Sample itinerary of Kyoto, Hakone, Fuji and Tokyo classic route

7 to 9 days
Mt. Fuji from the shore of Lake Ashi in Hakone ©JNTO
Mt. Fuji from the shore of Lake Ashi in Hakone ©JNTO

Mt. Fuji from the shore of Lake Ashi in Hakone ©JNTO

I have received many inquiries about Osaka-Tokyo one way trip plus Hakone and Fuji. In this case, Japan Rail Pass is too expensive for Osaka-Tokyo one way trip. So I would like to show you a classic itinerary for this trip. I want to share with you about how to combine several deals and single tickets.

What kind of ticket you need

From Kansai to Narita

ICOCA and Haruka one way ticket / 3000 yen
Base fare ticket from Kyoto to Shinjuku/ 7980 yen
Shinkansen Nozomi reserved seat supplement ticket from Kyoto to Shinagawa / 5540 yen
Base fare ticket from Shinjuku to Narta Airport / 1450 yen
Narita Express reserved seat supplement ticket from Shinjuku to Narita Airport / 1660 yen
Fuji Hakone Pass / 7000 yen
Limited Express surcharge for Odakyu Romance car from Hakone-Yumoto to Shinjuku / 870 yen

Total 27500 yen

From Kansai to Haneda

ICOCA and Haruka one way ticket / 3000 yen
Base fare ticket from Kyoto to Shinjuku / 7980 yen
Shinkansen Nozomi reserved seat supplement ticket from Kyoto to Shinagawa / 5540 yen
Base fare ticket from Shinjuku to Shinagawa (JR) / 190 yen
Base fare ticket from Shinagawa to Haneda Airport International Terminal (Keihin Kyuko) / 400 yen
Fuji Hakone Pass / 7000 yen
Limited Express surcharge for Odakyu Romancecar from Hakone-Yumoto to Shinjuku / 870 yen

Total 24980 yen

Itinerary

Day 1 / Kansai (KIX) – Kyoto

Kansai Airport is the gateway to this itinerary. ©Kansai International Airport Co.,Ltd/©JNTO

Kansai Airport is the gateway to this itinerary. ©Kansai International Airport Co.,Ltd/©JNTO

Ticket : ICOCA and Haruka

After arrival at KIX, go to JR Kansai Airport station and purchase ICOCA and Haruka one way ticket.
Limited Express Haruka is only direct train service from KIX to Kyoto. This is the best and the fastest. It runs almost every hour. It takes about 1.5 hour to get Kyoto from KIX.

If you are not hurry, try to complete all JR train bookings at Kansai Airport station. If you can’t, you can do it at JR Kyoto station. You have to purchase and book all ticket except Fuji Hakone Pass and Limited Express surcharge for Odakyu Romancecar.

Overnight in Kyoto

Day 2 / Kyoto

Togetsukyo bridge is the highlight in Arashiyama. ©Akira Okada/©JNTO

Togetsukyo bridge is the highlight in Arashiyama. ©Akira Okada/©JNTO

Use ICOCA for your sightseeing in Kyoto. I think 1500 yen e-money cover most of your trip in Kyoto.

Overnight in Kyoto

Day 3 / Kyoto – Tokyo – Shinjuku – Hakone

Ticket : Base fare ticket from Kyoto to Shinjuku, Shinkansen Nozomi supplement ticket, Fuji Hakone Pass

Kyoto 08:02 departure by Shinkansen Nozomi 306
Shinagawa 10:13
Take local train (Yamamote line) to get Shinjuku. It takes abut 20 minutes.
Shinjku 11:40 (Chuo Highway Bus)
Kawaguchiko station 13:32
After arrival at Kawaguchiko station, enjoy sightseeing around Lake Kawaguchi.

When you depart from Kyoto, you can take any Shinkansen train to Tokyo or Shinagawa. Please see JR Central Shinkansen timetable (PDF).

After arrival at Shinjuku station, go to Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center at Odakyu Shinjku station to get Fuji Hakone Pass.
*Please see Odakyu website to get more detail about Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center at Shijuku station.

