Going on to Kyoto the next day: stay in Hakone-Yumoto, 15 minutes by train from the Shinkansen at Odawara.
One night, and you want the ropeway and Lake Ashi too: stay in Gora, where the cable car to the ropeway starts.
Coming by highway bus from Shinjuku: stay in Sengokuhara, the only area the bus stops in.
Want a quieter base on the train line: Miyanoshita and Kiga, three stops up from Yumoto.

Pick the area first, then the inn. In each area below there are two inns at different price levels. Every price is a reference total for two adults sharing one room, one night with dinner and breakfast, checking in Wednesday, December 9, 2026, taken from each inn’s own booking page on September 28, 2026, with tax and service included and bathing tax (usually ¥150 per adult) on top. Prices change by date; use these to compare, not as a quote. We haven’t stayed at any of these inns.

Schematic map, not to scale. The Odakyu Line from Shinjuku reaches Odawara, where the Shinkansen stops, and Hakone-Yumoto is about 15 minutes further. The Hakone Tozan Train climbs from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora in about 40 minutes, with Miyanoshita the third stop. From Gora a cable car climbs to Sounzan, and the ropeway runs via Owakudani to Togendai on Lake Ashi, where cruises cross to Motohakone-ko and Hakone-machi-ko. Sengokuhara lies north of Togendai; the highway bus from Busta Shinjuku runs through it via Gotemba and doesn't stop in Yumoto, Miyanoshita or Gora.

Tap the map to open it full size.

Station order and ride times are from Hakone Navi; the highway bus route is from Odakyu Highway Bus. All checked September 28, 2026.

If you are…

  • Two adults heading to Kyoto the next day, with dinner and breakfast for about ¥40,000 or less: Hakone-Yumoto, at Tenseien. ¥33,000 for two on our reference date. Check in by 6 p.m. to get dinner. The next morning, Yumoto to Odawara is about 15 minutes, and on JR Central’s current timetable, Hikari trains toward Kyoto leave Odawara at 8:11 and 10:11 a.m., with Kodama trains about twice an hour in between.
  • One night with a 2-year-old, leaving Odawara for Kyoto in the 9 a.m. hour: Hakone-Yumoto, at Tenseien. Children under school age can share your bed. Its FAQ lists ¥5,500 for a preschooler sharing a bed and says the facility fee applies from age 3, so a 2-year-old shouldn’t be charged it; confirm when you book. It also has a baby plan (¥38,500 for two adults on our date). Breakfast opens at 7:00 and check-out is 10:00, so a 9 a.m. Kodama from Odawara is reachable. Children in diapers can’t use its large baths.
  • Two adults arriving in Gora at 7 p.m. who want dinner and the ropeway loop the next morning: Gora is the right area, but from what we checked we can’t name an inn that guarantees dinner for a 7 p.m. arrival. FUFU Hakone’s dinner plans ask you to check in by 7 p.m., which a 7 p.m. arrival at Gora Station plus its 5-minute pick-up misses. Setsugetsuka, a minute from the station (¥48,000 for two), has a second dinner seating at 8 p.m., but seatings go in check-in order and the inn says they can fill. Ask the inn before you book whether dinner will still be served. Start the loop at 9 a.m., when the ropeway opens.
  • Coming by highway bus from Shinjuku with a 2-year-old and a vegetarian, and no taxi: Sengokuhara, at Shinanoki Ichinoyu. Its official page says it’s a 2-minute walk from the Hakone Glass no Mori bus stop, it serves a vegetarian dinner if you ask in advance (not breakfast), and children 3 and under stay without meals or bedding for a ¥1,529 facility fee. It had no rooms on our reference date, so we have no total to show. On the bus, a child under 6 needs their own seat. If breakfast must be vegetarian too, none of the inns we checked fits this trip: KAI Sengokuhara serves both vegetarian meals, but its official access is by taxi only.
  • You have a tattoo: skip Tenseien, which refuses entry to anyone with a tattoo or tattoo-style sticker. Hatsuhana and Setsugetsuka keep tattoos out of the large baths but point you to the bath in your room or their private baths; Shinanoki Ichinoyu asks you to cover them in its large baths and public areas. KAI Sengokuhara’s operator says it doesn’t restrict tattoos. The other three don’t state a policy.

