💰 This page covers the street-level details of spending money in Hakone: what the Freepass covers and the Romancecar surcharge it does not, how ryokan price their rooms and add the bathing tax, and where the last reliable cash machines are. For Japan-wide ATM tips, DCC warnings, tipping norms, and exchange rate advice:
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Hakone has few cash machines above Yumoto. Land with yen. Insured delivery, 2–5 day shipping.
Order JPY → CEI Currency ExchangeDo You Need Cash in Hakone?
Yes, a little more than in Tokyo. Hakone's transport, ryokan and bigger museums take cards, and most of the loop can be paid in advance with a pass. But the mountain is a string of small stops, and the day-bath houses, snack stands, shrine offices and family-run restaurants between them often want notes. There are very few cash machines once you leave Hakone-Yumoto. Take ¥10,000 to ¥15,000 up with you, and the Japan money guide covers which machines accept a foreign card.
Where You Will Need Cash
Day-trip onsen and their towel rental. Owakudani's black eggs and other snack stands. Small soba and set-meal restaurants in Miyanoshita, Gora and Moto-Hakone. Hakone Shrine's charms and prayer plaques. Coin lockers and some luggage delivery counters. Buses not covered by your pass, if you have no IC card.
Where Cards Work Fine
Ryokan and hotels, at check-in or check-out. The Hakone Freepass and Odakyu Romancecar tickets. The ropeway, cable car and pirate ships ticket offices. The Hakone Open-Air Museum, the Pola Museum and other large museums. Souvenir shops at the stations. Convenience stores in Yumoto.
The Hakone Freepass: What It Covers and What It Leaves Out
Most visitors do the Hakone loop: train up from Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto to Gora, cable car to Sounzan, ropeway over Owakudani to Lake Ashi, boat across the lake, and bus back down. Each stage is a separate ticket, and the pass that bundles them is the biggest single money decision of the trip.
What it is. The Hakone Freepass, sold by the Odakyu group, gives unlimited rides for two or three days on the Hakone Tozan train, the cable car, the ropeway, the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise pirate ships, the Tozan and Odakyu Hakone Highway buses, and a few smaller lines. Bought from Shinjuku, it includes a return journey on the ordinary Odakyu line: about ¥7,100 for two days and ¥7,500 for three for an adult in 2026. Bought from Odawara, it costs less and covers only the Hakone area. It also gives discounts at many museums and baths.
What it leaves out. The Romancecar limited express from Shinjuku needs a separate limited-express ticket, around ¥1,000 to ¥1,300 each way, on top of the pass. The Izuhakone company's buses and its Lake Ashi boats, the ones that are not pirate ships, are not covered. And the Japan Rail Pass does not work in Hakone at all: JR only takes you as far as Odawara, by shinkansen or local train, and everything above that belongs to other companies.
Is it worth it? For the full loop in one day plus a return from Tokyo, the pass usually saves money; for two days of moving around the mountain, it clearly does. If you are only going up to a ryokan and back, individual tickets or an IC card are often cheaper. Pay with a card at the Odakyu counters or buy the digital version in advance, and keep the pass handy, because you show it at every stage.
Ryokan Bills, the Bathing Tax and Day-Trip Onsen
Prices are per person, not per room. Hakone's ryokan quote a rate per guest per night, usually including a multi-course kaiseki dinner and breakfast. Two people in one room pay twice. Rates rise on Saturdays, holidays and in autumn-leaf season, sometimes sharply.
The hot spring tax. Staying overnight at a ryokan or hotel with hot spring baths adds the bathing tax, nyuto-zei, of ¥150 per person per night, collected by the hotel. It often appears only at check-out, even on a room prepaid through a booking site, so keep a little cash or have your card ready.
The drinks at check-out. Beer and sake at dinner and anything from the room's fridge are added to your bill and settled when you leave, along with any private-bath booking. High-end ryokan may add a service charge of 10 to 15 percent. None of this calls for a tip.
