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Tokyo to Hakone by Train: Romancecar, Regular Odakyu or Shinkansen? Times, Fares and Which to Take (2026)

Updated 2026-10-17

No train from central Tokyo runs up into the Hakone mountains. Every one of them ends at Odawara, or, if it is an Odakyu train, at Hakone-Yumoto, the first station inside Hakone. So the choice is really about how you reach Odawara. Near Shinjuku, use Odakyu: ¥1,270 to Hakone-Yumoto on a regular train in about two hours, or add a ¥1,200 Romancecar seat and ride straight through in 75 to 107 minutes, depending on the train. Near Tokyo Station or Shinagawa, the Tokaido Shinkansen reaches Odawara in 35 to 38 minutes for ¥3,280, and the Japan Rail Pass covers it. The fares and minutes below come from Odakyu, JR Central, JR East, Hakone Tozan and Hakone Navi pages, checked 2026-10-17.

Route map of four trains from Tokyo to Hakone. Odakyu from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto: regular trains 1,270 yen, about 2 hours, change at Odawara; Romancecar seat plus 1,200 yen, or 1,150 online, 75 to 107 minutes, direct. Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Odawara 3,280 yen, Shinagawa 3,100 yen, Hikari or Kodama, 35 to 38 minutes. JR Tokaido Line local from Tokyo to Odawara 1,600 yen, child 800 yen. Hakone Tozan Train Odawara to Hakone-Yumoto 360 yen, change at platform 3 for Gora. Fares checked 2026-10-17.
Blue is Odakyu, navy is JR, red is the Hakone Tozan Train. All four routes pass through Odawara; only the Romancecar carries you past it without a change.

Which station are you starting from?

You are near Take Change? Time Adult fare to Hakone-Yumoto
Shinjuku Odakyu Romancecar, direct to Hakone-Yumoto No 75–107 min on the timetable ¥2,470 (¥2,420 booked online)
Shinjuku Regular Odakyu to Odawara, Tozan Train onward Yes, Odawara About 2 hours ¥1,270
Tokyo Station, Shinagawa Tokaido Shinkansen (Hikari or Kodama) to Odawara, change there for Hakone-Yumoto Yes, at Odawara 35–38 min to Odawara (28–31 from Shinagawa), plus the Tozan ride ¥3,640 (¥3,460 from Shinagawa)
Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Yokohama JR Tokaido Line local to Odawara, same change Odawara Slower than the Shinkansen; JR East's pages would not open for a minute count ¥1,960 from Tokyo
Shin-Yokohama Shinkansen one stop to Odawara, same change Odawara One stop ¥2,340
Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Asakusa, Ginza Get to Shinjuku first, then Odakyu Yes, at Shinjuku Add the ride to Shinjuku As above

Odakyu wins from Shinjuku on every count: cheapest, and with the Romancecar also the only train that goes all the way without a change. The Shinkansen is the faster way out of Tokyo Station, but the Shinkansen plus the Tozan Train costs ¥1,170 more than the Romancecar and still leaves you with a platform change and a ticket queue at Odawara. Pay that only if you hold a Japan Rail Pass, or if you are already at Tokyo Station with a train to catch. The regular Odakyu train is the budget pick, and the saving is exactly the ¥1,200 seat fee.

What each train costs to Hakone-Yumoto

Ticket table comparing four trains to Hakone-Yumoto, one way per adult. Romancecar from Shinjuku 2,470 yen, or 2,420 booked online, 75 to 107 minutes, reserved seat, no change. Regular Odakyu from Shinjuku 1,270 yen, about 2 hours, change at Odawara. Shinkansen from Tokyo Station plus the Tozan Train 3,640 yen, 3,460 from Shinagawa, 35 to 38 minutes to Odawara then the Tozan Train. Tokaido Line from Tokyo Station plus the Tozan Train 1,960 yen, minutes not published on a page we could open. Children 6 to 11: Romancecar fee 600 yen, Shinkansen 1,640 yen, JR local 800 yen.
The cheapest and the fastest both leave from Shinjuku. The Shinkansen buys speed out of Tokyo Station, then hands you back to the Tozan Train.

How long it takes, by the timetable, not the brochure

Odakyu's headline is "approx. 80 min" for the Romancecar. The timetable valid from 14 March 2026 is less tidy than that, and the gap is worth knowing before you book:

My reading: plan on 85 to 90 minutes, treat 80 as the best case, and look at the arrival time printed on the train you are booking rather than the brochure figure. The early weekday trains are the slow ones, which is the opposite of what most visitors expect.