By the way, Hakone and Fuji are located between Kyoto and Tokyo. Especially Odawara is the nearest station to Hakone and there is Shinkansen station. But I have two reasons why I skip Odawara and go to Tokyo. First of all, Fuji Hakone Pass is only unlimited ride ticket that covers both Hakone and Fuji can be purchased at Odakyu Shinjuku station only. We cannot purchase it at Odawara and any other stations other than Shinjuku. Second reason is luggage storage. In the trip to Fuji and Hakone, you will take lots of transportation and stay at different hotels for this 3 days trip. If you have a bit luggage, like full size suitcase, the luggage will be a big problem. So why don’t you leave your luggage in Shinjuku? This Fuji and Hakone trip is starting from Shinjuku and finish in Shinjuku. You can pack small luggage for just two nights trip to Fuji and Hakone. If you book hotel near Shinjuku station, you may be able to leave your luggage at the hotel. If you can’t you can use coin locker or storage service in the station.

In Fuji and Hakone, Odakyu Railway’s website provide nice itinerary and information about this trip. Please see Fuji-Hakone model course. But in this itinerary, recommended accommodations are a bit pricey. You can make an arrangement whatever you want.

Overnight in Lake Kawaguchi

Day 4 / Lake Kawaguchi – Gotemba – Hakone

Hakone Ropeway is one of the best way to see the mountains surrounding Hakone.  ©Odakyu Electric Railway/©JNTO

Hakone Ropeway is one of the best way to see the mountains surrounding Hakone. ©Odakyu Electric Railway/©JNTO

Ticket : Fuji Hakone Pass

From Lake Kawaguchi to Gotemba, you can take Fuji Kyuko Bus by Fuji Hakone Free Pass. Unfortunately English timetable is not available, but you can check it at Japanese website. Please check Fuji Kyuko Bus website. There are two tables. Lower table is to Gotemba from Lake Kawaguchi. Lake Kawaguchi is shown as “河口湖駅” at the top of the table. Gotemba is shown as 御殿場駅(着)at the 4th row from the bottom. If you want to go to Gotemba Premium Outlet, you see “御殿場プレミアムアウトレット” at 2nd row from the bottom. If you click “11時~15時”, timetable shows timetable between 11:00 and 15:00. If you click “16時~19時”, you will see the bus between 16:00 and 19:00.

From Gotemba to Hakone-Togendai, take Odakyu highway bus. Timetable is shown on this PDF.

After arrival in Hakone-Togendai, you can enjoy cruise on Lake Ashi, Gondola ride or Hakone Tozan bus. All transportation guide in Hakone can be seen at Hakobe Navi.

Overnight in Hakone

Day 5 / Hakone – Tokyo

Ticket : Fuji Hakone Pass, Supplement ticket for Odakyu Romancecar

First of all, access to Hakone-Yumoto station. You can access there by Hakone Tozan Bus or Hakone Tozan Railway.

After arrival in Hakone-Yumoto station, you can take Odakyu Limited Express train “Romancecar” to Shinjuku directly. You have to pay additional 870 yen on Fuji Hakone Pass. But it is fast and more comfortable than local train. I strongly recommend to take this train.

If you leave your luggage in Shinjuku, don’t forget to pick up. Lots of shops and restaurant open until late in Shinjuku. You can enjoy Tokyo even after come back from Hakone.

Overnight in Tokyo

Day 6 / Tokyo

Ticket : Maybe subway pass (not included in total cost)

If you visit several places in one day, you may think about purchasing subway pass. Please see the post, Fast, economical and convenient for sightseeing in Tokyo. Learn about Tokyo Subways.

Overnight in Tokyo

Day 7 / Tokyo – Narita (NRT) or Haneda (HND)

Ticket : Single ticket to Narita from Shinjuku and Supplement ticket for Narita Express (to Narita)
Single ticket to Shinagawa from Shinjuku (JR) and Shinagawa to Haneda Airport International Terminal (Keihin Kyuko)

If you go to Narita, Narita Express is the best option from Shinjuku. It is direct service and on time. You may be able to take direct limousine bus to Narita from the door of your hotel. Please see the post, Compare many rail services and shuttle bus. How to get downtown Tokyo from Narita airport.

