Guide · Mountain railway

Hakone Tozan Railway: the switchback climb to Gora

The Hakone Tozan Railway climbs out of the hot-spring valley by zigzagging up the mountainside. Here is how the ride works, where to get off and what waits at the top.

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Editorial team, hakone-tour.comUpdated October 22, 2026about 6 min to read49 sources

The tour this guide is about Day tour from Tokyo to Hakone and the Fuji lakes 4.9 (872 reviews) 1 dayOne-way Hakone Ropeway ticket includedGuide in English and Chinese from$50per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

In short

01The climb: 80 per mille, with three switchbacks where the train reverses.¹
02The ride: About 40 minutes from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora, 6 stops between.²
03Best season: Hydrangeas along the line bloom around mid-June.³
04At the top: Gora, where the cable car climbs on to Sounzan.⁴
05Tickets: IC cards work on the train, not on the cable car.⁵

A mountain line with a long history

The Hakone Tozan Railway is the backbone of Hakone. Its line between Odawara and Gora has more than 130 years of history, going back to the days when the company ran the Odawara Horse-drawn Railway.⁶ Today its mountain section starts at Hakone-Yumoto, where trains from Tokyo end, and climbs to Gora high above the valley.

Visit Kanagawa calls it Japan's steepest railway powered solely by wheel traction.¹ Rather than using cogs or cables, it relies on the grip of steel wheels on steel rails, which is why the line has to wind and double back to gain height. The scenery is a big part of the appeal: ravines, forests and river gorges that change with the seasons. In spring the slopes are pale green, in early summer the tracks are lined with flowers, and in autumn the gorge below Tonosawa turns red and gold.

The Hakone Tourist Association notes the railway's partnership with the Rhaetian Railway in Switzerland, another famous mountain line.⁷ Its stations are a history lesson too: Miyanoshita, halfway up, grew as a refuge from the summer heat of Tokyo and Yokohama and is still known for the Fujiya Hotel.⁸

Up the line

From Hakone-Yumoto to Sounzan

Start

Hakone-Yumoto

Platform 3 for the train to Gora.⁹
First stop

Tonosawa

Up to 20 minutes on foot to Amidaji.¹⁰
Switchback

Ohiradai

The train reverses to keep climbing.¹¹
Middle

Miyanoshita

The old resort village of the Fujiya Hotel.⁸
Near the top

Chokoku-no-Mori

A 2-minute walk to the Open-Air Museum.¹²
Above Gora

Cable car to Sounzan

A rise of 209 meters to the ropeway station.¹³

How the switchbacks work

The line climbs at an 80 per mille gradient, meaning 80 meters of height for every kilometre, and uses three switchbacks to do it.¹ At each one the train stops, the conductor and driver swap ends, and the train sets off in the opposite direction up the next leg of the zigzag.¹⁴

Ohiradai Station is one of these switchbacks, and the moment of reversing is part of the fun.¹¹ Visit Kanagawa adds that the line has curves with a 30-meter radius, 13 tunnels and 26 iron bridges.¹⁵ Sit by a window on the valley side for the best views of the gorge below.

The whole climb from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora takes about 40 minutes with 6 stops along the way.² That is slow by city standards, but every minute is scenery, and the stops are close enough together that getting off and catching a later train is easy. The trains are short and compact, built for tight curves, so travel light and keep bags on your lap or at your feet.

The line in numbers

Tunnels, bridges and stops

count

Bridges and tunnels from Visit Kanagawa, stops from the Hakone Tourist Association, switchbacks from Odakyu Hakone.¹⁵ ² ¹⁴

Station by station

Where to get off and why

Station	What is there	On foot
Tonosawa	Amidaji, hydrangeas late June to mid July	Up to 20 min
Ohiradai	A switchback	At the station
Miyanoshita	The Fujiya Hotel	In the village
Kowakidani	Chisuji Falls	20 min
Chokoku-no-Mori	Open-Air Museum	2 min
Gora	Gora Park	5 min

From the Hakone Tourist Association, the museum and Visit Kanagawa.¹⁰ ¹⁶ ¹¹ ⁸ ¹⁷ ¹² ¹⁸

Three ways to ride

Straight up, stop and go, or with a guide

Quickest

Straight up

Yumoto to Gora

Time: About 40 min
Stops: 6 on the way
Then: Cable car on

See options

1-day pass

Stop and go

A day on the line

Pass: Odawara to Gora
Best stops: Tonosawa, Miyanoshita
Lunch: In Gora

See options

Licensed guide

Private guide

From a Hakone hotel

Hours: 6 to 8
Legs: Train, cable cars, bus
Price: from $337

See options

Decision helper

How should you ride the line?

