Japan Family Holiday - Self-Drive Hakone

This year marked our fifth Christmas spent in Japan.  As you can tell we really love Japan as a family holiday destination.  This being our second time in Tokyo we decided to travel outside the city and explore a few countryside areas.  In particular we wanted to take the kids to see snow and learn to ski.  Our trip delivered much more fun than we anticipated and I can't wait to share it with you.

Japan Family Holiday Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo
Day 2-5: Self-drive Hakone
Day 6-8: Explore Tokyo
Day 9-12: Karuizawa Prince Ski Resort
Day 13-15: Self-drive Tochigi
Day 16-19: Explore Tokyo
Day 20: Depart Tokyo

This post will focus on our self-drive trip around Hakone.  It was a true highlight of our holiday and in turn seems to have inspired a number of my family and friends to follow our itinerary on their own trips. 

Travel Period: mid-December 

Weather in Hakone is colder than Tokyo. Temperatures were just single digits during the day but below zero overnight with occasional snow showers. We were equipped for the snow for this trip so we had water-repellent ski/down jackets, woollen/fleece mid-layers and thermal underwear. Beanies and scarves were a must and winter boots kept our feet warm. 

Hakone Day 1: Tokyo to Hakone

Getting around

Taking the Odakyu Romancecar

For this road trip around Hakone, we chose to hire the car at Hakone-Yumoto station as the journey from Shinjuku station is just one and a half hours long via the Odakyu Limited Express "Romancecar" (which is actually a train). Children ages 6-12 can ride free as long as they do not take up a seat on the train. We were happy to have the kids sit on our laps for the hour plus journey but Mr A was broaching the weight limit to do this comfortably and I certainly couldn’t let him sit on me!

Seating is assigned so you must purchase train tickets beforehand and the conductor was very diligent to check everyone was seated correctly. You can book online but because the trains run quite frequently, we purchased the tickets on the day from the RomanceCar ticket counter at Shinjuku Station.  As it is not a Japan Rail train, the JR pass cannot be used for this train. If you want to buy the Hakone Free Pass, the Romancecar tickets will be discounted and you can use the pass to then travel on eight different forms of transportation around Hakone plus receive discounts at different sightseeing spots. We had already done the Hakone Free Pass experience a few years ago but if you haven’t done it before, I highly suggest you do so, especially in Winter when the visibility of Mount Fuji is at it's best.  The different transportation options like the ropeway and the ship are especially fun for children.

Driving in Japan

I have written before about how much we enjoy a self-drive holiday. We particularly love it for the convenience of travelling with children and the freedom to explore without a set itinerary, unrestricted by timetables or public transport routes.  When the children were very little, we were happy to push them in a stroller or wear them while taking advantage of the wonderfully efficient transportation options in Japan so that is how we previously visited Hakone with just Mr A as an infant.  However now my children are getting to the age where they have outgrown a stroller but feign fatigue at the thought of walking on a footpath for more than 100m (but we all know full well this is not true because if they spot a playground en route, then humungous reserves of energy suddenly get tapped and they bolt away from you). Driving solves this issue as they don't have to walk and you don't have children bolting off from you at the sight of a playground.  Renting a car in Japan is very easy and outside the metropolitan areas, like Hakone, a convenient and easy way to explore the beautiful Japanese countryside.

My list of essentials for renting a car in Japan

- A valid International Drivers Permit (IDP): (unless you don't need one so check here if you do): This rather unassuming document is issued in the country you hold a current drivers license, so you need to apply for it before your trip and often it is needed to make an online reservation for a rental car in Japan.  An IDP can usually be obtained on the spot for a small fee with any passport sized photo (yes you can smile in this one folks) and a valid drivers license.  An IDP only lasts for one year from issuance so check before you travel in case you need to renew one.

- Portable Wifi device: We have never found GPS devices user-friendly as not all locations come with a mapcode or telephone numbers have sometimes been inaccurate or the device has simply frozen when I pressed a button. Sometimes rental cars will only provide Japanese language devices. So in Japan we have come to rely on Google Maps to provide our on-road navigation.  It has always been more user-friendly especially since we already use Google to explore the area for food or sightseeing options. Even if you can happily use GPS, being online is a good back up incase the GPS fails.  Of course being online also allows you to check train timetables or translate menus into English.  The need for online access is practically endless! A quick search online will reveal how easy it is to rent a WiFi device either online or in person from the airport.  But bottomline is, regardless of whether you rent a car, a WiFi device is really essential in Japan. 

