The Hakone Tozan Railway: A Switchback Climb into the Hakone Hills
Forty minutes on a little mountain train that zig-zags up out of a hot-spring town, over a gorge and through the forest, to the start of the Hakone loop
The Hakone Tozan Railway climbs about 450 metres in under nine kilometres, too steep for a train to take in one go. So three times on the way up it stops, the driver and conductor change ends, and it sets off again the way it came, a little higher up the mountain. Between the switchbacks it crosses a bridge high over the Haya River, threads tunnels and runs along the edge of the hillside, past the old resort of Miyanoshita to Gora.
People come for the climb, and for the hydrangeas. In late June and July thousands of them flower beside the track, and on June evenings they are lit for special night trains. For most visitors it is also the first leg of the day: at Gora a cable car, a ropeway and a boat on Lake Ashi carry on round the Hakone loop.
How this page was madeWe have not ridden the Hakone Tozan Railway, and what we know of Japan is researched, not first-hand. This page is built from the operator’s Hakone Navi site and notices, the Rhaetian Railway’s account of its sister line, local tourism sources, and dated accounts by passengers who rode it between 2023 and 2026. When we ride it, we will say so here.
Last updated 7 November 2026
The route
The railway opened between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora in 1919. Its builders went to Switzerland to learn how to take a train up a mountain, and one of their engineers studied the Bernina line. At its steepest the gradient is 80 in 1,000, about one in twelve and a half, steep enough that many mountain railways would use a rack. This one climbs on ordinary wheel and rail, and where the slope is too much even for that, it zig-zags. In 1979 it became the sister railway of Switzerland’s Rhaetian Railway, owner of the Bernina line.
Typhoon Hagibis struck on the night of 12 October 2019 and badly damaged the track between Miyanoshita and Kowakidani. The line was closed for over nine months and reopened on 23 July 2020. Since 2024 it has been run by Odakyu Hakone, the company that also runs the cable car, the ropeway and the boats, though it still carries the Hakone Tozan name.
From Odawara, on the Tokaido Shinkansen, trains take about 15 minutes to reach Hakone-Yumoto along the river. The mountain railway starts there, so change trains.
What the rail journey is like
The switchbacks are what passengers write about first. Roving Sun, riding in April 2024, counted all three and noticed a plaque in the car about the line’s Swiss sister. A passenger writing on Mobile01 in July 2023 picked out Sagami Bay and the Bōsō Peninsula from Kami-Ohiradai, the third switchback. Each reversal changes the view: a Japanese rail writer, describing a ride down from the front window in 2019, found it suddenly at the back.
The bridge comes early. The Hayakawa Bridge, known locally as the Deyama iron bridge, was the hardest part of the line to build in 1919, and the deck stood 43 metres above the riverbed while it went up. In an older forum post, one passenger noted that the train slows there for photographs. Elsewhere the line runs along the hillside: “on the edge of the cliff at some points”, a TripAdvisor reviewer wrote in July 2025.
Others remember the forest and the tunnels. A traveller writing in December 2024 called the ride up from Tonosawa a highlight and the tunnels “Ghibli-esque”, and a reviewer in November 2025 had the same thought. In late June 2024 Claire, of Claire Overseas, found the hydrangeas out, “in all different colours”. The ride put her in mind of the train from Kandy to Ella in Sri Lanka.
At Deyama the train stops and, for a moment, goes nowhere. The hillside ahead is too steep to take straight on; the track you have just climbed lies below and behind you. Then you move off backwards, higher. Some of the cars that make this climb are the oldest electric trains still in regular service in Japan. Notice the stillness before the reversal. You may feel that the mountain sets the terms here, and that for more than a century the railway has politely agreed to them.
Not everyone is charmed. A reviewer in May 2026 found the switchbacks underwhelming and thought the train mainly for rail enthusiasts. A group riding in January 2026 found all the zig-zagging made them dizzy. On a rainy October day in 2025 another passenger called it not spectacular, but a good experience. Crowding is the other complaint in recent reviews, and the planning notes below help you avoid it.