Pick a plan by what you want from the day

Ride straight up

About 40 minutes from Yumoto to Gora, window seat.²

Go in mid-June

Hydrangeas along the tracks bloom around then.³

Get off at Chokoku-no-Mori

The Open-Air Museum is a 2-minute walk away.¹²

Buy the 1-day pass

Unlimited rides from Odawara to Gora for a day.¹⁹

A private day

Train and cable car legs are on its listed route.

As Japan's steepest railway powered solely by wheel traction, it climbs at an 80‰ (per mille) incline by executing three switchbacks, zigzagging while reversing the direction of travel.

Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Source 1

Stops worth getting off for

Tonosawa, the first stop above Yumoto, sits in a deep valley. From the station a stepped path of no more than 20 minutes climbs to Amidaji, a temple famous for hydrangeas that bloom from late June to mid July.¹⁰ ¹⁶ Ohiradai, next, is a switchback station where the train reverses.

Miyanoshita grew as a refuge from the summer heat of Tokyo and Yokohama and is known for the Fujiya Hotel.⁸ Its guests included Charlie Chaplin, Helen Keller and Albert Einstein.²⁰ From Kowakidani, Chisuji Falls, a mossy rock wall 20 meters wide and 3 meters tall, is a 20-minute stroll away.¹⁷ ²¹

Chokoku-no-Mori is the stop for the Hakone Open-Air Museum, a 2-minute walk from the station.¹² Odakyu Hakone places the museum and the Hakone Kowaki-en Yunessun hot-spring park in this stretch of the line, all reached from Hakone-Yumoto by the mountain train.²²

Map

Hakone, the Tozan line and the old road

The whole valley first, then the railway climb to Gora, the streets around Yumoto station, the cedar road over the pass and the way in from Tokyo.

Map of Hakone with Yumoto Station, the Hakone Open-Air Museum, Owakudani, Sengokuhara and the Hakone Checkpoint — Hakone from Yumoto to the lake

Map of the Hakone Tozan Railway from Tonosawa via Ohiradai, Miyanoshita and Kowakidani to Gora, with Chisuji Falls, Hakone Gora Park and Sounzan — The Tozan line up to Gora

Map of Hakone-Yumoto with Sounji Temple, the Tenzan bathhouse and Amidaji Temple above Tonosawa — Around Hakone-Yumoto

Map of the old Tokaido road in Hakone from Hatajuku past the Amazake Chaya teahouse to the cedar avenue by Lake Ashi — The old Tokaido over the pass

Map of the route from Shinjuku in Tokyo to Odawara at the foot of the Hakone mountains — From Tokyo to Hakone

1
Yumoto Station
The limited express from Shinjuku ends here after about 80 minutes; platform 3 is for the Tozan Railway up to Gora.²³ ⁹
In Google Maps ↗
2
Hakone Open-Air Museum
Sculpture park opened in 1969, a 2-minute walk from Chokoku-no-Mori Station on the Tozan line.²⁴ ¹²
In Google Maps ↗
3
Owakudani
A stop on the day tour this site sells, reached on the Hakone Ropeway.
In Google Maps ↗
4
Sengokuhara
Highland area with silver grass plains in autumn; express buses run here from Shinjuku in about 2 hours.²⁵ ²⁶
In Google Maps ↗
5
Hakone Checkpoint
Reconstructed Edo-period checkpoint, open to the public since April 2007, with a museum of 300 items.²⁷ ²⁸
In Google Maps ↗
6
Tonosawa Station
First stop above Yumoto; a path of no more than 20 minutes leads up to Amidaji.¹⁰
In Google Maps ↗
7
Ohiradai Station
One of the switchbacks where the train reverses to keep climbing.¹¹
In Google Maps ↗
8
Miyanoshita Station
Village of the Fujiya Hotel, developed as a summer retreat from Tokyo and Yokohama.⁸
In Google Maps ↗
9
Kowakidani Station
Chisuji Falls is a 20-minute stroll from here.¹⁷
In Google Maps ↗
10
Chisuji Falls
Water threads down a mossy volcanic wall 20 meters wide and 3 meters tall.²¹
In Google Maps ↗
11
Gora Station
End of the Tozan line, where the cable car continues uphill.⁴
In Google Maps ↗
12
Hakone Gora Park
Garden opened in 1914, a 5-minute walk from Gora Station.²⁹ ¹⁸
In Google Maps ↗
13
Sounzan Station
Top of the cable car, 209 meters above Gora, and the ropeway transfer.¹³
In Google Maps ↗
14
Sounji Temple
Rinzai Zen temple founded in 1521 in honour of Hojo Soun.³⁰
In Google Maps ↗
15
Tenzan bathhouse
Day-use bathhouse with public baths only, no private bath, and cash payment.³¹ ³²
In Google Maps ↗
16
Amidaji Temple
Hydrangeas line its path from late June to mid July.¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
17
Hatajuku
Village of yosegi marquetry, with reconstructed milestone mounds that marked 23 ri from Edo.³³ ³⁴
In Google Maps ↗
18
Amazake Chaya
Thatched teahouse run by 12 generations, open 7am to 5:30pm.³⁵ ³⁶
In Google Maps ↗
19
Old Tokaido cedar avenue
Cedars more than 350 years old, some 30 to 40 meters tall, line the old road by the lake.³⁷
In Google Maps ↗
20
Shinjuku Station
Odakyu limited expresses leave here for Hakone-Yumoto, about 80 minutes away.²³
In Google Maps ↗
21
Odawara Station
Shinkansen stop; from here the Odakyu line reaches Hakone-Yumoto in 15 minutes.³⁸
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Before you ride