- Rechargeable battery pack: Using your phone for navigation will burn through not only your phone battery but also the portable WiFi device battery. So being able to charge en route is really good especially if you are driving long distances. Make sure you have all the right cables to connect all your different devices too.

Renting a car in Hakone

Although there are more rental car shops at Odawara Station, the second last stop on the Romancecar, I chose to rent from Hakone-Yumoto station because it was closer to our rental home. The Hakone-Yumoto Toyota car rental shop is conveniently located in a tiny basement office inside the Fujiya Hotel (map) across the bridge from the Hakone-Yumoto train station. I booked the car online and then wrote a separate email to request winter tires because of the high chance of snow and ice in this part of Japan. The car and tires were all confirmed by email and the entire process was in English which made things very stress free. Extras such as car seats were also available for rental and only cost a small additional fee so there is no need to bring your own seats. 


This Toyota outlet had limited car choices but we tend to rent small and economical cars (and then pray to God the luggage will fit). If you need a bigger rental car, I would check the Tocoo! car rental website that compares the different rental companies with more car options, rental packages and pick up locations.  The Tocoo! rates seemed better than renting from Toyota directly however I simply couldn't add winter tires when making a reservation online (though I am sure it can be done, anybody help?).  

Note: I recently discovered the Tabirai website which does allow you to add winter tires (studless tires) easily while still comparing rates across numerous car rental companies.

Once we picked up our car, we buckled the kids in and they immediately fell asleep even though the car was stationary; a sure sign of why I love self-driving.  We also sighed with relief that our luggage fit the boot and happily headed out to our rental home.  Our holiday home was located near the tiny town of Motohakone on the shores of Lake Ashi. As we drove through winding mountain roads, snow began to drift down onto the road and I was glad we had booked winter tires for the car. Our rental home made us work hard to reach its amazing location.  First via a very steep drive up the hillside and then an even steeper hike up many flights of stairs to the top most chalet. It was still snowing and a little slippery. I was worried for the kids and I know some people would struggle with the steps so we just went as slowly as possible.  The Hubs had to carry the luggage up in two trips so it would not be a location to stay if you cannot pack light. But as promised, the walk was worth it and over the next four days we truly loved our cosy holiday home of enviable proportions and the mesmerising views of Mount Fuji and Lake Ashi.

I cannot imagine accessing this home or this part of Hakone without a car so much so that unless meals are provided by your accommodation e.g. a ryokan or hotel, I think you would struggle to find food without a car. We had breakfast at home and cooked dinner a couple of nights but being away from the main Hakone and Odawara townships, there were not many food options within walking distance that opened past 6pm and the two nights we ate out, we had to drive to Gora for food. Another friend staying at a rental home outside of Odawara had to survive on 7-11 food for their dinner because they had no car and no restaurants within walking distance.

That first night, we drove down the road to find Motohakone a ghost town and everything closed. It was 5.45pm. Fortunately, we took a short drive out of town and saw the lights were still on at a quaint local restaurant on the side of the road (map). We were welcomed inside a cosy and homely interior by the owner who displayed all that wonderful hospitality we have come to adore in Japan.  She even brought out origami books and paper to entertain my boys.  The specialty dishes here included a wild boar special but we were not so brave and instead had a warming and delicious wild mushroom and chicken hot pot. 

The intinerary for the rest of our stay in Hakone was free and easy. I had prepared a number of choices for the time we were there depending on the weather and general enthusiasm.

Hakone Day 2: Strawberry picking, Mishima and Big Bang Playground, Gotemba

We woke up to blue skies and with a good forecast ahead we chose to pick strawberries in the area of Mishima, approximately 30 minute drive away. I had found a discount voucher for Kubota strawberry farm (map) but there were many farms in the area and we simply went with the first one we drove past. The area is covered in rows and rows of greenhouses so just follow the signs and you will definitely find one.  Or if you still look lost, a friendly staff member will probably come out and show you to their farm. 

Winter time is prime strawberry season in Japan and having been to a similar farm in Osaka, we were looking forward to our strawberry feast. For a fee, you get 30 minutes to pick and eat all the strawberries you want from the rows of green houses plants. They don’t need to be washed and though they give you condensed milk, the fruit simply does not need it. The strawberries were so beautiful and sweet and taste like no other strawberries I have eaten in the world.  The texture of strawberries in Japan is also surprisingly soft and almost fluffy, not like the crisp and tart fruit I am used to from Australia. 

