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Hakone in Winter (December–February): Ropeway Until 16:15, Replacement-Bus Dates, Official Temperatures and What the Day Costs

Updated 2026-10-23

Winter takes about 45 minutes off a Hakone day. From December to January the Hakone Ropeway stops boarding at 16:15 instead of 17:00, and the sun is down at 16:28 on 1 December in the Tokyo table of the National Astronomical Observatory, so the clockwise loop (train, cable car, ropeway, boat, bus) has to reach Sounzan by about 15:30. The second thing winter changes is the ropeway itself: the operator has announced that Owakudani–Sounzan is a replacement bus from 7 to 24 December 2026, and Togendai–Ubako–Owakudani from 12 January to 26 February 2027. The Freepass is valid on those buses. The cold is real but measured: Hakone Navi's own table gives Hakone-machi a January average of 0.4 °C against Tokyo's 5.4 °C in the Meteorological Agency's normals, with lows of −9.1 °C. The prices do not move. Everything here is from the operators' and agencies' pages, checked 2026-10-23.

Hakone winter clock on a 9:00 to 18:30 axis: ropeway boarding 9:00 to 17:00 from February to November and 9:00 to 16:15 in December and January, with 16:15 circled; last cable car down from Sounzan to Gora 17:55; last pirate ship from Togendai 16:25 on the timetable valid to 30 November, with a winter timetable from 1 December to 19 March; sunset in the Tokyo table 16:28 on 1 December, 16:38 on 1 January, 17:08 on 1 February and 17:35 on 28 February. A note says to be at Sounzan by 15:30 in December and January.
The ropeway is the clock that moves in winter. Everything after it on the loop, the boat and the bus, has to fit between 16:15 and dark.

The day is shorter: last departures in winter

Service February–November December–January Source
Hakone Ropeway, boarding 9:00–17:00 9:00–16:15 Hakone Navi, ropeway page
Cable car, last car down Sounzan → Gora 17:55 17:55 Hakone Navi timetable
Pirate ship, last boat from Togendai 16:25 (to 30 November) winter timetable 1 December–19 March; some sailings take longer Hakone Navi, cruise page
Replacement buses during the ropeway closures – run during ropeway hours, about every 15 minutes Odakyu Hakone notice, July 2026

Sunset, from the observatory's Tokyo table: 16:28 on 1 December, 16:37 on 31 December, 16:38 on 1 January, 17:07 on 31 January, 17:08 on 1 February, 17:35 on 28 February. December is the dark month; by late February the evening is back to where it was in early November. The sunrise moves the other way, from 6:32 on 1 December to 6:50 at the turn of the year, so an early Romancecar still arrives in daylight.

What this means for the order you ride: the Hakone day trip itinerary runs the loop clockwise, Yumoto → Gora → Sounzan → Owakudani → Togendai → Moto-Hakone → Yumoto. In winter the ropeway's 16:15 is the gate, and the lake is in shadow before that; a boat at 15:00 or so gives you light on the water, which puts you at Sounzan by about 14:00 and at Yumoto on a morning Romancecar. Anticlockwise (bus to Moto-Hakone first, boat, then ropeway up) is the riskier direction in winter, because the ropeway is the last ride and the first to shut.

Two ropeway sections become a bus

Hakone winter calendar from 1 December 2026 to 19 March 2027: the Owakudani to Sounzan ropeway section is a replacement bus of about 10 minutes from 7 to 24 December 2026; the Togendai to Ubako to Owakudani section is a replacement bus of about 15 minutes from 12 January to 26 February 2027; the pirate ship runs its winter timetable from 1 December to 19 March; the Hakone Yuransen boats sail SORAKAZE only to 29 December, both ships from 30 December to 2 February and Daichakai only from 4 February to 12 March. Dates marked: Hakone Museum of Art main building reopens 23 December, New Year shrine visit 1 January, Hakone Ekiden 2 and 3 January, Lake Ashi opening ceremony 5 January, Setsubun at Hakone Shrine 3 February. A note circles 25 December to 11 January as the weeks when the whole ropeway runs.
Between 25 December and 11 January every section of the ropeway is running. Before and after, one section is a bus, and the Freepass covers it.

The Hakone Ropeway closes part of its line every winter for inspection. For 2026–27 the operator's notice (July 2026) says:

Ropeway tickets and the Hakone Freepass are valid on the buses. The notice warns that the buses get crowded and that the road can be slow, and it suggests riding the section that is still open. Owakudani stays reachable in both periods, from the other side. The ropeway and Owakudani guide has the fares (¥2,000 one way for any distance) and the stopover rule.

The boats change too. The Odakyu Hakone pirate ship uses a winter timetable from 1 December to 19 March, and its page says some sailings take longer in that period. The other company on the lake, Hakone Yuransen, sails the SORAKAZE alone until 29 December (last Moto-Hakone-bound boat 16:30 from Sekisho-ato), both ships from 30 December to 2 February, and the Daichakai alone from 4 February to 12 March, when the last loop ends at Moto-Hakone at 16:00. The Lake Ashi cruise guide compares the two companies.