Tickets

IC card for the train, cash for the cable car
1-day pass if you stop several times
Start early in hydrangea and leaf season

On board

Window seat on the valley side
Light bags: carriages are compact
Expect crowds at Golden Week and Obon

Cost calculator

Price a guided day that starts in the valley

Enter your group size to compare guided days near the line.

Old road walk from Yumoto3.5 hoursfrom $112 Caldera hike from Yumoto7 hoursfrom $153 Coach day from TokyoHakone and lakesfrom $50

People 2

Total from$223

per guest from $112

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Totals take each listing's cheapest GetYourGuide price times the number of travellers, turned into your own currency with the European Central Bank's figure for today; the sum at checkout is the one that counts.

Video

Hakone Tozan Railway, Japan's steepest mountain railway

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Gora, the end of the line

Gora is the last stop of the train and a base in its own right.⁴ Gora Station sells cable car and railway tickets, limited express tickets from Hakone-Yumoto and the Hakone Freepass, and has a paid luggage drop.³⁹ From here buses run to Sengokuhara and Gotemba, and the cable car climbs on.⁴

The best reason to linger in Gora, Hakone is its gardens and museums. Hakone Gora Park, opened in 1914, shows cherry blossoms, azaleas, hydrangeas, autumn leaves and roses, a 5-minute walk from the station.²⁹ ¹⁸ The Hakone Museum of Art, opened in 1952 and the oldest museum in Hakone, has a moss garden with over 130 kinds of moss and 200 maples.⁴⁰

Gora also lights up once a year. The summer festival with the Daimonji-yaki bonfires on Mt. Myojogatake has been held in August since 1921, and on the night of 16 August a character more than 100 meters tall burns on the mountainside.⁴¹ ⁴² If you are in Hakone then, Gora is the place to watch it.

The cable car above Gora

Above Gora the climb continues on the Hakone Tozan Cable Car to Sounzan, a rise of 209 meters.¹³ Gora Park is a 1-minute walk from Koen-Shimo, one of the cable car's stops on the way up.¹⁸

Sounzan is the transfer to the Hakone Ropeway towards Owakudani, the steaming crater on the famous upper loop. That loop, with its ropeway, crater and boats on Lake Ashi, is a day in itself; the coach tour this site sells includes a one-way ropeway ticket and 40 minutes at Owakudani.

One ticketing detail catches people out: IC cards work on the railway but not on the cable car.⁵ Carry some cash or a pass, or you will queue at the ticket machine while your train fills up. At the top, on a clear day, the view opens back down the valley you have just climbed.

Hydrangea season and other times to ride

The line has a nickname in early summer. Hydrangeas planted along the tracks bloom around mid-June, and the railway is then called the Hydrangea Railway.³ Odakyu Hakone gives the wider hydrangea season in Hakone as late May to late July.⁴³

Other seasons have their own colour. Cherry blossoms come in late March to early April and azaleas from early April to late May.⁴⁴ ⁴⁵ Fall colours run from early October to early December, and Odakyu Hakone forecasts crowds in November for the leaves.⁴⁶ ⁴⁷

Crowds follow the seasons. Golden Week from late April to early May and Obon from 10 to 16 August are busy across Hakone, so ride early in the day if you can.⁴⁸ ⁴⁹ On a quiet weekday the train is half the pleasure of a Hakone day; on a holiday it can be standing room only.

Riding it on a day trip

From Tokyo, the limited express from Shinjuku reaches Hakone-Yumoto in about 80 minutes, and the mountain train leaves from platform 3 of the same station.²³ ⁹ A Hakone Tozan Train 1-Day Pass gives unlimited rides between Odawara and Gora for a day, handy if you plan several stops.¹⁹

The coach tour this site sells does not ride the railway: it drives to the lake by road and rides the ropeway to the crater. If the train is high on your list, ride it on your own or with a guide. A private day with a licensed guide in Hakone lists train and cable car segments among its legs.

