Onsen in Hakone: tattoos, day visits and private baths

Hakone's hot springs

Hakone has 17 hot-spring areas, large and small, known as the 17 hot springs of Hakone. The water varies from area to area. Typical spring types:

• Hakone-Yumoto and Tonosawa (where the mountain railway starts): simple springs, alkaline simple springs, sodium chloride springs
• Miyanoshita and Kowakudani (partway up the mountain railway): sulfate springs at Miyanoshita, weakly alkaline simple springs at Kowakudani
• Gora (the end of the mountain railway): calcium sulfate springs, sulfur-calcium-sulfate springs
• Around Lake Ashi: simple springs, simple sulfur springs

In Japan, hot springs that meet a legal standard (therapeutic springs) have official lists of conditions they may help with, by spring type. Chloride and sulfate springs, for example, are listed for poor circulation and dry skin, and sulfur springs for chronic skin conditions. None of this is a promise that bathing will cure anything. If you have a medical condition or aren't feeling well, you may be better off not bathing.

Bathing without staying the night

Some Japanese ryokan and hotels let you use their onsen for a fee even if you're not staying (day-use bathing). Hakone has both these inn baths and onsen built just for day visitors. Of the 42 onsen in Hakone listed on onsen pass, 31 let you bathe without staying the night. The rest are for overnight guests only.

Private baths can be for overnight guests only, too. Of the onsen in Hakone listed on onsen pass, 15 let you rent a private bath without staying the night.

Worth checking with the onsen before you go

• Hours: Day-use hours vary, and at ryokan, day visitors may only be allowed at certain times
• Towels: Some onsen charge for towels or expect you to bring your own
• Payment: Some onsen take cash only
• Language: Whether staff speak English depends on the onsen

For onsen etiquette and how to book a private bath, see these pages.

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Getting there from Tokyo

From Shinjuku in Tokyo, the Odakyu Romancecar gets you to Hakone-Yumoto in about 85 minutes. The fastest trains take 75 minutes; the slowest take around 100. The Romancecar is a limited express with reserved seats, so you pay a limited express fee on top of the regular fare. You can book online in English.

If you have a Japan Rail Pass: The JR Pass covers JR trains only. It isn't valid on the Odakyu Line, the Romancecar or any transport within Hakone. A JR Pass will take you as far as JR Odawara Station. From Odawara, take the Hakone Tozan Line to Hakone-Yumoto.

Large luggage: You can't take large luggage on the Hakone Ropeway. At Hakone-Yumoto Station, the Hakone Luggage Transport Service will deliver your bags to where you're staying; you drop them off in the morning. Ropeway stations also have paid coin lockers.

The Hakone loop and what to see

On a first visit, the classic route is a loop from Hakone-Yumoto over the mountains to Lake Ashi, changing from the mountain railway to a cable car, a ropeway and a pirate ship. The rides are half the fun: each change brings a completely different view, from a hot-spring town in a valley to a steaming volcanic valley to a lake high in the mountains. You can also do it in reverse. The Hakone Freepass gives you unlimited rides and comes in 2-day and 3-day versions.

Hakone-Yumoto → Gora (Hakone Tozan Train, about 40 min)

The train climbs a steep gradient of 80‰ (80 m up for every 1 km), zigzagging up the mountain by reversing direction at switchbacks. In early summer, hydrangeas bloom along the tracks. Along the way, the Hakone Open-Air Museum displays sculptures outdoors and has a footbath that uses hot-spring water.

Gora → Sounzan (cable car)

At Gora, change to the cable car to climb higher up the mountain.

Sounzan → Owakudani → Togendai (Hakone Ropeway)

Owakudani was formed by volcanic activity about 3,000 years ago, and steam still rises from the ground. The view straight down into the valley from the ropeway is a favorite in reviews by overseas visitors. The local specialty is kuro-tamago, eggs with black shells; legend has it that eating one adds seven years to your life. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji too.

Togendai → Motohakone / Hakonemachi (pirate ship, about 25–40 min)

Crossing Lake Ashi, ringed by mountains, on a slow-moving pirate ship gives you a chance to sit back and catch your breath. At Motohakone is Hakone Shrine, whose buildings were first put up on their present site in 757.

