Hakone Free Pass Day Trip: Japanese Riders' Route Tricks — Board at Odawara, Walk Gora Park Downhill, and Trust the Station Soba
箱根フリーパス日帰り旅 —— 日本人視聴者のルート術（小田原から乗る・強羅公園は下る・駅そばを信じろ）
By Rakutaro · Tokyo, Japan
Under a Japanese rail YouTuber's 2022 ¥10,000 Hakone Free Pass day trip, the most-liked food tip (272 likes) isn't black eggs or a lake-view restaurant — it's Hakone Soba, the humble station soba chain, endorsed by a former staffer who says it beats "overpriced soba restaurants" and shares the trick of asking for your kakiage fried fresh. The rest of the comments read like a regulars' operating manual for the classic loop: board buses at Odawara instead of Hakone-Yumoto if you want a seat, walk Gora Park top-to-bottom rather than climbing it, and expect the ropeway to be in fog more often than not. And a few would steer you somewhere calmer instead.
These comments are from a video published in 2022. Prices, rules and crowds may have moved since; anything we checked ourselves is marked with a source.
“The thumbnail isn't Lake Ashi, Owakudani or the Romancecar — it's Hakone Soba. Peak Suit quality.”
サムネが芦ノ湖でも大涌谷でもロマンスカーでもなく、箱そばというのがスーツクオリティ
What Japanese people do instead
Thank you for featuring Chisuji Falls. It really is little-known — when we went, even in autumn, there was nobody else there. Just quiet, and lovely.
千条の滝の紹介、ありがとうございます！ 知名度が低いとのことで、私たちが行った時も、秋だというのに、他にだれもいませんでした。とにかく静かで素敵なところでした。 一緒に行ったお友だちの一人が、その翌年亡くなったこともあって、その時のことを懐かしく思い出しながら動画を視ています。
— @たけなかまみ17 likesI went to Hakone recently after watching the earlier video — stayed at Yutowa and walked to Chisuji Falls. It made for a really good trip, so I recommend both.
前の箱根の動画をみてこの間箱根に行きました ゆとわに泊まり、千条の滝にも行きましたがとても良い旅行になりましたのでおススメです
— @あられ-z1n10 likesFor a change, ride the Seibu-affiliated Izuhakone Bus with Atami Station as your start and end point instead of the Odakyu network, and tour Hakone while feeling the old 'Hakone mountain war' between the two rail groups. That's its own kind of fun.
あえて、小田急系ではなく西武系の伊豆箱根バスで熱海駅を起終点にして箱根をめぐり、「箱根山戦争」を感じるのもまた一興。
— @東海道の甘木某70 likes
Places named in this article
- Meidai Hakone Soba (Odawara Station)Odawara Station
The Odakyu station soba chain the comments crowned over pricier restaurants (272 likes) — next to the Odakyu ticket gates; ask for the kakiage fried fresh.
- Gora ParkGora
On a steep slope — Japanese commenters get off at Koen-Kami station and stroll downhill through the park instead of climbing.
- Chisuji FallsKowakidani
The quiet spot commenters guard: "even in autumn, nobody else there." A short walk from Kowakidani.
- Hakone Geo MuseumOwakudani
¥100 volcano museum by the crater area, recommended in the comments alongside the reservation-only nature trail tour (as of the comments).
Named in the source comments. Where a note gives a price, opening status or rule, we checked it against the linked source on the date shown — everything else is what the comments said. All of it can change; check the map listing before you go.
FAQ
- Is the Hakone Free Pass worth it for a day trip?
- Yes for the classic loop, and it is unusually cheap if you bring kids. A 60-like comment says the train, cable car, ropeway and boat circuit gives you "overwhelmingly more" than driving. The quirk a 37-like comment flags is the child fare: it is nowhere near half the adult price, and that still holds. From Shinjuku the two-day pass is ¥7,100 for adults and ¥1,600 for children; from Odawara it is ¥6,000 and ¥1,500.
Sources: odakyu-freepass.jp — checked 2026-08-24
- Where should I board the bus to get a seat in Hakone?
- Start at Odawara rather than Hakone-Yumoto. As one commenter puts it, from Hakone-Yumoto "the buses mean queuing and standing" — boarding one stop earlier at Odawara is the small trick Japanese riders use to ride seated.
- Can you walk around Owakudani?
