# Hakone Yumoto Onsen

> Hakone Yumoto is the end of the line for the Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku, about 80 minutes out, and the oldest of Hakone's hot spring areas. Most visitors change trains here and head up the mountain. It is worth stopping instead for an afternoon at Tenzan Tohji-kyo or Hakone Yuryo, two large day bathhouses a short bus ride from the station.

- Prefecture: Kanagawa
- Type: Onsen
- Address: Hakone, Kanagawa, Japan
- Opening hours: Mon–Sun 09:00–23:00
- Closed: Tenzan Tohji-kyo closes for about five days in mid-December. Hakone Yuryo is open every day apart from occasional maintenance closures.
- Hours note: Hours are for Tenzan Tohji-kyo, last entry 22:00. Hakone Yuryo is open 10:00 to 20:00 on weekdays and 10:00 to 21:00 on weekends and holidays, with last entry an hour before closing.
- Official site: https://www.hakone.or.jp/

Hakone Yumoto is the first stop in Hakone and the last for the Romancecar, so for most people it is a place to change trains. The street outside the station is a crush of day-trippers buying manju before the Hakone Tozan train or a bus carries them up the hill. Local tradition says a monk named Joteibo found the spring in 738, and Yumoto is the oldest and largest of Hakone's hot spring areas. Plenty of the inns along the Haya River take day bathers, but two places are built for it. Tenzan Tohji-kyo sits up the old Hakone road at Yumoto-chaya and calls itself a place for quiet rest rather than leisure. Adults pay 1,450 yen, cash only, and it is open from 9:00 to 23:00. People with tattoos are let in only if they come alone, and are asked to wear a jacket around the building. Hakone Yuryo, on the Tonosawa side, is built to look like an old farmhouse and has private open-air baths rented by the room. Since April 2025 it accepts tattoos with no restriction, which makes it the easier choice for many foreign visitors. It costs more than Tenzan, especially at weekends. A free shuttle runs to Hakone Yuryo from the station; for Tenzan, take the inns' shared shuttle or the Hakone Tozan bus.

## FAQ

### Which day bathhouse should I choose, and what do they cost?

Tenzan Tohji-kyo is the cheaper and quieter one: 1,450 yen for adults (700 yen from age 1 through elementary school), cash only, 9:00 to 23:00 with last entry at 22:00. Hakone Yuryo costs 1,700 to 1,800 yen for adults on weekdays and 2,000 to 2,200 yen at weekends and on holidays, is open 10:00 to 20:00 on weekdays and to 21:00 at weekends and on holidays, and has private open-air baths you can rent. Pick Yuryo if anyone in your group has a tattoo.

### Can I bathe with tattoos in Hakone Yumoto?

At Hakone Yuryo, yes: it dropped its tattoo restriction on 1 April 2025. Tenzan Tohji-kyo lets in a person with tattoos only if they come alone; two or more tattooed people are refused even if they arrive separately, and you are asked to wear a jacket inside. Other inns set their own rules, so ask before you go.

### How do I get to Hakone Yumoto from Tokyo?

The Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku runs straight to Hakone-Yumoto in about 80 minutes; you pay a 1,200-yen limited express fee on top of the fare. The cheaper way is ordinary Odakyu trains with a change at Odawara, and if you come by Tokaido Shinkansen, change at Odawara to the Hakone Tozan line.

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Source: Hakone Yumoto Onsen — Japan Voyage