Need advice on Hakone
 

I am arriving to Hakone from Kyoto around 12pm. I'm stuck between doing all the sightseeing using the Hakone Freepass that day or the next day. I'm splurging on 1 night at Hakone Ginyu and it seems like I should spend the whole day at the ryokan since I'm spending so much money. But at the same time I get there at 12 and dinner doesn't start until 6 or 7, would there be that much to do at the ryokan?

The next day I'll be leaving from Hakone to Kyoto and if I do all the sightseeing that day I'm afraid I'll get to Kyoto too late.

How long does it typically take to go from Hakone Yumoto to the Togendai Station? (Via the Hakone Train/Cable Car/Ropeway). Has anyone done this route with the freepass and is it worth it? What bout the siteseeing cruise on lake Ashi?

From Hakone Yumoto to Gora (the last stop on the railway near the Open Air Museum), it takes about half an hour. If I recall correctly, you'll need to take a cable car from Gora to Lake, and Togendai is on the other side accessible via ropeway.

There are boats (including one looking like a western pirate ship). Whether it's worth it or not depends on weather. I must say I really enjoyed the Open Air museum, and there was a nice park near Gora. If the weather is nice, you can also hike along old path.

As for ryokan, I have not yet stayed at Hakone Ginyu, but major attraction of traditional ryokan lies in relaxing bath (often outdoor). Also you may want to check c/i and c/o time. Most people tend to take pre-dinner bath btwn 5-7pm, take late night bath AND pre-breakfast bath again the following morning!

BTW, are you coming all the way from Kyoto to spend one night in Hakone, only to get back to Kyoto the following day?

Oops, I meant I'm arriving to Hakone from TOKYO around 12pm. After spending a night in Hakone I'll then go to Kyoto for 4 nights. Hakone will just be a 1 night stop over.

Yumoto-Miyanoshita (where your ryokan is, drop off your lauggage): 25 min. by slow switch back train or ~10 min. by bus
Miyanoshita-Gora 15min. by train(You may want to visit the Open Museum)
Gora-Sounzan:~10 min. by cable car
Sounzan-Togendai: ~30 min. by ropeway. You may want to stop at Owakudani to see volcanic steam rising. Togendai-(Moto)HakoneMachi: ~30min. by boat
(Moto)HakoneMachi-Miyanoshita~20min. by bus
Add transfer times & it will take longer than you think but doable on one afternoon. You may start a bit earlier from Tokyo, if you want to spend more time at attractions. The 2 day Hakone Freepass is good & convenient & use it to get back to Odawara to catch a shinkansen for Kyoto.
P.S.If you don't want to take the boat, take a bus back from Togendai:26 min. to Miyanoshita.

Thanks amazinga,

I think I decided to leave Tokyo earlier like you suggested. I checked with the ryokan and their check in time is 3pm so it should give me some time to sight see before checking in.

You might already know. You can drop off the luggage at the ryokan earlier before check-in time. If you take the train(worth taking), steep walk downhill to the road & bus stop close to your ryokan. The continuous operation ropeway(spetacular views of Mt. Fuji & Ahinoko lake in a clear day) & boat close before dusk.
Enjoy.

You can also pay the takuhaibin service at Odawara station right outside front door to take your bags to the ryokan for same day service. That way you can get right on with your sightseeing then get to the ryokan after 3:00 pm.

I agree that getting to Hakone earlier in the day would open up more sightseeing options for you

Aloha!

Thanks for the tips! I didn't know you can drop off luggage at the ryokan first. It will definitely help. Have you taken the romance car to Hakone before? Is it worth it and are there any good views on the way there or would the train be going pretty fast you can't see much?

I would plan the day to arrive at the ryokan at 3PM. The rest of Hakone would be secondary.

I took the Odakyu Romance Car one-way to Hakone Yumoto and thought it was worth it even though I had a JR Pass. I stayed in Shinjuku the night before, so it was much more convenient that JR.

Romance Car--the best part is, the seats are comfortable, it makes only one or two stops and goes directly to Hakone Yumoto. The views along the way are nothing to get excited about, mainly just suburban sprawl (though you can say pretty much the same for the bullet train between Tokyo and Odawara).

Sightseeing--you're likely to have a fantastic view if the weather is cooperative. On the other hand, there's not much to see if it's cloudy/rainy as Lake Ashi tends to get fogged and you won't be able to see Mt Fuji. So you'll need to be flexible--in rainy weather, you can still do Open Air museum, soak in hotbath. I also heard there's a gallery of local crafts or woodblock printing though haven't been to one. Maybe ryokan concierge can help?

Topping for later. I've been wondering the same thing about seeing the sites in Hakone while staying at Roykan Ginyu.

Thanks for the info! :)