Day-trip bathing. If you are not staying overnight, day-use baths, higaeri onsen, charge about ¥1,000 to ¥2,500 for entry. Many of the older bath houses in Yumoto and along the valley take cash only, and towels are rented or sold separately. Tattoo policies vary; check before paying.
Paying by Card Around the Loop
Visa, Mastercard and JCB are accepted at the transport ticket offices, big museums, hotels and station shops. Contactless is common at those; the small places in between are where cards fail.
Hakone-Yumoto
The gateway town at the foot of the mountain, with the Odakyu terminus, a street of souvenir and snack shops, bath houses and the last good choice of cash machines. Card-friendly on the main street, cash-leaning at the bath houses.
Miyanoshita & Gora
Historic hotels, small restaurants and the Open-Air Museum. The museum and the big hotels take cards; the little soba shops and cafés near the stations often do not.
Owakudani
The steaming volcanic valley at the top of the ropeway, famous for eggs boiled black in the sulphur springs and sold in bags. The shop and restaurant take cards; snack counters are quicker with cash. Closed at times of volcanic activity.
Togendai & Lake Ashi
The ropeway's lower station and the pirate ship pier. Tickets take cards and the Freepass. The lakeside food stands and the rival Izuhakone boats are different operators with their own ticket windows.
Moto-Hakone & Hakone Shrine
The lakeside village with the red torii in the water. The shrine's charms and plaques are paid in cash; restaurants along the shore are mixed.
Sengokuhara
The grassland and museum district to the north. Large museums take cards; the pampas-grass slopes, small galleries and cafés are cash-leaning and a bus ride from the nearest machine.
ATMs in Hakone
Hakone is the one place on a typical Tokyo trip where running out of yen is a real risk, because the reliable machines are almost all at the bottom of the mountain.
Look for these logos. Both accept foreign cards reliably.
Seven Bank (7-Eleven)
Japan Post BankATM Locations
Hakone-Yumoto has a 7-Eleven and a Japan Post office near the station, and Odawara station has several more. Higher up, a few post offices, including those around Miyanoshita and Gora, have Japan Post machines with office-style hours, not late at night or on some weekends. Treat Yumoto or Odawara as your last chance, and withdraw there. Japan has no Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner.
⚠ Choose Yen at the Machine
If a machine offers to charge the withdrawal in your home currency, decline and choose yen. The DCC explainer shows what the offer costs.
Luggage, Buses and Getting Up the Mountain
Send your bags ahead. The mountain railway, cable car and ropeway are crowded and poorly suited to suitcases. A carry service at Hakone-Yumoto station takes bags to hotels and ryokan across Hakone for about ¥1,000 or more per item, if you drop them off by late morning. Alternatively, send luggage from Tokyo by takkyubin courier through your hotel or a convenience store, paid in cash or by card.
Buses. Tozan buses, covered by the Freepass, and Izuhakone buses, which are not, run over similar roads and use similar stops. Check the company name on the front before boarding with a pass. Both take nationwide IC cards.
Taxis are available in Yumoto, Gora and at the main lake piers, and most take cards. Fares on mountain roads add up quickly.
Tipping in Hakone
Do not tip, even at a luxury ryokan. The service charge, if any, is already on the bill. Some guests leave a small envelope of cash for the room attendant at a traditional ryokan, a custom called kokorozuke, but it is never expected and plenty of Japanese guests do not.
