Hakone: Day Trip or Overnight Stay. Which is Best?

We all know that feeling: You’re planning a trip to a new country, you’ve got 50 browser tabs open, you’re refining your itinerary, and then you realise there’s no way you can do everything in the time you’ve booked off work.

For visitors to Japan, that game of calendar Tetris suddenly switches to hard mode. You want to do everything, you’ve realised two weeks isn’t enough, and suddenly your brain is going “can I move my flights? Can I move to Japan? Can I bring cats on a plane? How much do apartments cost? Oh that one looks nice…” (no? just me?)

If you’re in Tokyo, Hakone is probably already pencilled in on the itinerary. But should that be a Hakone day trip, or an overnight ryokan stay?

Honestly, both have their merits, and it’ll boil down to what you’re optimising for. I’m not going to tell you which one to do, because I don’t know you (unless I do, in which case, weird that you didn’t just WhatsApp me, I will gladly burn your ear off about this). However, I will lay out the pros and cons for both and help you decide what’s most important to you.

Hakone Day Trip: The Speed Run

The Hakone day trip is a bit of a whirlwind. I’ve already laid out how to actually spend the day in Hakone in another post, but let’s talk about why it could be an option.

It’s entirely possible to zip through the ropeway, get that postcard shot of Mt. Fuji, see the floating torii gates, and still be back in Shinjuku for a bowl of ramen that night.

The “Hakone Loop” that I’ve outlined in my itinerary post is a well oiled machine that takes thousands of visitors through all the main sights the area has to offer. You’ll take a train, a zigzagging mountain railway, a cable car, a ropeway, and even a pirate ship, all before dinnertime.

The Pros:

• No moving luggage. Even though Japan’s luggage forwarding service is incredibly efficient, having one home base still makes things easier. You keep your hotel in Tokyo, no panicking about whether you left your passport in a safe or forgot your toothbrush (I have bought more toothbrushes on the road than I care to count).
• Budget friendly. Even though Tokyo hotels are usually not that cheap, a ryokan stay is in the hundreds. The Hakone Freepass covers all of your transport for around ¥7,000, making it a pretty cost effective day out.
• The Highlights. If you just want the view of Fuji from Lake Ashi and a photo of the red torii gate, you can absolutely do that in the course of one day. You won’t get the full experience of actually spending time in Hakone, but you will have a different experience to the days you’ve just spent in Tokyo.

The Cons

• The Crowds. Because many others do the Hakone day trip, you’ll likely be starting and finishing the Hakone loop at the same time as other daytrippers, making it feel a bit crowded. Likewise, most of you will be getting the Odakyu Romancecar around the same time, which adds to that “commute” feeling.
• The Fuji Gamble. Seeing Mount Fuji is never guaranteed. If it’s a cloudy day, you’re not going to spot her. The rest of the loop is genuinely fun and worth experiencing, but if Fuji is what you’re going for, just know you might be disappointed.
• The Pace. It’s a lot of transit. A lot of people who travel to Hakone do the loop, but also have quiet downtime in the ryokan to recharge, making it feel like a true break. On a Hakone day trip though, you’re quite literally rushing from one thing to the next. For some, this can be exciting, for others, exhausting.

In short, a Hakone day trip whizzes you round the highlights of the area, but the tradeoff is that it can feel very rushed, it can be exhausting, and you may later wish you’d stayed to experience quiet village life.

If you’ve already got an itinerary with other standout activities, Hakone might not be the star of the show for you. If that’s the case, a Hakone day trip probably is the right call. You’ve already got plenty to look forward to, having Hakone as a fun day out is just part of the experience.

Overnight Stay: The Ryokan Experience

On the complete other end of the spectrum to the Hakone day trip is the overnight stay, especially if you stay in a ryokan. If the idea of rushing through the day sounds like a nightmare, and you’re looking forward to some total relaxation, an overnight stay is for you.

Hakone is particularly famous for its ryokans, like Motoyu Kansuiro where I stayed. Staying in one is less like booking a hotel, and more like spending a night or two in a zen retreat.