- Not freely. Per a detailed local comment, the nature trail closed after the 2015 eruption and reopened in March 2022 as reserved guided tours only (as of the comments). The same commenter recommends the ¥100 Hakone Geo Museum next to the crater area.
- What is Hakone Soba?
- Hakone Soba — "Hakosoba" to regulars — is the Odakyu group's station soba chain, found at Odawara and along the line. A former staffer's 272-like comment calls it the best station soba in the business and says to ask for the kakiage fritter fried fresh — it takes minutes and transforms the bowl.
Hakone Street Food, Rated by Japanese Comments: Black Egg Realities, the Yumochi Everyone Loves, and the Manju Shop's Real Best Item
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What Japanese people said — picked from the top 60 of 283 comments
I used to work at Hakone Soba, so I recognized it instantly lol. I think it's the best station soba there is — honestly better than some overpriced soba restaurant. A little trick: the kakiage fritter is genuinely great, but it loses half its magic if it's not freshly fried. So when you order kakiage soba, try asking, "Could I get one fried fresh?" It takes a few extra minutes, but it's so good.
バイトしてたからすぐ箱そばって分かったw 数ある駅そばで1番美味しいと思います。下手に高い蕎麦屋さん行くよりよっぽど美味しいです。 裏技？ですが、箱そばのかき揚げはマジで美味いのですが、揚げたてじゃないと美味しさ半減なので、かき揚げそばを頼んだら「揚げたて頂いてもいいですか？」と伝えてみてください。 少し時間はかかりますが、めっちゃ美味しいです！
I went at night and they fried it fresh for me — made my day.
夜に行ったら揚げたてにしてくれたからうれしかった
Hakone Soba's chilled kakiage soba is better than Fuji Soba's. The batter is crisp and the grated daikon is on point.
富士そばの冷やしかき揚げより箱根そばの冷やしかき揚げの方が美味い。衣サクサクで大根おろしも良き。
Driving has its comforts, but touring Hakone by train, bus, ropeway and your own two feet gives you overwhelmingly more. This channel doesn't do shallow — it digs into what's actually worth seeing.
車の観光は楽な面も多いですが電車やバスやロープウェイと自分の足で観光した方が得られるものが圧倒的に多いと思いました。スーツ旅行チャンネルは40年流行に遅れていると仰っていましたけど薄っぺらでなく深掘りして見るべきものを教えてもらえて嬉しいです。
From Hakone-Yumoto the buses mean queuing and standing, so I board at Odawara as a matter of course. A little knowledge buys you comfort.
箱根湯本からだとバスは並ぶ、座れない、だから当たり前に小田原からにした。ちょっとした知恵で快適をてに入れられる。
Gora Park sits on a steep slope, same as the cable car. The easy route is: get off at Koen-Kami station, stroll down through the park, and walk out at Koen-Shimo or Gora station. Climbing it the other way, like he did — respect.
強羅公園は、ケーブルカーと同様急斜面にあるので、 「公園上駅下車、公園内を散策しながら下る、公園下駅または強羅駅まで歩いて下る。」 が楽なルートです。 登ったスーツ君、お疲れ様です。
The weird thing about the Hakone Free Pass is that a child's pass isn't half the adult price of ¥3,050 — it's ¥1,100.
箱根フリーパスのおかしいところは子どもが大人料金の半額の3050円ではなく1100円というところ
The Owakudani nature trail closed after the 2015 eruption, and since March 2022 you can only enter on a reserved guided tour. The explanations are genuinely worth it — pyroclastic flow traces, the boulder that shielded the Kuro-tamago hall from rockfall. The town's Hakone Geo Museum is also great: ¥100 admission to learn the volcano and the terrain.
大涌谷自然研究路は、2015年の噴火以降閉じていましたが、2022年3月より予約制ガイドツアーでのみ入ることができます。 火砕流の跡、落石から”くろたまご館”を防いでくれた大岩など、説明はとても参考になります。 箱根町立ジオミュージアムもおすすめ。入館料100円で火山や地形の勉強ができます。
Every single time I go to Hakone, the ropeway is in fog. I want to go on a clear day for once.
箱根は何回行っても、霧の中のロープウェイになってしまうので、晴れてる時に行きたい。
I went alone last summer and the ropeway stopped mid-air — spent 30 minutes shut inside. A fine memory now.
去年の夏一人旅で行ってロープウェイが途中で止まり中に30分閉じ込められたのはいい思い出です。