Motohakone / Hakonemachi → Hakone-Yumoto (bus)

Take a bus back to Hakone-Yumoto.

For the onsen, we suggest either bathing at a hot-spring area along the loop, or ending at Hakone-Yumoto and bathing before you catch the Romancecar home.

Things to watch out for

The mountain railway and the ropeway sometimes stop because of bad weather or other reasons, so check service status before you set out. The area around Owakudani is a designated volcanic alert zone, and Kanagawa Prefecture asks people who are more vulnerable to volcanic gas, such as those with asthma or heart conditions, not to visit the Owakudani nature area.

Hakone through the seasons

Hakone's highlights change with the seasons. Peak times vary from year to year, so treat these dates as a guide.

• Late March to late April: cherry blossoms. Over about a month, the blossoms move from low-lying Hakone-Yumoto up toward Lake Ashi, so you can follow them up the mountain to wherever they're at their peak, which is part of Hakone's charm. In Miyagino, Somei-Yoshino cherry trees line the Hayakawa River for about 450 m.
• Mid-June to early July: hydrangeas. They bloom along the mountain railway, starting in low-lying Hakone-Yumoto and lasting until around July near Gora. The sight of the train gliding past the hydrangeas is one you'll only see at this time of year.
• Late July to August: fireworks and summer festivals. From late July into early August, fireworks go up over Lake Ashi from a different spot on the shore each night (Lake Ashinoko Summer Festival Week). With mountains all around, the bursts are reflected in the lake. On August 16, a fire in the shape of the kanji 大 (dai) is lit on the slopes of Mt. Myojogatake, which you can see from Gora (Hakone Gora Onsen Daimonji-yaki).
• Late September to early November: pampas grass in Sengokuhara. A meadow spreading up the mountainside is blanketed in pampas grass. Sengokuhara is about 30 minutes by bus from Hakone-Yumoto.
• Early November to early December: autumn leaves. The leaves start turning around Lake Ashi and Sengokuhara, then slowly work their way down to Hakone-Yumoto. As the air turns chilly, it's the season when you'll start craving a hot bath.

Transport and sights tend to be crowded on weekends and during Japan's holiday periods: Golden Week (late April to early May), Obon (mid-August) and New Year (late December to early January). On January 2 and 3, a university relay race (the Hakone Ekiden) runs through Hakone, which can affect roads and buses.

What overseas visitors say about Hakone

Here's what we often see in reviews from overseas visitors.

• "Great views from the ropeway." You look down on Owakudani's steam vents and Lake Ashi, and on a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji.
• "We couldn't see Mt. Fuji." Whether Fuji is visible depends on the weather. Some days it stays hidden in cloud all day.
• "The loop was crowded." Lines for the ropeway (especially during Golden Week) and scrambling for seats on the pirate ship come up a lot.
• "The ropeway wasn't running." It can stop in strong winds. Check service status before you set out.
• "The pirate ship is underwhelming on its own." Some say it's good as part of the loop.

If you have tattoos

Of the 42 onsen in Hakone listed on onsen pass, 30 let you in with tattoos. Of those, 10 let you in with no restrictions and 20 with conditions. The most common condition is "Cover with a patch" (12 onsen), followed by "Small only" (9 onsen). The condition "Overseas visitors only" applies at 1 onsen. We also list the 12 onsen we know turn away people with tattoos.

Our guide explains why Japanese onsen turn away tattoos and how you can still bathe.

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If you want a private bath

A private bath is one you rent for just your group, so you don't share it with other bathers the way you would in the communal bath. It's an easy option if you'd rather not bathe in front of strangers or you're traveling with kids, and if you have tattoos, it can sometimes stand in for the communal bath (whether tattoos are allowed still depends on the onsen).

Some onsen keep their private bath for overnight guests only. Of the 42 onsen in Hakone listed on onsen pass, 25 have a private bath. Of those, 15 let you rent it without staying the night. Booking methods and prices also vary from onsen to onsen.

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