Pick the area

Area Getting there Best for
Hakone-Yumoto Romancecar from Shinjuku ends here; 15 min from Odawara. No highway bus stop Kyoto the next day; arriving late with bags
Miyanoshita and Kiga Tozan Train, 3rd stop above Yumoto (about 30 min); about 40 min to Odawara. No highway bus stop A quieter base on the train line, with buses to Lake Ashi
Gora End of the Tozan Train, 40–45 min from Yumoto; about 55–60 min to Odawara. No highway bus stop The ropeway loop the next morning
Sengokuhara No train. Highway bus from Shinjuku, about 2 hr 10 min; local buses from Yumoto or Gora Arriving by bus; Togendai and the lake are close

Pick the inn: reference totals

Two adults, one room, one night with dinner and breakfast, check-in December 9, 2026, tax and service included, bathing tax extra. From each inn’s own booking page on September 28, 2026 (KAI Sengokuhara checked by our editor on its booking page the same day).

Area Lower price Higher price
Hakone-Yumoto Tenseien ¥33,000 Hatsuhana ¥108,000
Miyanoshita and Kiga KKR Hakone Miyanoshita ¥32,900 Nazuna ¥176,500
Gora Setsugetsuka ¥48,000 FUFU Hakone ¥172,700
Sengokuhara Shinanoki Ichinoyu: no rooms on that date KAI Sengokuhara ¥127,900 (the booking page didn’t show whether bathing tax is included)

Hakone-Yumoto

The Romancecar from Shinjuku ends at Hakone-Yumoto, and Odawara, on the Shinkansen, is about 15 minutes away on the Hakone Tozan Line. That makes it the easiest place to arrive late with bags and to leave early the next day. The highway bus from Shinjuku doesn’t stop here. Its drawback is distance from the ropeway: the loop starts with a 40-minute train ride up to Gora.

Tenseien

Tenseien

箱根湯本温泉 天成園

Suits you if
You’re catching a train the next day, want dinner and breakfast for about ¥40,000 or less, or you’re bringing a baby or toddler.
Skip it if
Anyone in your group has a tattoo or tattoo-style sticker, someone needs vegetarian meals, or you’ll arrive after 6 p.m. and want dinner.
Total for two
¥33,000: standard plan with a Japanese, Western and Chinese buffet dinner and breakfast, 7.5-mat Japanese room without its own bath (official booking page).
Important limits
Anyone with a tattoo or tattoo-style sticker is refused entry to the building, so a room with its own bath doesn’t get around it. For bookings made from October 1, 2026, it won’t cater for vegetarian, vegan or religious diets. Check in by 6 p.m. if you want dinner. Children in diapers can’t use the large baths.
Children
Preschoolers can share your bed. The FAQ lists ¥5,500 for this and says the facility fee applies to children 3 and up. A baby plan (¥38,500 for two adults on our date) adds a private-bath hour and diapers.
Getting there
About 12 minutes’ walk from Hakone-Yumoto Station, or the shared inn shuttle bus (¥200; no buses from the station 10:20 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.). Check-in 3 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
How to book
Rakuten Travel’s English site had the same dinner-and-breakfast plan for our date. Its listing says check-in until 8 p.m., but the inn’s 6 p.m. rule for dinner still applies.
What we checked
Official booking page, FAQ, dining notice and access page (Japanese); Rakuten Travel listing. September 28, 2026. Not visited.

See the rooms and baths on Tenseien’s official site

See Tenseien on Rakuten Travel

This page contains affiliate links. If you book through them, AHH, JAPAN may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Hatsuhana

Hatsuhana

はつはな

Suits you if
You want a hot-spring bath in your own room near Hakone-Yumoto, including with a tattoo or with children.
Skip it if
You’ll arrive after 7 p.m. (last check-in) or need vegetarian meals confirmed.
Total for two
¥108,000: dinner and breakfast with the standard modern kaiseki course, Comfort room (official booking page).
Important limits
Guests with tattoos can’t use the large bath; the inn asks them to use the open-air bath in their room and its private baths (four, free, one advance booking each). Last dinner start 7:30 p.m. Vegetarian meals aren’t mentioned. Children in diapers can’t go in the tubs.
Children
Families are welcome. Children 0–6 sharing a bed pay a ¥5,000 facility fee.
Getting there
In Okuyumoto, about 10 minutes from Hakone-Yumoto Station by the hotel’s free car (on request by phone, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. only), the K-line bus, or the inn shuttle bus. Check-in 3 p.m., check-out 11 a.m.
How to book
On the official site. The Comfort room behind this price isn’t offered on Rakuten Travel (its lowest for our date was a larger room at US$916.43), and Klook’s listing says children aren’t allowed, which the inn’s own FAQ contradicts.
What we checked
Official booking page, FAQ and access page (Japanese); Rakuten Travel and Klook listings. September 28, 2026. Not visited.

