Ōwakudani Station

Ōwakudani Station is the main gateway into the volcanic valley, and it sets the tone the moment you step off the ropeway. The air is crisp, the sulfur scent is unmistakable, and the views open up immediately — you don’t have to walk far to feel immersed in the landscape. The station itself is clean, organized, and easy to navigate, with clear signage pointing toward the walking paths, shops, and viewing areas. Even on a weekday, there was a steady flow of visitors, but the wait times were short and manageable. What makes the station memorable is how seamlessly it blends functionality with scenery. You can grab a quick snack, browse souvenirs, or simply step outside and take in the dramatic ridgelines. It’s not a destination on its own, but it’s an essential and well‑run starting point for exploring the area. Overall, it earns a solid 4 out of 5 for convenience, atmosphere, and smooth visitor flow.

Was here in Dec, temperature was around 9-10 degree, but the wind was 21-48km/h. Very cold and strong enough to sway you when you walk. View was very nice, manage to get very clear view of Mount Fuji from here. Great place to stop over for a break or snack here get some photos. Unfortunately the ropeway from Owakudani to Sourzan was under maintenance, had to take substitute bus for that part of the journey. Followed the round trip from Hakone Machu-Ko at 10am, taking the pirate boat, ropeway, cable car, Tozan train and tozan bus using the Hakone Freepass reach back at 6:30pm.

Are you acrophobic? You're gonna hate the Hakone Ropeway, which is all the more reason why you've just gotta experience it! Start your ascent at the Sounzan Station, climbing above the cloud layer to arrive at Owakudani station, a waypoint where you can purchase such novelties as charcoal ice cream, and tasty, slightly sulfurous eggs whose shells have carbonized to a jet black after being boiled in volcanic hot spring water; they say eating one adds seven years to your life! If you're afraid of heights, you probably need to add back seven years, since the ascent probably shaved a few off, eh? When you're ready, the ropeway continues on, descending and swaying gently as it makes its way towards its terminus at Togendai station, on the shore of Lake Ashi. Stop, shop, catch your breath, grab some food at one of the many local, world-class restaurants, and when you're ready, you can board a replica pirate ship (of all things!) to continue your journey. Hopefully you're not a limnophobe or thalassoharpaxophobe as well! Along the way, you'll encounter sweeping, gorgeous views of Mt. Fuji, volcanic pools, ancient forests, picturesque mountain towns, gorgeous bodies of water and, more than likely, other tourists, cowering and squealing with fear and trepidation, snapping skittish selfies while trying to maintain their balance and keep their nauseated stomachs in check. Fun for the whole family!

Owakudani itself is, like many places in Hakone, really nice and beautiful and while I really enjoyed the view and, like many people, tried the black eggs, the waiting lines to go up and down were for me awful. Maybe I am impatient, but I would rather walk for example one and a half hours than stand one hour in line and that is how long it took to get on the cable car. It was one hour waiting to go up and one hour waiting to go down and that made the experience less pleasant. I do not want to say it ruined the experience at all, because it is a once in a lifetime experience going all the way up and seeing the surroundings and eating a volcano boiled egg, so for somebody coming to Hakone it is definitely worth it, but keep in mind that the waiting lines can be extremely long. I went there during off season and when it was around thirteen to fourteen degrees Celsius and I cannot imagine how this will be during peak season with temperatures around twenty to twenty five degrees Celsius.

Do not miss riding the Ropeway to Owakudani Station. The views of the sulphur mines and mt Fuji are simply breathtaking. If you drive up to the station you will miss these views. Get your camera and video ready for a good photo taking opportunity! Even though there is a queue, the Ropeway cars are plentiful and the queue moves fast. We rode it up and down. Sunset view is even more spectacular

I was worried the sulphur smell would be a bit much for me to handle but thankfully there was hardly any on the day I went, apart from the occasional whiff of rotten egg smell when the wind blew. I tried the vanilla and egg ice cream as well as a pancake with red bean paste from one of the stalls here which was pretty good. If you're in a rush to explore Hakone, you don't necessarily have to get off here but if you just want to take in the sights, it wont be a complete waste of time either.

Take the ropeway to see a more interesting view of Owakudani! The cable car passes over the sulfur vents that you wouldn't be able to see without going through the guided tour. The round trip ticket allows for stopovers at the other stations, so you can use it for a full day tour around the area. If you are going for the cruise at Lake Ashi as well, they sell bundle tickets together with this ropeway that go for a lower price.