For the Shinkansen, JR Central's timetable (also from 14 March 2026) shows Kodama 801 leaving Tokyo at 06:30 and arriving at Odawara at 07:05, 35 minutes; Kodama 807 at 07:57 takes 38; Hikari 631 at 06:21 takes 35. Nozomi trains pass Odawara without stopping, and not every Hikari stops either (Hikari 635, the 08:33, runs straight through), so look for a Kodama or a Hikari with an Odawara time in its column. The regular Odakyu train is "about two hours" in Odakyu's words, with seats not guaranteed; Hakone Tozan publishes no minute figure for the Odawara to Hakone-Yumoto stretch on the pages we could open, so plan on the Romancecar's quarter of an hour plus whatever wait you draw.

Changing at Odawara

Odawara is one building with three railway companies in it, and Hakone Navi's station guide lays it out. The Shinkansen gate is at the West Exit on the 1st floor. The JR Tokaido Line gate is on the 3rd floor. Odakyu and the Hakone Tozan Train share one ticket gate, and the trains to Hakone-Yumoto leave from platforms 7 and 11. Romancecar tickets are sold next to that gate, and the Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center, open 8:30 to 18:00 all year, sells both Romancecar tickets and the Hakone Freepass.

Arriving by Shinkansen, you walk from the West Exit gate to the Odakyu gate, buy or tap, and ride one more train. Arriving by Odakyu regular train, you stay inside the gate and cross to platform 7 or 11. At Hakone-Yumoto, the Romancecar uses platform 1, local trains back to Odawara use platform 2, and the red Hakone Tozan trains up to Gora leave from platform 3. One more thing from the same pages: transport IC cards work on the Hakone Tozan Train but not on the Hakone cable car above Gora.

Japan Rail Pass holders

The pass covers JR trains, so the Shinkansen or the Tokaido Line to Odawara costs you nothing extra. Two limits: Nozomi and Mizuho trains need a special ticket issued only to pass holders, which on this line is irrelevant anyway because Nozomi does not stop at Odawara; and Odakyu and the Hakone Tozan Railway are private railways outside the pass. The clean plan is Hikari or Kodama to Odawara, then the Odawara version of the Hakone Freepass, ¥6,000 for two days (child ¥1,500), which covers the Tozan Train from Odawara and the whole Hakone loop. It is sold at Odakyu's ticket machines at Odawara, at the Sightseeing Service Center and at the Odawara Ekimae Information Center. Skip the Shinjuku version: its extra ¥1,100 pays for an Odakyu round trip you are not taking.

Which Freepass: Shinjuku or Odawara version?

Pass 2 days 3 days What the difference buys
Hakone Freepass from Shinjuku ¥7,100 (child ¥1,600) ¥7,500 (child ¥1,850) One Odakyu round trip Shinjuku ⇄ Odawara, worth ¥1,820 in single tickets
Hakone Freepass from Odawara ¥6,000 (child ¥1,500) ¥6,400 (child ¥1,750) Nothing on the Tokyo side; you arrive by JR

The gap is ¥1,100 and the Odakyu round trip it replaces is ¥1,820 (¥910 each way), so anyone riding Odakyu both ways is ¥720 better off with the Shinjuku version. The Romancecar fee is extra on either pass: ¥1,200 to Hakone-Yumoto, ¥1,000 if you leave the train at Odawara. Whether a pass beats single tickets at all depends on how much of the loop you ride; the Hakone Freepass calculator adds up your own plan, and the break-even guide shows where the line falls.

What I would do

Booking the ride

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Frequently asked questions

Is there a direct train from Tokyo Station to Hakone?

No. From Tokyo Station every train ends at Odawara, where you change to the Hakone Tozan Train for Hakone-Yumoto. The only direct train into Hakone from central Tokyo is the Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku.

Can I use a Suica or PASMO card the whole way?

Yes, for the fares: Odakyu, JR and the Hakone Tozan Train all take the transport IC cards, and the Odakyu IC fare to Hakone-Yumoto is ¥1,261. The Romancecar seat fee is a separate express ticket, and the Hakone cable car above Gora does not accept IC cards.

Does the Nozomi stop at Odawara?

No. Take a Kodama, which stops at every Shinkansen station, or one of the Hikari trains that show an Odawara time on the timetable. From Tokyo the ride is 35 to 38 minutes either way.

Official sources (checked 2026-10-17)

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