See the rooms and book on Hatsuhana’s official site

Prefer Rakuten Travel for a larger room: Hatsuhana on Rakuten Travel.

This page contains affiliate links. If you book through them, AHH, JAPAN may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Miyanoshita and Kiga

Miyanoshita is the third stop up the Hakone Tozan Train from Yumoto, about 30 minutes, and about 40 minutes from Odawara. Buses from Miyanoshita Station run to Motohakone on Lake Ashi and on toward Sengokuhara. Both inns below are in Kiga, next to each other, uphill from the station. The highway bus from Shinjuku doesn’t come through here.

KKR Hakone Miyanoshita

KKR Hakone Miyanoshita

KKR宮の下

Suits you if
You want the lowest total of the seven inns we could price, a free pick-up from the station, or you’re a family.
Skip it if
You want a bath in your room at this price, or English-speaking staff.
Total for two
¥32,900: creative kaiseki dinner and breakfast, 8-mat Japanese room without its own bath (official booking page, general-guest rate). Its rooms with a semi-open-air bath started at ¥44,900.
Important limits
Run by a civil servants’ mutual-aid association, but open to anyone; ignore the lower members’ rates on its meal pages. Dinner is served 6–8 p.m.; no last start time is stated. Tattoo policy, vegetarian meals and bed-sharing rates for children aren’t stated.
Children
No age limit stated; children’s set meals and a kids’ corner in the lobby.
Getting there
Call from Miyanoshita Station and it picks you up, 2–6 p.m. Morning drop-offs at the station run five times between 8:50 and 10:10. Check-in 2 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
How to book
Rakuten Travel’s English site lists it, though the inn’s supported language there is Japanese only. To use the pick-up, write “Shuttle service requested” in the booking comments, as the listing asks.
What we checked
Official booking page, FAQ, dining and access pages (Japanese); Rakuten Travel listing. September 28, 2026. Not visited.

See the rooms and baths on KKR Hakone Miyanoshita’s official site (Japanese)

See KKR Hakone Miyanoshita on Rakuten Travel

This page contains affiliate links. If you book through them, AHH, JAPAN may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Nazuna Hakone Miyanoshita

Nazuna Hakone Miyanoshita

Nazuna 箱根 宮ノ下

Suits you if
You’re adults who want your own open-air bath and may check in late (until 9 p.m.).
Skip it if
You’re bringing a child aged 5 or under, or you want a dinner seating after 6:30 p.m.
Total for two
¥176,500: sukiyaki or wagyu course dinner and hearth-cooked breakfast, king room with an open-air bath (official booking page, tax included).
Important limits
Children 5 and under aren’t accepted. The official page lists a 7:45 p.m. dinner seating, but only 5:15 and 6:30 p.m. plans were bookable on our date. Tattoo policy and vegetarian meals aren’t stated.
Getting there
About 15 minutes’ walk from Miyanoshita Station, uphill, or the Kiga Onsen Iriguchi bus stop outside. No pick-up is mentioned. Check-in 3–9 p.m., check-out 11 a.m.
How to book
Klook had dinner plans for our date, and its age and check-in terms match the official site.
What we checked
Official property page and booking page (Japanese); Klook listing. September 28, 2026. Not visited.

See the rooms and baths on Nazuna’s official site

See Nazuna Hakone Miyanoshita on Klook

This page contains affiliate links. If you book through them, AHH, JAPAN may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Gora

Gora is the end of the Tozan Train, about 40–45 minutes from Yumoto, and where the cable car to Sounzan and the Hakone Ropeway starts. Staying here puts you at the start of the loop in the morning. The highway bus from Shinjuku doesn’t stop here; the nearest stop is in Sengokuhara, about 15–20 minutes away by local bus.

