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These two popular tourist destinations are roughly 50 km apart, but as you can’t easily get a train between them, the journey can seem a little daunting – so, here’s what you need to do.
Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
Catching the Bus Between Hakone and Kawaguchiko
The normal way to get between Hakone and Kawaguchiko is by bus. The journey takes about two hours of driving, plus a bit of time waiting for connections, as you do have to change buses en route. But don’t let that put you off. Services are regular, and it’s actually pretty easy.
Let me talk you through how I did it.
Step 1: Hakone to Gotemba Station
The easiest way to do this part of the journey is to catch the Odakyu Highway Bus.
This is marked as the yellow W route on the Hakone Transport map. It actually runs from Hakone all the way to Shinjuku, although you’re only going to be riding it for a fraction of this route.
The bus starts at Motohakone, home to Hakone Shrine. It then goes past Togendai (the spot where you get on the ropeway) and goes north to Sengokuhara, the major transport interchange out of Hakone. From here it travels east to Gotemba Station.
My hotel, the Mount View Hakone, was directly opposite the bus stop at Sengoku Bunka Center-Mae, making it extremely easy to get on board. If you are considering this journey, I would suggest booking Hakone accommodation with easy bus access.
It takes 30 minutes to get to Gotemba Station from Sengoku Bunka Center-Mae. From my stop, it cost 790 yen, if you get on earlier, it can cost up to 1080 yen to reach Gotemba.
There are ten buses a day. The first one leaves Hakone at 9.25, the last leaves at 6.30 pm. Up-to-date timetables can be found here.
You can book this part of the journey in advance – I did. Or so I thought, until I got on the bus and realised that, for some reason, I had managed to book my journey for the same day I had booked it a month earlier, so double-check the dates very carefully if you do book. The good news was that the morning bus had only three other people on it, so there were plenty of seats, and I just paid the fare on the day.
If you don’t book in advance, you pay by tapping your IC card on the terminal by the driver, or, you can pay in cash. If you have the Hakone Free Pass, the Highway Bus is covered to Gotemba Station.
If you are leaving later in the day when day trippers might be leaving Hakone to go all the way back to Tokyo, I’d be more inclined to make sure I booked as the buses can fill up. Reservations can be made here.
Read This Next: Is the Hakone Free Pass Worth It?
Coming From Gora or Hakone Yumato
The Highway bus doesn’t connect directly with Gora or Hakone Yumoto.
If you’re staying in these popular spots, you should catch the local bus from Gora or Hakone Yumoto to the Sengoku stop, then walk a few minutes to the Hakone Sengoku stop, where you can pick up the Highway Bus. This journey is covered by the Hakone Free Pass.
Step 2: Transferring At Gotemba Station
The Highway Bus arrives at the north west of Gotemba Station. The buses to Kawaguchiko leave from near the Otome Exit on the southeast side.
It’s less than a 5-minute walk over the railway bridge to get to this, though, and it’s well signposted – it even says Mount Fuji side.
Google Maps will also easily walk you through it.
Step 3: Gotemba to Kawaguchiko
This part of the journey uses the Fujikyu Mobility Bus – A1 – that departs from Stop 2.
It takes 90 minutes, and you’ll go past sights like Lake Yamanako, Oshino Hakkai and Fuji Q Highland before arriving at Kawaguchiko Station. If the weather is good, keep your eyes peeled for views of Mount Fuji on the route. The route map is here if you’d like to visualise it – it’s the dark orange line.
The timetable for the route is here.
It is in Japanese, but you can use the camera in Google Translate, or, the important stations are in bold and I’ve highlighted it all in yellow below.
The first one highlighted in this picture is Gotemba, and the bottom one is Kawaguchiko.
I admit I was a bit nervous about getting on this. But it’s very easy to find once you are there.
You get on the bus at the back and tap on with your IC card, then tap off when you alight.
If you’re paying by cash, pick up a ticket from the machine as you get on the back. The screen by the driver will show your fare. Look for the big number under the box marked 1. It should be around 1750 yen.
The GL Bus
If you look at the timetable link above, you’ll see a pink section for a service called the GL Bus. This is the Express Service between Gotemba and Kawaguchiko Station. It takes just 60 minutes to get between the two.
The bus costs a little bit more, 2000 yen, but is much faster. However, at the time of writing, the 8.40 am service only runs at weekends, while the 11 am service only runs during the week. The afternoon services run every day. Check the latest timetable on the A-C bus page to ensure this is still the case when you’re traveling though.
The GL Bus offers reserved seats only. You can make reservations here.
I hope that explains how to get the Highway bus between Hakone and Kawaguchiko. Sadly, I didn’t know I’d be writing this until I got back and people started asking how to do it in my Facebook group, or I’d have taken more pictures – or even videoed things like the walk, but it is very straightforward.
Other Options
If you’re not sure about the bus route above, there are a couple of other transport options between Hakone and Kawaguchiko.
The G Bus
I’m adding this here, but I would suggest checking it with your hotel or the Tourist Information Office once in Hakone.
According to the Hakone Transport map, the G Bus – marked as light blue on the map – can take you directly to Hakone Station from the Gora side of Hakone.
However, when I type the route into Navitime (normally the most reliable option for travel planning) and Google Maps, it never shows this as a suggestion. If it does work, though, this will be easier than changing at Sengoku. It will also be covered by the Hakone Free Pass.
The M Bus
If you want to visit Gotemba Outlet on the way to Kawaguchiko, the M Bus will take you there from Hakone. This journey will be covered by the Hakone Free Pass. You can then catch a local bus or the Outlet Shuttle bus to Gotemba Station to continue your journey.
Sunrise Tours
If you’d prefer having someone else organise you, this tour company offers a transfer from Hakone to Kawaguchiko. You get picked up at one of four points in Hakone and then dropped off at the Tourist Base Kawaguchiko, close to Kawaguchiko Station, about 3 hours later. It costs 9000 yen per person. Bookings are essential.
Hire Car
The Mount Fuji region is one place where it can pay to drive yourself around. However, if you are travelling in winter, make sure your car and your driving skills are equipped for snow. My friends got stuck halfway during a heavy snowfall as they didn’t have snow tyres on their car – and, with a bit more snow, the road was closed completely for the day. Have a look at Discover Cars for an idea of rates.
Who Writes This Blog?
My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.
I’ve traveled to Japan eight times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 25 towns and cities. My last visit was November 2024 so, everything here is pretty up to date.