The Pros:

• Quiet Hours. Most people on a Hakone day trip disappear by around 5pm. Suddenly, the crowds thin out, the village is quiet, and you can hear the river rushing by and birds chirping in the air. If you wander into the town after the day trippers are gone, you’ll be amazed by the peace of the place.
• The Onsen Factor. This is the biggest selling point of a Hakone stay. There’s nothing that makes you feel more relaxed after a few days of rushing around than soaking in a natural hot spring while staring up at the forest around you. If you’ve been walking 25,000 steps a day, this is where you’ll come back to life.
• The Food. Ryokans usually include kaiseki, a traditional, multi-course dining experience. It’s an incredibly indulgent, slow paced way to end a busy day. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, this gets a bit more challenging, so I’ve written a separate guide for you here.
• The Pace. Unlike a Hakone day trip, you don’t have to rush. Sure, you might do the full loop in one day, but you’ve got the luxury of knowing you don’t have to. If you loved something, you can go back. If you missed Fuji, you can try again.
• The Holiday Feeling. Staying in Hakone feels like a holiday within a holiday. It’s a total gear shift from the likes of Tokyo or Osaka, and you’ll leave feeling rested and refreshed.

The Cons

• The Cost. A good ryokan stay is an investment. It’ll almost definitely be a highlight of your trip, but it comes at a cost. If you’re on a budget, there are ways to do it cheaper, but it may be as easy to stay in Tokyo.
• The Logistics. You have to deal with your luggage. Whether that’s being a fool like me and bringing a massive bag on a packed bus, or being smarter than me and using luggage forwarding, it’s still one more thing to handle.
• The Lack of Flexibility. Most ryokans have strict check in and dinner times. You’re committed to the schedule of the house. Thankfully, ryokans are well equipped in dealing with travellers to the area, so the meal times almost always work perfectly with a day of sightseeing, but there’s no flexibility if transport runs late or you end up lingering over a view.

If you’re the type of person who likes to take their time to travel, wants to fully experience each new area you visit, and wants to know what a traditional ryokan stay is like, then the overnight stay is for you. You’re not going to get that with a Hakone day trip, and you don’t want to head home after your vacation feeling like you missed out.

The Verdict

So, which one is right for you: the Hakone day trip or the overnight stay?

It really comes down to your priorities, and what else you’ve got planned for your trip. If you’re spending most of your time in Tokyo, I’d recommend the overnight stay so you can really get a taste of something different.

Likewise, if you’ve already got plenty of day trips crammed into your itinerary, like a trip to Nara or Uji (and I’d recommend both), squeezing in a Hakone day trip on top of that may feel pretty rushed. If you’re going to pick one place to convert from day to stay, Hakone should be it.

On the flip side, if you’ve already got longer stays booked in that you’re excited about, a Hakone day trip might be enough for you. You’ve already got the highlights coming up, so one day out exploring the area around Mount Fuji may be perfectly fine!

Budget may also be a factor, and there’s no getting around the fact that ryokans are expensive. I’ve written a Hakone budget post that does give other options for different budgets, but it’s still worth asking yourself if that will feel more fulfilling than another night in Tokyo would.

Personally, I loved my two night stay in Hakone. The ryokan experience was like nothing else I’ve experienced before or since, and it was worth every penny, especially on my honeymoon.

I’ve also had times I’ve spent a shorter amount of time in a place I ended up falling in love with, and regretted it. Most recently, that was Okinawa (two days was not enough).

Equally, I’ve spent too long in places that didn’t have enough to do and that just didn’t fill up my cup.

So, to boil down the “Hakone day trip vs. Overnight stay” debate, ask yourself the following questions:

• Can I physically handle the tiredness of a day spent travelling around at this point in my trip?
• Can I afford/justify the cost of a ryokan stay?
• Am I okay with moving my bags?
• Will I regret not spending more time out in Hakone?
• Is there anything I want to do in Hakone outside the tourist loop?
• Are there other things on my itinerary that I’m more excited about?
• How many other day trips am I planning?
• If I don’t spend the money on a ryokan, what would I spend it on instead? Or, how could I make something else cheaper?

At the end of the day, there’s no “wrong” way to see Hakone, or to plan any part of your trip really. This is your hard earned money going on your hard earned annual leave.

The biggest mistake most travellers make is doing something because everyone tells them that they should. If you want to go to Hakone for one day, then I hope you have a blast. If you want the ryokan experience and the quiet of the evenings, I love that for you and hope you feel as rested as you deserve.

Whatever you ultimately choose to do, you’re going to have an incredible time. Japan is an outstanding country to visit, and even when you don’t plan it, it’ll surprise you.

Happy travels!