If you go to Haneda, it is simple. Just purchase the ticket at the vending machine in the station. You don’t need to prepare in advance.

You can extend as you like

I tried to put everything in 7 day. So I skipped Osaka and Nara. Of course you can add anywhere between Osaka and Tokyo if you have extra time. If you want to stop at Osaka, you can still use ICOCA and Haruka. ICOCA can be used for Osaka subway as well. If your ICOCA is empty before you go to Kyoto, you can add Kyoto city pass for your sightseeing in Kyoto.

Of course you can complete this itinerary in reverse. Total cost is a bit higher but not much different.

Comments

  1. Rebecca Ong says:

    Takeshi san, we are travelling to Japan for 10 days in mid Oct. We are big family of 11 +1 (6 year old) child.
    KIX – OSAKA 19 Oct (stay in Ibis style – arrive evening eta 21:50 pm ) – visit Universal
    2 nights in Osaka
    OSAKA – Kyoto (2 nights)
    Kyoto – wants to see mt Fuji shall we stay in Kawaguchi lake & Hakone ? how many nights?
    how to get to Tokyo ? stay 3 nights or so, can you help me plan my itinererary please as how many nights & places to see. thanks
    We will leave at 9.15 pm on 30th Oct from Haneda

    What would you recommend us to travel with :
    KIX to IBIS Osaka for 11 people +1 child

    OSAKA – Kyoto – Hakone – etc – Tokyo shall we travel by JR pass? Or shall we just buy single trip pass ?

  2. Fenny says:

    Hi. Is there any updated most efficient route to travel from Kyoto to Hakone, and then Hakone to Tokyo? Where is the most popular area to stay in Hakone?

  3. Rachael says:

    Hi there,
    Please could you help us determine whether we should purchase a Japan Rail pass (from New Zealand) for the following trip or whether it would be better just to purchase the tickets in Japan when we arrive:
    We plan to travel:
    Tokyo to Hakone
    4 days after arriving in Hakone: Hakone to Kyoto
    6 days after arriving in Kyoto: Kyoto to Tokyo (Narita airport)

    While we are in Tokyo we may do a day trip to Nikko by train
    While we are in Kyoto we may do a day trip to Nara by train.

    We look forward to your recommendations. Thank you.

  4. Candy says:

    Hi takeshi San.
    Please help me plan my trip to explore part of Japan.
    What’s the better route if I am going to run the Mt. Fujisan marathon on Nov 27 2016.
    Tokyo. Kawaguchiko. Hakone. Kyoto. Nara. Osaka?
    How can I travel the cheapest?
    I can do the overnight bus as well 🙂
    Thank you very much

  5. Susie says:

    Hi Takeshi,

    kindly advise whether my itinerary is fine. My husband and I tend to wake up around 10am and will usually have brunch at 11.30am. It’s our first time visiting Japan and we want to take it at a slow pace. Our primary objective is to visit hakone shrine to visit the thousand years old tree that protects mother and child for smooth pregnancy as well as to try Kobe beef.

    I am wondering should I purchase a JR 7 days pass other than ICOCA? Because the single ticket from kansai to odawara station, and single ticket from odawara to Namba station roughly the same as JR pass.

    27th Jan, Wednesday
    – Reach kansai airport at 6.15am.
    – buy ticket at kansai airport to hakone yumoto station.
    – should reach hakone yumoto before 2pm.
    – Check in hotel walkable from hakone yumoto station before 3pm and leave for hakone shrine and lake aishi.
    – Get back to hotel before 6pm for dinner.
    – Enjoy Omsen for rest of the night.

    28th Jan, Thursday
    – check out hotel at 10am.
    – visit the rest of hakone using hakone free pass. Should be fast since partial of hakone are closed.
    – catch train from hakone yumoto around 2pm to Namba station, Osaka.
    – check in hotel walkable from Namba station.
    – explore dotonbori area in the evening.

