Logistics Kamakura - Hakone
 

Hi,
My wife and I in our 60's, our first time in Japan - end Sept into Oct.. Planning on using trains for three weeks.
Arrive Tokyo -Weds
Go to Kamakura and then Hakone - Sunday or Monday - stay two nights ...see question below...
then head to points north ...Still working this out...
Kyoto
Kanazawa
Nara

Our question right now is how to combine Kamakura and Hakone over two night

Option A
early arrival and day in Kamakura- go to Hakone same day = 2 nights in Hakone

Option B
Early arrival day and 1 night in Kamakura....Next day and night in Hakone

Ideas ?
Thanks !

This depends on what you want to see/do in each place as well as your accommodation locations.

Going from Kamakura station > Ofuna > Odawara takes about 40 minutes, not including wait time at the stations for the next train to arrive. From Odawara it would take another 15m to Hakone-Yumoto (the hot spring area of Hakone) or an hour to get to Gora (in central Hakone, for easy access to Owakudani).

If you only want to see the Great Buddha, Hase Temple, lunch, maybe another temple in Kamakura, then it is viable to go to Hakone that same day and stay both nights there. Double-check the check-in times of your accommodation just in case, though most places accept arrivals until late. You'd probably get there by late afternoon.

However, if you'd like to explore Kamakura more in depth, perhaps including Hokokuji or Zuisen-ji, or the area around Kita-Kamakura station such as Engaku-ji, Meigetsu-in, Tokei-ji, Jochi-ji temples... Then I'd say staying overnight in Kamakura might be better.