind and the cruise changes route or stops in heavy fog, so it does happen. Check live status at hakonenavi.jp before you set off, and read the other reviews for how often weather comes up.