How cold: the official monthly figures, side by side

Hakone Navi, the Odakyu Hakone group's site, publishes monthly temperatures for Hakone-machi on its winter page. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 normals give Tokyo and Odawara for comparison. The agency's Hakone gauge records rain and snow water but not temperature, so Hakone-machi is the operator's figure and the other two are the agency's.

Month Hakone-machi: average / high / low (Hakone Navi) Odawara: mean, daily max, daily min (JMA) Tokyo: mean, daily max, daily min (JMA) Precipitation, Hakone / Tokyo (JMA)
December 3.4 / 14.5 / −6.9 °C 7.8 / 13.0 / 3.1 °C 7.7 / 12.0 / 3.8 °C 107.9 / 57.9 mm
January 0.4 / 10.1 / −9.1 °C 5.3 / 10.6 / 0.6 °C 5.4 / 9.8 / 1.2 °C 127.7 / 59.7 mm
February 1.7 / 13.2 / −8.3 °C 6.1 / 11.3 / 1.3 °C 6.1 / 10.9 / 2.1 °C 151.3 / 56.5 mm

Two readings. First, Hakone-machi's January average is 5 °C below Tokyo's. The operator's page does not say whether its high and low are daily averages or the month's extremes; set against Odawara's daily-average low of 0.6 °C, the −9.1 °C reads as the coldest night of the month, not a typical afternoon on the ropeway. Second, the agency's Hakone gauge collects two to nearly three times Tokyo's winter precipitation, and with the average near freezing some of it falls as snow: Hakone Navi's own words are "there are snowy days during winter in Hakone" and "high-elevation regions are especially chilly". Owakudani is the highest station on the ropeway. A coat, hat and gloves are what the operator asks you to bring; shoes with grip are for paths that can freeze overnight at those lows. Odawara, at the bottom of the Tozan line, is as mild as Tokyo.

What the day costs in winter

The Hakone Freepass has one price table all year (valid from 1 October 2025), and the replacement buses are inside it.

Single tickets With the Hakone Freepass
Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto by Romancecar ¥1,270 fare + ¥1,200 seat fee = ¥2,470 each way 2-day pass from Shinjuku ¥7,100 (child ¥1,600); 3-day ¥7,500 (child ¥1,850); the seat fee is extra
Starting at Odawara – 2-day pass from Odawara ¥6,000 (child ¥1,500); 3-day ¥6,400 (child ¥1,750)
Tozan Train, cable car, ropeway, boat, bus: the loop from Yumoto on single tickets ¥5,800 included, replacement buses included
Ropeway alone ¥2,000 one way, ¥3,000 round trip included

The loop on single tickets costs ¥5,800 from Yumoto, so the ¥6,000 pass from Odawara is already even on the loop alone and the ¥7,100 pass from Shinjuku beats two Romancecar fares plus the loop (¥2,540 + ¥5,800 = ¥8,340 on single tickets, seat fees aside). The Freepass break-even guide runs the cases where it does not pay. For the Romancecar itself, winter seats are the same ¥1,200 fee; the Romancecar ticket guide covers booking.

A winter day in Hakone usually has an onsen in it. The day-use onsen guide compares three baths with official prices and hours, and the Yunessun ticket calculator prices the swimsuit hot spring park by date.

Dates inside the season

If the ropeway matters more to you than the New Year, the weeks to pick are 25 December to 11 January: the only part of winter when all three sections run. If you would rather not meet the Ekiden crowd, keep off 2 and 3 January; if you want to see it, Moto-Hakone on the morning of the 2nd is where the first day ends.

Rather have the winter connections arranged?

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Hakone Ropeway open in winter?

Yes, with shorter hours (boarding 9:00–16:15 in December and January) and one section replaced by a bus for two periods: Owakudani–Sounzan from 7 to 24 December 2026 and Togendai–Ubako–Owakudani from 12 January to 26 February 2027. The whole line runs from 25 December to 11 January. It also stops for wind of 30 m/s or more and in extreme weather; check the operator's status page on the day.

Does it snow in Hakone?

Hakone Navi says there are snowy days in winter and that the high areas are the coldest. The Meteorological Agency's Hakone gauge averages 128 mm of precipitation in January against Tokyo's 60 mm, with Hakone-machi's January average at 0.4 °C on the operator's table, so some of it is snow. Snow depth is not recorded at that gauge, so there is no official average to quote.

What time does a Hakone day end in December?

Ropeway boarding ends at 16:15, the sun sets at 16:28 on 1 December and 16:37 on the 31st, and the last cable car down from Sounzan is at 17:55. Be at Sounzan by about 15:30 if you are riding the loop clockwise.

Is the Hakone Freepass worth it in winter?

The price is the same as in any season: ¥7,100 for 2 days from Shinjuku, ¥6,000 from Odawara. The loop on single tickets is ¥5,800 from Yumoto, and the replacement buses are covered by the pass, so the arithmetic does not change with the season.

What happens in Hakone on 2 and 3 January?

The Hakone Ekiden runs from Tokyo to Lake Ashi on the 2nd and back on the 3rd. The finish and the next day's start are at the lake, so Moto-Hakone and the road from Hakone-Yumoto are busy both mornings.

Official sources (checked 2026-10-23)

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