A good plan for a train lover is simple: arrive in Yumoto in the morning, ride up slowly with a stop at Miyanoshita or Chokoku-no-Mori, have lunch in Gora, take the cable car to the top for the view, then ride all the way back down in the late afternoon light. Finish with a bath in Yumoto before the train to Tokyo, and the day has a natural shape: up in the morning, art and gardens at midday, hot water at dusk.

Your Hakone day

Shrine, steam and the Fuji lakes in a day.

Pick a date, meet in Tokyo, and cancel free up to 24 hours before.

See datesfrom $50 · free to cancel 4.9 · 872 verified ratings

You ask,we answer.

How steep is the line?

80 per mille. It is Japan's steepest railway powered solely by wheel traction, climbing with three switchbacks.¹

How long from Yumoto to Gora?

About 40 minutes. There are 6 stops along the way, so getting off and catching a later train is easy.²

What is a switchback?

Where the train reverses. At each of the 3 points the conductor and driver switch positions, and the train climbs on the other way.¹⁴

When do the hydrangeas bloom?

Around mid-June. That is when the line is called the Hydrangea Railway; Hakone's season runs late May to late July.³ ⁴³

Can I use an IC card?

On the train, yes. IC cards work on the railway but not on the cable car above Gora, so carry some cash too.⁵

What is there to see in Gora?

Gardens and a museum. Gora Park opened in 1914; the Hakone Museum of Art is known for its moss garden.²⁹ ⁴⁰

Does the day tour use the train?

No. The coach day reaches the lake and Owakudani by road and ropeway, not by the railway.

Sources

The sources for this guide

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Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Hakone Tozan Railway
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2
Hakone Tourist AssociationThe Hakone Tozan Train
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3
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Hakone Tozan Train / Hakone Tozan Cable Car
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4
Hakone Tourist AssociationThe Hakone Tozan Train
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5
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Hakone Tozan Train / Hakone Tozan Cable Car
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6
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Hakone Tozan Railway
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7
Hakone Tourist AssociationThe Hakone Tozan Train
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8
Hakone Tourist AssociationAreas
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9
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Hakone-Yumoto Station
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10
Hakone Tourist Association (text by the Japan Tourism Agency)Amidaji Temple
↩
11
Hakone Tourist AssociationThe Hakone Tozan Train
↩
12
The Hakone Open-Air MuseumAccess
↩
13
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Hakone Tozan Train / Hakone Tozan Cable Car
↩
14
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Hakone Tozan Train / Hakone Tozan Cable Car
↩
15
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Hakone Tozan Railway
↩
16
Hakone Tourist Association (text by the Japan Tourism Agency)Amidaji Temple
↩
17
Hakone Tourist Association (text by the Japan Tourism Agency)Chisuji Falls
↩
18
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Hakone Gora Park
↩
19
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Hakone Tozan Train / Hakone Tozan Cable Car
↩
20
Hakone Tourist AssociationThe Hakone Tozan Train
↩
21
Hakone Tourist Association (text by the Japan Tourism Agency)Chisuji Falls
↩
22
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Miyanoshita, Kowakidani, Gora
↩
23
Odakyu Electric RailwayLimited Express from Shinjuku to Hakone: ticket details
↩
24
The Hakone Open-Air MuseumAbout Us
↩
25
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Sengokuhara silver grass fields
↩
26
Hakone Tourist AssociationHow do I go to Hakone?
↩
27
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Hakone Checkpoint
↩
28
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Hakone Checkpoint
↩
29
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Hakone Gora Park
↩
30
Hakone Tourist Association (text by the Japan Tourism Agency)Sounji Temple
↩
31
Tenzan Tohji-kyoEnglish
↩
32
Tenzan Tohji-kyoEnglish
↩
33
Hakone Tourist Association (text by the Japan Tourism Agency)Yosegi, Hatajuku and Ichirizuka
↩
34
Hakone Tourist Association (text by the Japan Tourism Agency)Yosegi, Hatajuku and Ichirizuka
↩
35
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Amazake Chaya Teahouse
↩
36
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Amazake Chaya Teahouse
↩
37
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Old Hakone Highway cedar-lined road
↩
38
Hakone Tourist AssociationJR Railpass and Hakone
↩
39
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Gora Station
↩
40
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Hakone Museum of Art
↩
41
Visit Kanagawa (Kanagawa Prefectural Government)Hakone Gora summer festival Daimonji-yaki
↩
42
Hakone Tourist Association (text by the Japan Tourism Agency)Hakone Daimonji-yaki
↩
43
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Seasonal highlights: spring
↩
44
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Seasonal highlights: spring
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45
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Seasonal highlights: spring
↩
46
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Seasonal highlights: winter
↩
47
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Crowd forecast
↩
48
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Crowd forecast
↩
49
Odakyu Hakone (hakonenavi)Crowd forecast
↩