The stages
The whole climb takes about 40 minutes, so each stage is a matter of minutes. The stages follow the line uphill; coming down, the order reverses.
| Stage | From → to | Time | What you see, and which side | Stops and changes | Main constraint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Out of the valley | Hakone-Yumoto → Deyama | The first few minutes | The climb starts at once. After Tonosawa the train crosses the Hayakawa Bridge over the gorge, then reverses at Deyama, the first switchback | Tonosawa | At weekends and in spring trains can be full from the start; ride early in the day if you can |
| 2 · The switchbacks | Deyama → Kami-Ohiradai | Varies | Two more reversals in quick succession, at Ohiradai station and at Kami-Ohiradai, and, one passenger found, a view out to Sagami Bay | Ohiradai | No boarding at Deyama or Kami-Ohiradai, which are not stations |
| 3 · The resort | Kami-Ohiradai → Kowakidani | Varies | Miyanoshita, the old hot-spring resort of the Fujiya Hotel, then the section rebuilt after the 2019 typhoon | Miyanoshita, Kowakidani | Off here for the Fujiya Hotel; the next train is usually about a quarter of an hour behind |
| 4 · The top | Kowakidani → Gora | The last few minutes | Up past the Hakone Open-Air Museum to Gora, more than 500 metres above the sea | Chokoku-no-Mori, Gora; change at Gora for the cable car | At busy times, local guides advise reaching Gora before 10:00, ahead of the cable car queues |
Stops worth breaking the journey for
With a train every quarter of an hour or so, stopping is easy, and the Hakone Freepass lets you get off and on again as often as you like. Hakone-Yumoto itself, at the bottom, is a hot-spring town with a shopping street that starts at the station.
Tonosawa
Amida-ji, the hydrangea temple, has about 3,000 of them, flowering from mid-June to early July. Entry is free. The path from the station is steep and takes 15 to 20 minutes.
Miyanoshita
The Fujiya Hotel, about seven minutes’ walk away, has welcomed guests since 1878, among them Albert Einstein in 1922 and John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1978. We could not confirm what non-guests can visit, so check with the hotel.
Chokoku-no-Mori
Two minutes from the station, the Hakone Open-Air Museum sets sculpture across lawns and hillsides. Open 9:00 to 17:00 every day; adults ¥2,000, or ¥1,800 online, with ¥100 off for Freepass holders.
Gora
Gora Park, a French-style garden on the slope above the station, is free with the Freepass (¥650 without; under-12s free), open 9:00 to 17:00. The paths are steep, with stairs.
Carrying on from Gora
Most passengers change at Gora and carry on round the loop. Fares are adult, one way, as the operator published them when we read them on 7 November 2026; the ropeway and boat fares rose on 1 October 2025. All three are included in the Hakone Freepass.
- Cable car to Sōunzan. A funicular climbs 1.2 km in about 10 minutes, ¥430.
- Ropeway to Tōgendai. Gondolas pass over the steaming volcanic valley of Ōwakudani, ¥2,000.
- Boat across Lake Ashi. Tōgendai to Moto-Hakone or Hakone-machi, ¥1,700.
Buses run from the lake back to Hakone-Yumoto. Our guide to Hakone covers the loop, the lake and where to bathe.
Planning the journey
Where to sit
There is no agreed side. The only first-hand advice we found, an older forum post, says sit on the right going up, for the bridge. The switchbacks also turn the front of the train into the back, so the view changes as you climb. What matters more is a window: in March 2026 one passenger, standing in a packed car, faced an embankment the whole way. We found no reliable way to secure one on a busy train; riding on a weekday, or early in the day, gives you the best chance of a seat.
When to go, and the crowds
The hydrangeas flower from the bottom up: from mid to late June at Hakone-Yumoto, into July at Gora. In 2026 evening hydrangea trains ran from 13 to 30 June, non-stop from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora past lit-up flowers, with reserved seats sold online from mid-May for ¥500 on top of the fare. The operator announces the dates each spring (in 2026, sales opened on 13 May), so watch its Hakone Navi site from early May. Its autumn guide, with timings from 2023, has colour starting at the top in late October and reaching Hakone-Yumoto by late November.
