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Shinjuku to Hakone by Highway Bus: Fares, Stops, Booking and Bus vs Romancecar (2026)

Updated 2026-10-13

Most Hakone guides put you on the Romancecar. If your first stop is Lake Ashi, though, there's a bus from Shinjuku that costs ¥2,560 to Togendai, the pier where the ropeway and the pirate ship start. The train-and-bus route to the same pier costs ¥3,800 with the Romancecar and ¥2,600 without, and both make you change at Hakone-Yumoto.

The bus is the Odakyu Highway Bus (小田急ハイウェイバス), Shinjuku – Gotemba – Hakone line. It leaves from Busta Shinjuku, the bus terminal at Shinjuku Station's South Exit, and takes the Tomei Expressway to Gotemba, then climbs over the hills into Hakone from the west. That last part is what most people miss. It never goes near Hakone-Yumoto. So the bus suits some plans and is useless for others.

Odakyu Highway Bus from Busta Shinjuku, scheduled time and adult fare: Tomei Gotemba 1:40 and 2,000 yen, Gotemba Station 1:45 and 2,000 yen, Gotemba Premium Outlets 1:50 and 2,000 yen, Hakone Sengoku 2:12, Togendai 2:25 and 2,560 yen, Hakone-en 2:40, Hakone Odakyu Yama no Hotel 2:45 and 2,730 yen. With a Hakone Freepass bought for Shinjuku, Shinjuku to Tomei Gotemba or the outlets is 1,400 yen.
Times are the official schedule from Busta Shinjuku. Where a box says "not listed", the official fare table doesn't give a fare from Shinjuku to that stop.

Fares from Shinjuku

Odakyu Highway Bus changed some fares on 1 September 2026. These are from the current table:

Busta Shinjuku to Adult Child
Tomei Gotemba, Gotemba Station, Gotemba Premium Outlets ¥2,000 ¥1,000
Otome Toge (Otome Pass) ¥2,340 ¥1,170
Kintoki Tozanguchi (trailhead for Mt. Kintoki) ¥2,400 ¥1,200
Hakone Glass Forest ¥2,420 ¥1,210
Sengoku Kogen ¥2,490 ¥1,250
Hakone Togendai (Lake Ashi) ¥2,560 ¥1,280
Hakone Odakyu Yama no Hotel ¥2,730 ¥1,370

The fare is the same in the other direction. Children under 6 aren't supposed to ride on a lap. The operator asks you to buy them a child ticket and a seat, and there are no child seats on board.

Paying online on the operator's Japanese booking site (credit card, d-barai or PayPay) takes 3% off.

Bus or Romancecar?

Shinjuku to Togendai, adult one way. Highway bus direct: 2 hours 25 minutes scheduled, 2,560 yen, no change. Romancecar 80 minutes plus Tozan Bus 40 minutes: 3,800 yen (1,270 fare, 1,200 Romancecar fee, 1,330 bus). Odakyu train about 2 hours plus Tozan Bus 40 minutes: 2,600 yen. The change at Hakone-Yumoto is extra time.
Riding time only. On the train routes you also wait for a bus at Hakone-Yumoto.

If you're going to Togendai, Sengoku, the Glass Forest or the Gotemba outlets, take the bus. It's the cheapest of the three and you keep one seat the whole way. The 2 h 25 min is the timetable figure, and the operator warns that road and weather conditions can make it late. It also posts notices about Tomei Expressway roadworks. Build in slack if you have a ropeway or boat time to catch.

If you're going to Hakone-Yumoto, Gora, the Open-Air Museum or an onsen in Yumoto, take the train. The bus doesn't go there.

What we'd do for a day trip: bus out to Togendai, then the Hakone loop backwards (ropeway up to Owakudani, down to Gora, Tozan Train to Hakone-Yumoto) and the train home. You start on the lake side with no change, and the ride home is by rail, so a jam on the expressway can't make you late at the end of the day. Our Hakone day trip itinerary has the ride times and last departures for each leg.

With a Hakone Freepass

The Freepass covers the Odakyu Highway Bus only in its designated area, the Hakone and Gotemba end. Between Shinjuku and Gotemba you pay. If your Freepass was bought for Shinjuku (not Odawara), there's a special fare of ¥1,400 one way between Shinjuku and Tomei Gotemba or Gotemba Premium Outlets. From Gotemba on to Togendai, the pass covers it.

Compare that with the train. A Shinjuku Freepass already includes the Odakyu train to Hakone-Yumoto, and the Romancecar seat costs ¥1,200 on top. So with a Freepass in hand, the bus to Lake Ashi costs ¥200 more than the Romancecar and ¥1,400 more than the regular train.

The ¥1,400 ticket is awkward to get. The official page says it's sold only at the Busta Shinjuku counter and at the Odakyu Highway Bus Gotemba office (cash only there), after staff check everyone's Freepass. You can't buy it online or at a convenience store. We couldn't find a way to buy it at Togendai for the trip home, so if you want the bus both ways with a Freepass, ask at the Busta Shinjuku counter before you leave.

The Hakone Freepass calculator shows whether the pass pays off for your loop at all. Our Hakone bus guide lists which local buses take it.

Booking

Short rides inside Hakone are different. Between Tomei Oyama, Gotemba, Sengoku, Togendai and Yama no Hotel you can't reserve: wait at the stop and pay on board.

Bags, outlets and the trip back

Departure times change with the season and between weekdays and weekends, and the line got a new timetable on 1 June 2026. We haven't copied the times here: open the official timetable on the day you book.

Passes and tours PR

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need to book the bus from Shinjuku to Hakone?

Booking is the safe choice, since the seats are reserved. If you didn't book, you can still buy a ticket at Busta Shinjuku on the day when seats are left.

Can I use the Hakone Freepass on the Shinjuku to Hakone bus?

Only on the Gotemba and Hakone end. With a Freepass bought for Shinjuku, the Shinjuku to Gotemba part costs ¥1,400, and you buy that ticket at the Busta Shinjuku counter.

Does the highway bus go to Hakone-Yumoto?

No. It goes via Gotemba to Sengoku, Togendai, Hakone-en and Yama no Hotel. For Hakone-Yumoto, take the Odakyu train or the Romancecar.

Official sources (checked 2026-10-13)

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