Kinoyu Setsugetsuka

Kinoyu Setsugetsuka

箱根強羅温泉 季の湯 雪月花

Suits you if
You want a room with its own open-air tub a minute from the station, at a middle price.
Skip it if
You want hot-spring water in your room bath, or you need dinner guaranteed after a late arrival.
Total for two
¥48,000: standard plan with dinner and breakfast, 19 m² double room with its own cypress open-air tub (official booking page, ¥24,000 per adult, tax included; no service charge in its terms).
Important limits
The room tubs aren’t hot-spring water; the large bath and three free private open-air baths are. Dinner is in two seatings, the second at 8 p.m.; seatings go in check-in order and can fill. The group’s rule keeps tattoos out of the large bath and points guests to the room bath and private baths. Vegetarian meals aren’t mentioned.
Children
Ages 3–5 with a children’s meal ¥6,600; 2 and under free without meals or bedding.
Getting there
1 minute’s walk from Gora Station. No shuttle. Check-in 3 p.m., check-out 11 a.m.
How to book
Rakuten Travel’s English site had the same dinner-and-breakfast plan for our date (US$317.82). Klook charges children over 2 as adults, which is stricter than the inn’s own prices.
What we checked
Official booking page, FAQ, room, dining and access pages, and the group FAQ (Japanese); Rakuten Travel and Klook listings. September 28, 2026. Not visited.

See the rooms and baths on Setsugetsuka’s official site (Japanese)

See Setsugetsuka on Rakuten Travel

This page contains affiliate links. If you book through them, AHH, JAPAN may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

FUFU Hakone

FUFU Hakone

ふふ 箱根

Suits you if
You want a hot-spring bath in your room and a dinner time you reserve when you book (as late as 8:30 p.m.), and you can check in by 7 p.m.
Skip it if
You need a stated tattoo policy.
Total for two
¥172,700: Japanese dinner at 8:30 p.m. and breakfast, 92 m² Luxury Suite, on a plan that must be booked at least 30 days ahead (official booking page, tax and service included). Booking later, the regular plan with the same room and dinner time was ¥181,500. On our date only the three largest suite types and the 8:30 p.m. dinner were left; smaller suites were listed from ¥97,700 on the same plan but had no rooms.
Important limits
Dinner plans ask you to check in by 7 p.m. No tattoo policy is stated anywhere official. For vegetarians it says it will try but can’t promise strict diets. Children in diapers can’t use the large bath, and teppanyaki is for ages 10 and up.
Children
All ages welcome; ages 0–12 pay ¥1,650 a night plus meals. The two-person room types can’t take a child.
Getting there
Pick-up from Gora Station (about 5 minutes) if you ask when booking. Check-in 3 p.m. (by 7 p.m. on dinner plans), check-out 11 a.m.
How to book
On the official site: for our date, Rakuten Travel showed only a breakfast plan and Klook showed no rooms.
What we checked
Official booking page, English FAQ, dining, room and access pages, terms of stay; Rakuten Travel and Klook listings. September 28, 2026. Not visited.

See the rooms and book on FUFU Hakone’s official site

Sengokuhara

Sengokuhara has no railway. It’s the only area the Odakyu highway bus from Busta Shinjuku stops in, with no change: about 2 hours 12 minutes to the Sengoku Annaijo stop (Odakyu Highway Bus timetable). By train, you continue by bus from Hakone-Yumoto (about 25–30 minutes) or Gora (about 15–20 minutes). Togendai, the ropeway’s far end and a Lake Ashi cruise pier, is close by. Shinanoki Ichinoyu’s FAQ notes that ice and snow are possible from around December.

Shinanoki Ichinoyu

Shinanoki Ichinoyu

仙石原 品の木一の湯

Suits you if
You’re coming by highway bus and want to walk from the stop, someone needs a vegetarian dinner (dinner only), or you have a small child.
Skip it if
You’ll arrive after 6 p.m. and want dinner, someone needs a vegetarian breakfast too, or someone needs allergy-safe meals.
Total for two
No rooms were available on our reference date (checked by our editor on the official booking page), so we have no total to compare.
Important limits
Check in by 6 p.m. for dinner (seatings at 5:45 or 6:45 p.m.). A vegetarian dinner is available if you ask in advance; there’s no vegetarian breakfast. It doesn’t handle allergies separately. Tattoos must be covered in the large baths and public areas (stickers ¥330 each); the bath in your room has no such rule. Most rooms have an open-air bath with recirculated hot-spring water, but some standard rooms have no bath.
Children
Ages 4–12 pay a child rate; ages 0–3 stay without meals or bedding for a ¥1,529 facility fee. Baby supplies are free.
Getting there
2 minutes’ walk from the Hakone Glass no Mori stop on the highway bus from Shinjuku (¥2,420 one way). No pick-up. Check-in 3 p.m., check-out 10 a.m.
How to book
Rakuten Travel’s English site; its check-in times match the official site. Klook’s listing says cash isn’t accepted and dinner guests must arrive by 7 p.m., which differ from the inn’s own rules (6 p.m.).
What we checked
Official facility, access, cuisine and FAQ pages (Japanese); Odakyu Highway Bus fares; Rakuten Travel and Klook listings. September 28, 2026. Not visited.