There was only one other group when we arrived and we had a wonderful time picking and eating to our hearts content. The boys loved picking their own fruit and were very diligent to dispose of their stems in the compost bins at the front entrance. We also loved watching the honey bees buzzing between the blossoms and their little beehive at the entrance of the greenhouse. 

For the kids I highly recommend you pack lots of wet wipes for sticky fingers and hands! Thirty minutes goes quickly but everybody left completely satisfied with their fill of strawberries. 

From the farms, the Hubs decided to drive us to Gotemba to “Big Bang playground” (map) inside the very local holiday resort Toki No Sumika. I had read about this location because they are famed for their annual Christmas lights display, or "illumination" as they call it in Japan. But I had not known the area included a massive playground. The Hubs had hit the jackpot.  Only adults need to pay an entrance fee and this gives you access to this entire hilltop area set up with different inflatable jumping castles, huge slides and mazes, trampolines and playground equipment. All of this set against the backdrop of the majestic Mount Fuji. The children were so happy. The Hubs could fly his new drone so he too was so happy.  There were a few families enjoying the playground in the chilly winter air but the space was so vast that the boys practically had the play equipment to themselves. 

A warm drink from the nearby vending machine, a view of Mount Fuji and happy children made for a perfect afternoon.  Time really ran away from us at this location and before we knew it we were well past lunchtime.  We drove around to the front of the resort and found a small in-house bakery for a quick snack just to tie us over before dinner. 

To end off our very relaxed day out, we stopped by a supermarket on our way home and purchased supplies to cook an easy and healthy hotpot dinner.  Self-catering has always been a good way to boost the vegetable intake on holidays in Japan where vegetarian dishes can be difficult to find on the menu when eating out. The closest supermarket was quite far from the Motohakone township so again we were so grateful to have our rental car. 

Hakone Day 3: Odawara Park and Odawara Castle

The weather was really good to us during our stay and this morning was no exception. We cooked soft eggs and toast for breakfast and enjoyed our picture perfect views of Mount Fuji from the dining table. The Hubs took the opportunity to fly his drone out over the lake and captured some amazing photos.  

Before we headed out, we packed a "picnic" bag full of snacks and drove out to Odawara. First on the list was Wanpaku Land in Tsujimura Botanical Park. This massive park boasted one of the biggest children's playgrounds (map) I had seen and came recommended by a friend with young children. I would like to say that we fully experienced this playground however, we didn't really get there. This is a lesson in just going with the flow on our holidays and letting serendipity determine your path.  We did have a great time at the park itself but we just didn't make it to the actual playground. Firstly, the entire park is huge but we parked at the first carpark we saw. We walked towards the playground which we could see in the distance at the top of the hill.  We found some amusement park type rides as well as the pony rides and farm animals.  This whole area was essential a ghost town with no staff visible so we kept walking towards the playground but got joyfully distracted by a long skinny slide that wound its way down the hillside, with the children landing on the forest floor in a pile of autumn leaves.  The children were so satisfied trodding up and sliding down we spent a long time here, just enjoying being in the middle of a forest, surrounded by nature. When we decided to continue walking, we ended up stopping for a picnic next to a wintery field of bare cherry trees.  We had panoramic views across the whole countryside and we clearly spent too much time here too because then it was lunchtime and this brings me to the second reason why we didn't make it to the playground, which was we ran out of food. 

Still very hungry we decided to say thank you to the small but lovely portion of the park we had seen and headed back to town for lunch. We had a delicious lunch at the very family friendly Buffet: Elennagosso (map) where you can also try the locally produced Hakone craft beer. 

After lunch we decided to press on with our exploration of Odawara although we could easily have returned to the park. So we decided to complete our visit of the town at Odawara Castle (map).  As is typical of the castles, the surrounding grounds are immense gardens that make for a really nice walk with the children. They always enjoy the freedom to run freely and especially climb the giant steps. When we reached the central courtyard, Odawara Castle posed mightily from the top of a long flight of stone stairs.  For a fee, visitors can go inside the castle but we were satisfied to stay outside because around the corner we saw a sign pointing to an amusement park (map) behind the castle grounds. We ran down the footpath and discovered a collection of kitschy, old-fashioned coin-operated rides and a train track that looped around the park.  Tickets were just 80yen per person for the train ride and we purchased them from vending machines.  The train conductor collected the tickets from our children who grinned for the entire experience.  The train travelled around the course twice and the kitschy decor along the route seemed to just keep increasing in its intensity with the finale being a tunnel lit up with every type of fairy light and Christmas decor possible.  Again, the kids were just thrilled by the whole experience.  Old school really works with kids.  On the opposite side of the park entrance was a small race track where for another 80yen, the boys could ride on motorised race cars.  They didn't run for very long and Mr R needed a lot of steering assistance but it was money well spent as again, the kids grinned the entire experience.

