This site uses affiliate links (PR). Details

Sengokuhara Pampas Grass Field, Hakone: Best Time, the Bus from Hakone-Yumoto and What It Costs (2026)

Updated 2026-10-24

Go in October, and go before lunch. That is my answer for the Sengokuhara susuki field (susuki is Japanese pampas grass), and both official season windows back it up: the Hakone Tourist Association says the plumes are gold from late September to late October, and the Kanagawa Tourism Association runs the viewing season to early November. The field is free and has no gate. From Hakone-Yumoto Station the Hakone Tozan Bus T line takes about 30 minutes to the Sengoku-Kogen stop, and the field is a 5-minute walk from there. The Hakone Freepass covers the bus. Every date, stop and fare on this page comes from Hakone Navi, the two tourist associations and Odakyu's highway-bus fare table, checked 2026-10-24.

Bus map to the Sengokuhara susuki field: Hakone-Yumoto Station by T line about 30 minutes via Sengoku Annaijo-mae to the Sengoku-Kogen stop, then a 5-minute walk; Gora Station by S line about 20 minutes to Sengoku Annaijo-mae and a change to a T bus; Togendai by T line under 15 minutes; Busta Shinjuku by Odakyu highway bus, 2,490 yen, 132 minutes to Sengoku Annaijo-mae. T and S buses are covered by the Hakone Freepass. A note says Sengoku is a different stop: stay on until Sengoku-Kogen.
Four ways in. All of them end at the same stop, Sengoku-Kogen, not the stop called Sengoku.

When is the field gold?

Source What it says Window
Hakone Tourist Association (hakone.or.jp) plumes turn gold and cover the whole slope late September – late October
Kanagawa Tourism Association autumn viewing season late September – early November
Hakone Navi (Odakyu Hakone) four colour stages: green, starting to turn, golden, yellowish brown; a dated photo through the season latest photo dated 20 October 2026
Hakone Navi yamayaki, the controlled burn mid to late March

The two windows differ only at the tail. Hakone Navi's four stages end in "yellowish brown", and that is where November sits: the plumes are still standing, but the gold has gone out of them. So October is the month, and inside October I would take the earlier half if I had the choice, because the Tourist Association's own window closes at the end of the month.

Hakone Navi adds one timing detail that matters for photos: in early autumn the contrast between the golden plumes and the still-green stems is strongest in the early morning. The first T bus of the day from Hakone-Yumoto gets you there before the tour buses.

Calendar strip from September to March for the Sengokuhara susuki field: Hakone Tourist Association window late September to late October, Kanagawa Tourism Association viewing season late September to early November, Hakone Navi controlled burn in mid to late March. Date marks: 23 September Autumnal Equinox Day for the Susuki Festival, 20 October 2026 for Hakone Navi's latest colour photo, 21 November forecast peak for the maples at Choanji. October is circled as the month inside both windows.
Both official windows cover October. The maples in Sengokuhara come a month later than the grass.

What the field looks like in the other seasons

Sengokuhara also has maples. The Weathernews forecast we read on 2026-10-22 puts Choanji temple, by the Sengoku bus stop, at peak around 21 November. If you want gold grass and red maples on the same day, there is no such day; our Hakone autumn leaves 2026 page has the dates for the rest of Hakone.

How to get there

From Hakone-Yumoto Station (the usual way)

Straight from Shinjuku by highway bus

From Gora, or from Togendai on the loop

That last route is the one I would plan around: ride the ropeway down to Togendai in the morning, bus back to the field, then carry on by bus to Hakone-Yumoto. The sections and their last departures are in the Hakone day trip itinerary.

What it costs: nothing, and what is paid next door

The field has no admission and no opening hours. The paid places are within a few bus stops along the same road.

Place Adult price Hours Freepass discount Nearest stop
Sengokuhara susuki field free open all day – Sengoku-Kogen
Hakone Glass Forest (Venetian Glass Museum) ¥1,800 10:00–17:30, last entry 17:00 ¥100 off Hyoseki Hakone-garasunomori-mae (T)
Lalique Museum Hakone ¥1,500 9:00–16:00, last entry 15:30 ¥200 off Sengoku Annaijo-mae (T)
Pola Museum of Art ¥2,200 at the door, ¥2,000 online 9:00–17:00, last entry 16:30 ¥200 off free shuttle from Gora Station

Museum prices are the ones each museum prints on its own page, recorded in our fares file on 2026-10-12; the Freepass discounts are from Hakone Navi's spot pages. The Hakone museums ticket calculator adds up any mix of them, with the Freepass and online discounts applied.

The field itself

A day with the grass in it

  1. Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto by Romancecar (about 80 minutes, see Romancecar tickets), or the Odakyu highway bus straight to Sengoku-Kogen if you would rather not change.
  2. T bus from Hakone-Yumoto to Sengoku-Kogen, about 30 minutes. Walk the 700 m path and back while the light is low.
  3. Bus on to Togendai (under 15 minutes), then the ropeway up over Owakudani to Sounzan, cable car to Gora, Tozan Train back to Hakone-Yumoto. The ropeway and pirate ship prices are in Hakone Ropeway tickets and the pirate ship guide.
  4. Or the reverse: loop first, field last. Then take the T bus from Togendai, get off at Sengoku-Kogen, and ride the next T bus back to Hakone-Yumoto. The field has no closing time, but the bus does, and after dark there is nothing to see.

The whole loop, with the Freepass sum for it, is on Hakone Freepass: worth it?.

Passes and tours

PR Affiliate links (disclosure): booking through them supports this site at no extra cost. Prices on partner sites may differ from the official prices on this page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Sengokuhara Susuki Festival?

An evening event at the Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands, usually on Autumnal Equinox Day (23 September in 2026): the garden is lit after dark, with food stalls, performances and fireworks at the end (Hakone Tourist Association, hakone-japan.com). It is held in the garden, not in the field itself.

Can I pay for the Hakone Tozan Bus with a credit card?

Yes. Hakone Tozan Bus takes contactless Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners, Discover and UnionPay cards: tap on when you board and tap off when you get off. Cash with the numbered ticket and IC cards work too.

Does the Hakone Freepass cover the highway bus from Shinjuku to Sengoku-Kogen?

Only the part inside Hakone. The Freepass list marks the W line (Odakyu Hakone Highway Bus) as valid with a separate charge for the Tomei-Gotemba to Shinjuku section, so a pass holder still pays for the run out of Tokyo.

Is the Hakone Glass Forest open when the grass is gold?

Yes. Its closing days are 11 days from the day after Coming of Age Day in January; in October it is open 10:00 to 17:30. The Lalique Museum closes on the same January days.

Official sources (checked 2026-10-24)

More for your trip