神奈川Kanagawa
箱根Hakone
Hot springs, a crater lake and Mount Fuji over the ridge, under two hours from Tokyo. The roads up are some of the best driving near the city.
- From Tokyo
- About 1 h 40 by car
- Give it
- 2 days
- Best in
- Autumn to spring
Hakone is where Tokyo goes for a night in a hot spring, and it is an easy first drive in Japan. You are on the expressway within half an hour of the city, and in the mountains soon after.
Take the Hakone Turnpike or the Ashinoko Skyline for the views: wide curves, little traffic on a weekday and Fuji across the valley on a clear morning. Lake Ashi sits at the top, with the red torii of Hakone Shrine standing in the water.
With a car you keep your own hours: the open-air museum in the morning, Owakudani's steaming valley before the crowds, a late lunch by the lake, then back to your ryokan with no bus timetable to watch.
Give it two days: a night in an onsen inn, then an easy drive home the next afternoon.
季節Seasons
Hakone through the year
- Spring 春Best
Cherry blossom in Yumoto in early April and up at the lake in mid to late April, then fresh green on every slope.
- Summer 夏
Cooler than Tokyo up at the lake, though the rainy season can hide Fuji for days.
- Autumn 秋BestNow
Pampas grass at Sengokuhara from late September and maple through November, when the clearest views of Fuji begin.
- Winter 冬Best
Cold, bright days and the best chance of seeing Fuji. Ice is possible on the high roads early in the morning.
Know when Hakone is at its best
A short note from our family before the best weeks in Hakone and the rest of the Drives near Tokyo, with any offers. A few times a year, by email.
祭り・行事Festivals
Festivals and events in Hakone
Dates come from each organiser’s own site and are added as they are announced. Big events bring crowds and road closures, so plan your Drive around them.
Hakone Ekiden university relay
Route 1, Odawara to Lake Ashi · 箱根駅伝
Japan’s best-known university relay race. Runners climb Route 1 to Lake Ashi on 2 January and run back down on 3 January, with crowds along the road.
Route 1 through Hakone closes while the runners pass, late morning on 2 January and early morning on 3 January.
Official siteLake Ashi Summer Festival Week
Lake Ashi · 芦ノ湖夏まつりウィーク
Hakone Shrine’s summer festivals, with fireworks over a different bay of the lake each night. On 5 August a torii gate set up on the water is set alight.
Official siteGora Daimonji-yaki
Gora · 箱根強羅夏まつり大文字焼
Bonfires forming the character 大 are lit on Mount Myojogatake from about 19:30, with fireworks, to send off the spirits at Obon. Held since 1921.
Parking near Gora is limited and the roads fill up; the Hakone Tozan train runs extra services that night.
Official siteHakone Daimyo Procession
Hakone-Yumoto · 箱根大名行列
A costumed re-enactment of an Edo-period lord’s procession, held since 1935, walking through the onsen town with performances along the way.
Roads on the route close around the middle of the day and Route 1 through Yumoto is very slow; police suggest the Hakone Shindo bypass instead.
Official site
旅の相談Plan this Drive
Drive to Hakone
Tell us your dates and who is coming.
他の行き先More Drives