By the time we walked back to the car, the sun was beginning to set and we knew that once we started driving the boys would fall asleep.  And they did.  So we plotted a course for Gora Brewery and Dining (map) for dinner although this required a scenic drive via a forest-route that did not even register on the car GPS navigation. The drive was so windy and harrowing though so I'm not sure I could recommend it at night time.

When we arrived in Gora, we could tell this quaint town would be another lovely location to explore during the day or a good place to stay overnight.  For one thing there were a number of eateries available including two restaurants by Nobu, the high-end Itoh Dining by Nobu and the more casual restaurant we chose, Gora Brewery and Dining. Importantly, they all opened past the usual 6pm back in Motohakone.  We bundled our sleepy post-nap children into the empty restaurant for dinner, the interiors reminding me of a modern alpine cabin, the chefs were primed and ready behind the counter to start our orders.  We had a wonderful meal with mostly seafood with dishes like fried crispy rice with a salmon dip, fish and chips, famed miso black cod and a seafood platter for a main.  The serves were far bigger than we anticipated so we could have skipped the main dish and still have had enough to eat.  It was fine dining (but not too fancy) in a comfortable way and the perfect way to end the day.  

Hakone Day 4: Hakone Open Air Museum

Our final morning in Hakone and we had planned to meet friends at Hakone Open Air Museum (map), located back in Gora where we had been the night before.  Using the Hakone Free Pass or coupons from the RomanceCar trip, we bought discounted tickets and the children were free.

Having researched this location beforehand, I knew there were at least three interactive installations that the children would be able to explore.  In fact the museum had much more than I anticipated and we truly spent the whole day here.  It was by far one of the trip highlights for myself and the boys.

We began indoors with the Art Hall which was meant to represent a modern forest. This large sculptural space was designed for the kids to explore geometric forms with huge triangular cushions and an octagon shaped hut they could climb inside.  The children went straight to work building castles and rockets and generally keeping busy and warm inside the chilly room.

Next was a giant play sculpture called 'Curved Space-Diamond Structure'.  Despite the uninformative name, this impressive sculpture looked like a giant collection of bubbles.  It was actually made up of  lots of interconnecting perspex capsules that the children could climb inside and explore.  However this proved easier said than done with the slippery surface making it very challenging for the youngest kids.  Mr A and R persevered well and managed to climb quite high up but children under three may not get much out of this sculpture. 

The third installation that we loved was 'Woods of Net' which housed 'Knitted Wonder Space', a truly magnificent piece of woven art.  Words won't do this art justice but it was made up of huge suspended colourful nets that were interwoven so only the tiniest of humans were able to climb inside and crawl around the top of the structure.  There were large balls suspended by the nets hanging from the ceiling to hang off. It was really a work of genius and beauty and the kids loved it so much we had a lot of trouble pulling them out when it was time to head home.

The rest of the museum grounds are filled with plenty of artwork worth exploring and there were some areas we simply didn't have the time to visit.  In terms of food, the cafe at the furthest end of the museum proved a waste of time.  Although it was a beautiful space to sit and admire the grounds, it served only drinks. In the end we settled for the buffet restaurant located at entrance, next to the gift shop.  Buffets tend to be excellent choices when eating with children as there is always a range of food to cater for every age and often a dessert bar which in this case included a soft serve machine and a chocolate fountain. 

In retrospect, an ideal itinerary in Gora would be to spend a full day including lunch at the Open Air Museum, followed by an early dinner at Gora Brewery and Dining as it is located just down the road.  

Hakone Open Air Museum still remains a talking point to the family to this day and I can't recommend it enough to those travelling with children.  I was so delighted to see art being made accessible and inclusive to people of all ages. This was a wonderful conclusion to our time in Hakone as we checked out the next day to return to Tokyo for the remainder of our trip.

Hakone makes a wonderful side-trip from Tokyo. We would highly recommend driving around this area for anybody travelling with or without children.  There was plenty to see and do and we cannot wait to revisit Hakone on a future trip.