    29th Jan, Friday
    – visit kiyomizu Deru temple at 1pm (shiji karasuma station)
    – visit nishiki market by 5pm (Kawaramachi station)

    30th Jan, Saturday
    – visit Auarium Kaiyukan at 1pm (osakako station)
    – visit kuromon ichiba at 4pm (Namba station)
    – visit shinsaibashi at 8pm. (Namba station)

    31st Jan, Sunday
    – visit Ishida Kitanozaka, Kobe for Kobe beef at 12noon (sannomiya station)
    – visit either mt maya or Nara
    – visit dotonbori at night

    1st Feb, Monday
    – visit fushimi inari at 1pm (inari station)
    – visit gion shijio at 4pm (inari station)
    – dinner at dotonbori

    2nd Feb, Tuesday
    – leave hotel by 7am
    – reach kansai airport by 8am to check in.
    – flight at 10am.

  6. Hazel Hing says:

    hi Takeshi
    I am going to Japan from 30th March, 2016 to 5th April, 2016.
    Below is my plan, please advice. Thank you very much..
    30/3 (wed) : early AM from KIX to Osaka
    31/3 (thurs) : Osaka
    1/4 (fri) : noon from Osaka to Kyoto
    2/4 (sat) : noon from Kyoto to Tokyo
    3/4 (sun) : Tokyo
    4/4 (mon) : early AM from Tokyo to Nagoya
    5/4 (tues) : early AM from Nagoya to Osaka
    the Osaka (2night) stay is confirmed, the rest (4night) stay not confirmed yet…

  7. Emmy-lyn says:

    Hi Takeshi san,

    I am travelling with a group to Japan in February. We are skiiing in Hakuba for 7 days and then have 7 days to travel around. Our draft itinerary for sightseeing after skiing is as follows:

    Tue 16 Feb: Hakuba – Tokyo AM
    Wed 17 Feb: Tokyo sightseeing
    Thurs 18 Feb: Tokyo – Kyoto PM
    Fri 19 Feb: Kyoto
    Sat 20 Feb: Kyoto – Osaka AM
    Sun 21 Feb: Osaka
    Mon 22 Feb: Osaka – Hiroshima -Osaka (day trip)
    Tues 23 Feb: Osaka – Tokyo AM – Narita PM

    Can you please advise what would be the best / cheapest option for getting around by rail?

    Thanks,
    Emmy-lyn

  8. Tay says:

    Hi Takeshi San,

    Need your advise, I have booked air ticket for family of 3. Alighting at Itami airport – Osaka (4night) – Kyoto (2night) – Fuji (2night) – Tokyo (5night) – Narita airport. Hope my planning is ok and what kind of train ticket should I get. Rather familiar in Tokyo as I travel there often free and easy, been to above location via joining tour group , this time round will be going free and easy.

    Best regards
    Tay

  9. Akma Chan says:

    Hi Takeshi san ^^v

    I’m going to visit Japan for 6 days in May. Can you please advise on what the best plan for getting around would be by rail?

    Friday: Arrive AM from KIX to Osaka
    Saturday: Early AM from Osaka to Kyoto
    Sunday: Early AM from Kyoto to Hakone then late to Tokyo
    Monday: Tokyo
    Tuesday: Tokyo
    Wednesday: Tokyo depart midnight from Haneda

    Arigatou~
    Akma Chan

  10. Jeremy says:

    Hi Takeshi san,

    I’m going to visiting Japan for seven-days in November. Can you please advise on what the best plan for getting around would be by rail?

    Monday: Early AM from KIX –> Osaka
    Tuesday: Osaka
    Wednesday: Early AM from Osaka –> Kyoto
    Thursday: Noon from Kyoto –> Hakone
    Friday: Noon from Hakone –> Tokyo
    Saturday: Tokyo
    Sunday: Tokyo
    Monday: Noon from Tokyo –> Narita

    Arigatou~
    Jeremy

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