Prices in Hakone
Transport is covered by the pass; accommodation is the budget. A night at a ryokan with dinner is an experience priced accordingly.
| Item | Price (JPY) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Hakone Freepass from Shinjuku, 2 days | around ¥7,100 | around $47 |
| Hakone Freepass from Shinjuku, 3 days | around ¥7,500 | around $50 |
| Romancecar limited-express surcharge, one way | ¥1,000–1,300 | $6.70–8.70 |
| Hot spring bathing tax, per person per night | ¥150 | $1 |
| Day-trip onsen entry | ¥1,000–2,500 | $6.70–16.70 |
| Black eggs at Owakudani, one bag | around ¥500 | around $3.30 |
| Hakone Open-Air Museum | around ¥2,000 | around $13.30 |
| Luggage delivery to your hotel, per bag | from about ¥1,000 | from about $6.70 |
| Soba set meal | ¥1,200–2,000 | $8–13.30 |
| Ryokan with dinner and breakfast, per person | ¥20,000–60,000 | $133–400 |
USD estimates use approximately $1 = ¥150. Rates fluctuate. Pass prices are 2026 adult fares; ryokan rates vary widely by day and season.
Nearby from Hakone
Odawara (about 15 minutes)
The castle town at the foot of the mountain and the JR connection point. Odawara Castle's keep charges a small entry. The station is the best place to withdraw before going up, and the shinkansen stops here.
Gotemba and the Fuji side (about an hour by bus)
The large outlet mall at Gotemba takes cards everywhere and offers tax-free shopping for visitors with a passport. Buses from Sengokuhara and Togendai connect with it and continue towards Lake Kawaguchi, operated by several companies with separate fares.
Hakone Quick Reference
| Destination | Cards? | Cash Needed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freepass, ropeway, pirate ships | ✅ Yes | Not needed | Romancecar costs extra |
| Ryokan | ✅ Yes | ¥150 bathing tax per night | Priced per person |
| Day-trip onsen | ❌ Often cash | ¥1,000–2,500 | Towels extra |
| Owakudani snacks | ❌ Quicker in cash | ¥500–1,000 | Closes during volcanic alerts |
| Izuhakone buses and boats | ✅ IC card | Not on the Freepass | Check the company name |
| Small restaurants | ❌ Often cash | ¥1,200–2,000 | Gora, Miyanoshita, Moto-Hakone |
| ATMs | 7-Eleven and Japan Post | Withdraw in Yumoto or Odawara | Very few higher up |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Hakone Freepass in 2026?
From Shinjuku, including a return on the ordinary Odakyu line, about 7,100 yen for two days and 7,500 yen for three for an adult. Bought from Odawara it costs less and covers only the Hakone area. It covers the mountain train, cable car, ropeway, pirate ships and Tozan buses, but not the Romancecar surcharge or Izuhakone's buses and boats.
Does the Japan Rail Pass work in Hakone?
Only as far as Odawara. JR's shinkansen and local trains reach Odawara, but the Hakone Tozan railway, cable car, ropeway, boats and buses are run by other companies. You will need the Hakone Freepass, individual tickets or an IC card from Odawara onwards.
What is the bathing tax at Hakone ryokan?
A hot spring tax of 150 yen per person per night, charged when you stay at an accommodation with hot spring baths. The ryokan collects it, often at check-out even if the room was prepaid, together with drinks and any extras.
Are there ATMs in Hakone?
A few. Hakone-Yumoto has a 7-Eleven and a post office with machines that accept foreign cards, and Odawara station has several. Higher up, only a handful of post office machines with limited hours exist. Withdraw what you need in Yumoto or Odawara before starting the loop.
Do I need cash in Hakone?
Some. Transport, ryokan, the big museums and station shops take cards. Day-trip onsen, snack stands at Owakudani, small restaurants, shrine offices and lockers often want cash. Take 10,000 to 15,000 yen up the mountain.
Is the Romancecar included in the Hakone Freepass?
No. The Freepass bought in Shinjuku includes a return on ordinary Odakyu trains. The Romancecar limited express needs a separate limited-express ticket, around 1,000 to 1,300 yen each way, bought with the pass or at the station.
Pay Smart in Hakone
The Wise card converts at the real mid-market rate with no markup, and works for the Freepass, ryokan bills and 7-Eleven ATMs in Yumoto. Keep yen for the bath houses and snack stands higher up.
Get the Wise Card →Hero photo: the torii of Hakone Shrine on Lake Ashi, by Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.