Well-maintained station with a restaurant and convenience store all in one place. I loved the serenity of the location.

Are you acrophobic? You're gonna hate the Hakone Ropeway, which is all the more reason why you've just gotta experience it! Start your ascent at Sounzan Station, climbing above the cloud layer to arrive at Owakudani Station, a waypoint where you can purchase such novelties as charcoal ice cream and tasly, slightly sulfurous hard-boiled eggs whose shells have been cabronized to a jet black after being boiled in volcanic hot spring water; they say eating one adds seven years to your life! If you're afraid of heights, you probably needs to add back those seven years, since the ascent probably shaved a few off, eh? When you've gathered your courage again, the ropeway continues on, descending and swaying gently as it makes its way towards its terminus at Togendai Station, on the shores of Lake Ashi. Stop, shop and catch your breath, grab some food at one of the many local, world-class restaurants, and when you've settled down a bit, you can board a replica pirate ship (of all things!) to continue your journey. Hopefully you're not a limnophobe or thalasssoharpaxophobe as well! Along the way, you'll encounter sweeping, gorgeous views of My. Fuji (on a clear day, anyway), volcanic pools, ancient forests, picturesque mountain towns, gorgeous bodies of water and, more than likely, other tourists, cowering and squealing with fear and trepidation, snapping skitting selfies while trying to maintain their balance and keep their nauseated stomachs in check. Fun for the whole family!

Nice place for a tourist. Hakone sky tram as I remember it is a cool set up. It brings you from the lake below (Mt Fuji Lake?) all the way up the hill. It is a long way up but it's very scenic for first timers granted the weather's nice. We did a Mt Fuji tour from Tokyo and they took us up Hakone sky tram. Personally, I loved it. The weather was a bit foggy and cold but a great experience. Thanks for a nice trip...from your Yelper from Los Angeles!

I loved this place during our trip. Yes, it's a tourist and expensive spot, but I am pretty sure you don't get to see something like this every where. Plus, if you're coming into Hakone and have purchased your Hakone pass - the sky tram and boat ride is included with your train ride from Tokyo-Hakone. Stuff to do: walk around and check out the scenery. I know you can see Mt Fuji on a clear day, it's just too bad it was rainy and windy during our visit. You have to purchase and eat the black eggs. Folklore claims that you retain your youth. We cheated and just bought an egg off a couple that was eating nearby. You have to purchase 6 eggs, all or nothing :( UGH! It was just a regular egg (duh) with a black shell due to the sulfur water that it was cooked in. You're provided a wet nap for the sulfur smells, if you're sensitive to the smell and surroundings.

Hakone Valley Station: This is a good location to start your journey through Harkone's Volcanic valley. The hot springs are interesting, looking like something straight out of Dante. However, if you are not into the smell of sulfur, this may not be the excursion for you. One of the ubiquitous "treats" of this trip will be the sampling of some black eggs, eggy weggies which have been cooked in the sulfur springs. These sucker take on a black color and a sickly sulfur bite to them; they're not really my thing, but they say you should try everything just once. A better taste treat might be some Japanese buns cooked at the springs. I got my in a commemorative Hello Kitty lunch box which still sits atop my refrigerator. The iconic Kitty is holding her nose which pretty much sums up the sulfur experience at least at the "Valley of Hell" as it is sometimes called. Seriously though, the tour of the volcano is really quite interesting.

Owakudani is definitely a must see for tourists. It's the first stop along the Hakone Tozan Ropeway from Sounzan to Togendai. This place is known for its sulfur-creating landscape. Things do here: * Climb up to the top and get a good look at your surrounding mountain views * Eat the black, sulfur eggs * Eat the black vanilla icecream * Take a picture with the huge black eggs * Touch the sulfur water

This is the first stop over the Great Boiling Valley. The cable car ride provides nice views over the sulfuric valley. It gets a bit stinky but not as stinky as Rotorua, NZ! Make sure you take photos, try the kuro tumago and other treats, wasabi or black sesame ice cream, and breathe in all that sulfuric goodness.

Hakone is an overpriced mountain resort town - nothing special. But if you find yourself here it is worth your time to take a trip on the ropeway for the awesome views of Mt. Fuji. The sulfur hot springs are interesting too.