Togendai Station — Local services in Hakone

PROS ➕ Great view from above

CONS ➖ Shared seats

Date visited: 05/06/2024

After a long day of sightseeing along the lake, we decided to ride the Hakone Ropeway to get back to town, where we could find a place to eat and bathe. The station was not as busy as I had expected.

It seemed they were going to close early due to the weather. We were placed in a cable car with a few other people, all tourists. The car departed not long after. The seats were clean and segmented to provide a better view.

The trip was smooth, and I hardly noticed any engine noise or vibration. It was quiet in the car; everyone was busy admiring the view through the glass windows, even though it was foggy. We could only see a short distance ahead.

We soon approached the source of the hot spring, Owakudani. With limited visibility, I could only judge our location by the strong smell of sulfur in the air. The visitor center was closed due to the weather, so we continued riding. Apparently, one can see Mount Fuji from here on a clear day.

The rest of the ride was fast and uneventful — or maybe it just felt that way because I was preoccupied with the thought of missing out on one of Hakone’s best attractions. Nevertheless, it’s the most efficient way to travel...

I walked a short distance from my campsite at Fun Space Ashinoko Camp Mura to Togendai Station on 2024-01-30 to ride to the Hakone Ropeway up to Owakudani to see the thermal vents. The station was very nice and had a well stocked gift shop with souvenir items from the Hakone area. The station also has a large area dedicated to the anime Evangelion, as the area is featured as Tokyo-3 in the series. The ropeway had maintenance on the other side of the mountain, but buses were running for those individuals who wanted to go up the mountain. Always a good idea to check the ropeway's website to check for service disruptions that may impact your visit. The ropeway on this side of the mountain offers incredible views of both Lake Ashi and Mt. Fuji. I would highly recommend visiting the station and riding the ropeway to anyone traveling...

Our group of five was excited to do a full trip on the boat, however, at the half way point we were told the weather was too windy and that the boat would have its final destination at the stop. After departing the ship we had to ask for a partial refund, which we received, however, there was a lack of communication regarding how we would get back to the station and what busses we had to use. This resulted in us having to wait for a couple of hours in the cold wind and inevitably made us late for our accomodation check in. We are disappointed in...