The train is busiest at weekends, in holidays such as Golden Week, and in spring and autumn. In April 2026 one TripAdvisor reviewer warned others to be prepared to squeeze in; another, travelling in March, called it horribly overcrowded and stood the whole way. A weekday morning is far easier: in an older forum post, one passenger found the train practically empty off-peak. Local guides suggest reaching Gora before 10:00, which also keeps you ahead of the cable car queues.
Booking, passes and fares
Single fares, adult: Odawara to Gora ¥770 · Hakone-Yumoto to Gora about ¥460
Hakone Freepass, two days, adult: ¥6,000 from Odawara · ¥7,100 from Shinjuku (prices from 1 October 2025)
Hakone Nonbiri pass: one day on the railway alone, Odawara to Gora, ¥1,580
The Freepass covers the railway, the cable car, the ropeway, the Lake Ashi boats and the designated local buses; the Shinjuku version adds the Odakyu train there and back. The Romancecar express costs extra. The Hakone-Yumoto to Gora fare dates from 2022 and we found no later figure, so check it.
There is nothing to book on ordinary trains; seats are first come, first served. Suica, PASMO and other IC cards work, and the operator advises topping up before busy days. The line belongs to the Odakyu group, not to JR, so the Japan Rail Pass does not cover it. With a pass, take the Shinkansen to Odawara and buy the Freepass there.
One way or there and back?
One way, uphill, and come back round the loop by cable car, ropeway, boat and bus. If you only want the train, the Nonbiri pass covers a ride up and back with as many stops as you like. Hakone is an easy day trip from Tokyo, but a night in a hot-spring inn lets you take the train early, before the crowds.
Travelling with a mobility need, and luggage
Hakone-Yumoto has lifts between the platforms and the ticket gates. A wheelchair user who rode in October 2025 reported a wheelchair space in the front car and a level transfer to the cable car at Gora. We found nothing on step-free access at the smaller stations, and not all are staffed all day, so the operator asks wheelchair users to contact it in advance. If you would rather not take large cases on a busy train, you can send them ahead. The Hakone Luggage Transport counter inside Hakone-Yumoto station takes bags from 8:30 to 12:00 and delivers them to partner hotels after 15:00. It charges ¥1,500 or ¥2,500 a bag, by size.
If the journey breaks down
This is a mountain railway, and weather is the risk:
- In 2019 a typhoon closed the line for nine months. We could not find the operator’s rules for suspending trains in heavy rain, so if the weather is bad, check Hakone Navi on the day.
- The ropeway beyond Gora sometimes stops. In the winter of 2025 into 2026 sections closed for inspection in December, January and February, with buses instead, and one group in January 2026 found it shut by wind. Check on the day whether your ticket covers any replacement bus.
- If you have a Shinkansen to catch at Odawara, allow for crowds as well as the timetable: a full train may mean waiting for the next one.
A final word on the Hakone Tozan Railway
Forty minutes on a little train that reverses its way up a mountain, past hydrangeas in early summer and autumn colour later in the year. Ride early or midweek, and let it start your day round Hakone.
Andrew + Margaret
- Rail journeys Journeys
- Hakone Destination
- The Kurobe Gorge Railway Journeys
- The Tadami Line Journeys
- The Tokaido Shinkansen Journeys
- Onsen etiquette Practical
- Is the Japan Rail Pass worth it? Practical
Is it worth riding if I am not doing the whole loop?
Yes, for the switchbacks and the bridge, and above all in hydrangea season. The Nonbiri pass covers the railway for a day, so you can ride up, stop at the Open-Air Museum or Miyanoshita, and come back down. On a weekday morning you are far more likely to get a seat.
Do the old trains still run?
Some do. The operator says its oldest cars, among the oldest electric trains still in regular service in Japan, will retire in January 2028. Newer trains include the Allegra cars, introduced in 2014 and named after the Romansh greeting used on the Swiss sister line.