Many people travel to Hakone before, but mostly visited there with a tour package, as it is part of the tour vacation itinerary. But what is going to share in this show Hakone access guide is for those who plan to visit Hakone by themselves. There so much benefits to travel with own page rather than following a tour, since you will not need to rush for the sight seeing or even worst, no time for shopping! Having all the time you need, really go through the interesting spots and enjoy the scenery in all the way you like, snap as many as photos you like, shop until the shop closes or enjoy your local authentic Japanese meals at your own pace.
Odakyu Romance Special Express Train
It is very easy to get into Hakone from Shinjuku station. By taking the Romance Special Express train from Shinjuku, the total journey only needs about 85 minutes and very comfortable ride. There are couple of types of express train from Shinjuku to Hakone, they are VSE50000 and HiSE10000. Both of these trains are the most famous one, due to 2 reason, one is the fastest and comfortable, the other reason is it has a wide angle mirror wide in front of the train, so you can 180 degree view of th scenery along the journey.
There is a Odakyu Sight Seeing Service Center cater for foreigners right beside the Odakyu Line. You can buy your tickets and ask for travel information there. The people work there can speak really good English, so no worries. It is recommended to buy the Hakone FREE PASS, it includes return ticket from Shinjuku to Hakone, 2 days or 3 days unlimited ride of all transportation in Hakone (buses, pirate ship, cable cars and train), also it comes with some discount on certain entry tickets for theme parks, museums, hot spring center and restaurants too. The pricing for 2 day FREE PASS is Yen $4700, but only depart from Monday to Thursday, not available during 19th March-10th April, 28th April-5th May, 19th July-31st August, and 29th December-3rd January. For the 3 day FREE PASS is Yen $5500.
Below are the free public transportation ride with the FREE PASS in Hakone.
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