See the rooms and baths on Shinanoki Ichinoyu’s official site (Japanese)

See Shinanoki Ichinoyu on Rakuten Travel

This page contains affiliate links. If you book through them, AHH, JAPAN may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

KAI Sengokuhara

Hoshino Resorts KAI Sengokuhara

星野リゾート 界 仙石原

Suits you if
You have a tattoo and want a stated policy, someone is vegetarian, or you’re a family with a young child, and you’re fine taking a taxi.
Skip it if
You’re relying on buses or trains to the door.
Total for two
¥127,900: basic rate with dinner and breakfast, main-building Japanese-Western room with an open-air bath, for two (checked by our editor on the official booking page, September 28, 2026). The page didn’t show whether bathing tax is included.
Important limits
Its operator’s FAQ says it doesn’t restrict tattoos, though staff may decline use of the shared baths if other guests could be frightened; every room has its own open-air bath. Vegetarian kaiseki and a vegetarian breakfast need ordering by 4 p.m. five days ahead. Dinner at 5:30 or 7:30 p.m.; none if you arrive after 8 p.m.
Children
Children up to 6 can share a bed, up to the room’s capacity; there’s a children’s set meal.
Getting there
The official access page gives only a taxi from Gora Station, about 15 minutes, and no shuttle. It names no bus stop. Check-in 2:30 p.m., check-out 11 a.m.
How to book
With a child, or arriving after 6 p.m., book on the official site. Klook’s terms are stricter: check-in by 6 p.m. and one bed-sharing child aged 11 or under per room. Adults arriving before 6 p.m. can use either.
What we checked
Official property, dining and access pages and the Hoshino Resorts FAQ (Japanese); the official booking page, checked by our editor; Klook listing. September 28, 2026. Not visited.

See the rooms and book on KAI Sengokuhara’s official site

Adults arriving before 6 p.m.: see KAI Sengokuhara on Klook

This page contains affiliate links. If you book through them, AHH, JAPAN may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

One night with the loop

The loop is Gora to Sounzan by cable car (about 10 minutes), the ropeway via Owakudani to Togendai, and a cruise across Lake Ashi to Motohakone-ko or Hakone-machi-ko (25 to 40 minutes). The limits that matter:

  • Ropeway hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from February to November, 9:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. in December and January.
  • Planned closures: the ropeway between Owakudani and Sounzan is replaced by buses from December 7 to 24, 2026, and between Togendai and Owakudani from January 12 to February 26, 2027.
  • Dinner: the eight inns start dinner between 5:15 and 8:30 p.m., so a loop on arrival day has to end by late afternoon. That’s why the Gora answer puts the loop on the next morning.

Sending bags ahead: all eight inns are on the Hakone luggage delivery service’s partner list. Leave bags at Hakone-Yumoto Station from 8:30 a.m. to noon and collect them at the inn from 3 p.m.; on the way out, hand them in at the inn’s front desk by 10 a.m. and collect them at the station from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. It’s ¥1,500 per regular bag each way (¥2,500 large), per the service’s current page. It doesn’t take strollers.

ON THE HIGHWAY BUS WITH A SMALL CHILD?

A child under 6 needs their own seat at the child fare. The bus has no child seats, and riding on a parent's lap isn't allowed.

Going on to Kyoto

From Hakone-Yumoto, it’s about 15 minutes to Odawara on the Hakone Tozan Line. From Odawara, westbound Hikari trains leave about every two hours (6:56, 8:11, 10:11 a.m., then 12:07 p.m. and every two hours to 6:07 p.m. on JR Central’s current timetable), with Kodama trains about twice an hour. Hakone’s tourism association gives about 2 hours 40 minutes from Odawara to Kyoto, changing between a Kodama and a Nozomi. From Gora, add the 40–45-minute train down to Yumoto.

You don’t need the Shinjuku version of the Hakone Freepass if you’re continuing west. Odakyu sells the pass from Shinjuku (¥7,100 for 2 days, adult) with one Odakyu round trip between Shinjuku and Odawara, or from Odawara (¥6,000 for 2 days) without it. Both cover the Tozan Train, cable car, ropeway, cruise and designated buses in Hakone. The Romancecar needs a separate limited-express ticket either way.

Once you’ve picked an inn, here’s what to expect inside a ryokan. If you want a private hot-spring bath on a day trip instead of an overnight stay, see our private onsen guide.

Sources

All checked September 28, 2026.