Mt. Fuji–hunting trip in Hakone with a perfect lakeside stay at Hotel de Yama

I traveled using the 2‑day Hakone Freepass and took the Romancecar Limited Express train* from Shinjuku. It takes about an hour and a half to reach Hakone‑Yumoto Station 🧳

🛌🏻 I stayed one night in Hakone at Hotel de Yama. This area used to be the holiday residence of the 4th president of Mitsubishi. The hotel has the charm of a Japanese resort blended with Western style from the 70s. The room is very spacious, and there is an onsen in the hotel too. Don’t miss it, because Hakone is famous for its hot springs ♨️

🍽️ For breakfast, I chose to sit at the outdoor terrace area of the restaurant “Vert Bois”. From here you can see Mt. Fuji and enjoy breakfast while looking at Mt.Fuji. This is just perfect~

The hotel is next to Lake Ashi, and there are many sightseeing spots nearby, such as:

⛩️ Hakone Shrine — the shrine with the red torii gate by the water, walkable from the hotel

🎴 Hakone Checkpoint — an Edo‑period checkpoint, walkable round‑trip from Motohakone‑ko Port; the hotel offers a free shuttle to Motohakone‑ko (according to schedule)

🛳️ Hakone Sightseeing Cruise — the pirate ship that takes you to the ropeway station

🚡 Hakone Ropeway — the aerial ropeway

I recommend using the Hakone Freepass and it’s worth it. It covers all the transportation mentioned above, including buses, the mountain railway, and the cable car. ✨ Simply put, one Pass covers all transportation.

🎫 You can buy the Pass and the Romancecar Limited Expresss ticket from the link below.

Hakone Freepass

2‑day Pass: Adult ¥7,100 / Child ¥1,600

3‑day Pass: Adult ¥7,500 / Child ¥1,850

The Romancecar Limited Express ticket must be purchased separately from the Pass and it costs ¥1,150 per ride.

Please note:

*The Romancecar requires advance seat reservation for all seats. It goes directly to Hakone‑Yumoto Station. For regular trains (which are included in the Hakone Freepass), you must transfer at Odawara Station to reach Hakone‑Yumoto Station.)

**For the route between Shinjuku Station and Odawara Station: the Pass covers “regular trains” from Shinjuku for one outbound trip and one return trip only.

The Hotel de Yama is a large hotel that blends Japanese and Western‑style resort elements, giving the feeling of traveling back to Hakone in the 70s. It has a charming vintage Japanese atmosphere that feels warm and elegantly simple at the same time. The guest rooms are spacious and comfortable, and the bathroom is also large. Looking out the window, you can see the lake view looks like a painting.

Another highlight is that the hotel has onsen baths. The men’s and women’s baths are on separate floors, and the inside is spacious with clearly divided areas. Since Hakone is already a famous onsen town, you definitely shouldn’t miss the onsen here!!

For breakfast, I chose the French breakfast at the restaurant “Vert Bois”. There are seats both inside and on the outdoor terrace. I sat at the outdoor terrace. From the terrace, you can see the view of Mt. Fuji, and within the hotel area there is also a flower garden where you can take a walk. The area is very spacious, perfect for a relaxing stroll.

Getting here is also convenient. The hotel has a free shuttle bus at Motohakone‑ko, located at the bus stop number 6 near the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise (also known as the pirate ship) boarding point.

And in front of the hotel, there is a bus stop where you can take the K line from Hakone‑Yumoto Station and get off right in front of the hotel. Or you can take it from the hotel to Hakone‑Yumoto Station with just one ride as well.

If you use the Hakone Freepass, just show the Pass to the driver when getting on and off. There is also a space for placing luggage on the bus.

For getting around in Hakone, I recommend using the Hakone Freepass, which covers all 8 types of transportation in Hakone.

2‑day Pass: Adult ¥7,100 / Child ¥1,600

3‑day Pass: Adult ¥7,500 / Child ¥1,850

The Romancecar Limited Express train ticket must be purchased separately from the Pass at ¥1,150 per ride.

The Hakone Sightseeing Cruise also known as pirate ship can be boarded unlimited times with the Hakone Freepass. I recommend adding ¥800 (Only ¥700 if you have the Freepass) to buy a First Class seat ticket for upgrading to First Class on cruise. It’s beautiful, luxurious, and very comfortable. The deck area is also separated from the regular class, so you can take nice photos comfortably without having to compete with crowds.

The Hakone Ropeway can also be used unlimitedly with the Pass, and from the ropeway you can see Mt. Fuji clearly.

The Hakone Shrine is only a 5–10 minute walk from the Hotel de Yama. There is a small path you can follow, and the walk is very pleasant.

Hakone Sekisho is an immigration checkpoint from the Edo period. The walking route from Kyoto to Edo (Tokyo) in that era had to pass through Hakone first, and this point served as the immigration checkpoint.

If you just visit to see the atmosphere, there is no entrance fee, and there are shops inside. But if you want to see the exhibition area, the museum, and the upper viewpoint like this, you need to buy a ticket for ¥500, or ¥400 if you have the Pass.

You can walk from Motohakone‑ko; there is a path along the way, surrounded by tall trees, very beautiful. You don’t have to walk along the road with cars because it’s very well designed. Visiting here is also a pleasant walk. On the way back, I walked back to Motohakone‑ko and took the shuttle bus back to the hotel.

My trip to Hakone this time was blessed with Mt. Fuji appearing beautifully on both days. You can see Fuji from many spots from the ropeway, the pirate ship, Motohakone‑ko Port, the Edo‑period checkpoint, and also from the Hotel de Yama.

I would like to end with these beautiful photos from the Hotel de Yama. The top photo is Lake Ashi taken from the room window, and the bottom photo is Mt. Fuji taken from the hotel’s restaurant.

This hotel is very easy to access, peaceful, and has a wonderful atmosphere. I felt truly relaxed, both physically and mentally. Highly recommended to stay here at least one night 💙