Is Hakone, Japan Good for Kids? Our Honest Take

Short answer: yes, even when the weather completely works against you. We did the Hakone Loop on a rainy, foggy day with almost zero views, and our 5-year-old still loved it. Here's exactly what we did, what we skipped, and why it worked anyway.

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The Torii Gate at Hakone Shrine

We walked out to the famous torii gate standing in the water, but skipped the walk up to the shrine itself since the weather wasn't cooperating. We also skipped the long line for the classic photo spot in front of the gate. Instead, we just took a few snaps from where we were standing strategically blocking out other visitors in the background. Honestly, with a 5-year-old, that trade-off was an easy one to make.

We skipped the photo line and still got the shot - worth it.

The Pirate Ship

This was the highlight of the whole loop for Jackson. We upgraded to the first-class section, which got us a beautiful view of the torii gate right from our seat on the second floor and it was worth it even in bad weather.

We ventured out to the top of the ship, where Jackson and I climbed up to the crow's nest together. The views weren't great thanks to the rain, but he loved it anyway. Right next to the crow's nest is a cannon, and Jackson had a blast pretending to "get" pirates with it.

Pirate Jackson reporting for duty!

The Ropeway (Gondola)

This is where the fog really took over and it felt like we were riding through a cloud the entire time, with zero visibility. Even so, Jackson still genuinely enjoyed the ride itself. For a young kid, the novelty of a new mode of transportation can carry the experience even when there's nothing to see out the window. Matt and I enjoyed it, too!

Zero visibility outside, maximum chaos inside - Jackson made sure the gondola ride was memorable even with zero views.

The Black Egg Stop

We shopped around a little at this stop and I tried one of the famous black eggs - they're cooked in the volcanic hot springs at Owakudani, which turns the shells black. Legend has it that each egg you eat adds seven years to your life, so worth a shot! It just tasted like a normal boiled egg, but hey, I'll take seven extra years and a gluten-free snack any day. Matt is allergic to eggs, so he sat this one out, and Jackson thought they were gross. We didn't spend much time here since there were no views to enjoy thanks to the fog, but it's a fun, quick stop if the weather cooperates for you. There are lots of souvenirs, knick-knacks, and snacks here too.

The Rest of the Loop

We continued through the remaining sections of the loop, and even without any views, it was still enjoyable simply because of the variety of transportation - trains, cable cars, the ropeway, all different from anything Jackson had experienced before. We ended up exiting before the very last leg and took the bus toward our ryokan instead, which was included in our Hakone Free Pass.

Rain, fog, and black eggs said to add seven years to your life - worth it either way.

Our Ryokan Evening

We arrived with just enough time to snag one of the last open slots for a private family onsen, followed by in-room massages and dinner. If a traditional ryokan evening is a priority for your trip too, I break down exactly what that cost and what it included in our Hakone cost breakdown.

The dinner and breakfast were absolutely amazing. Dinner included crab legs, salad, smoked fish, tofu, sashimi, rice, and a hot pot with pork and vegetables. Breakfast was just as delicious, with smoked salmon, salad, chestnuts, spinach, sashimi, tofu, and another hot pot with meat and vegetables. There were drinks available too, beyond just coffee and tea, along with a variety of delicious sauces served alongside each meal.

A traditional ryokan experience was one of our biggest priorities for the whole trip, and it was worth every dollar. We wanted at least one night that felt distinctly different from a standard hotel stay, and this delivered exactly that. We wore yukatas, had a traditional Japanese dinner and breakfast, and soaked in an onsen. The room itself was traditional too, with beds set up on straw-mat floors, and a tea set we made good use of. The traditional decor, mat-style floors, and sliding panel doors plus windows were exactly the vibe we were searching for.

If you're gluten-free like me, be sure to reach out and give advance notice before booking. I go into more detail on that in Where We Stayed in Japan, or check out my Gluten-Free Japan Guidebook for the full details.

Yukatas on, dinner served - this is exactly the ryokan experience we were hoping for.

Trout Fishing the Next Morning

After a delicious breakfast at the ryokan, we took a taxi out to a trout fishing spot. It’s worth knowing that taxis are limited in Hakone, so it took a while to get one but it eventually arrived. There is also an option to take a bus to the street the trout fishing is located off of. This ended up being one of our favorite activities of the entire trip, though I'll be honest: this is exactly the kind of thing our family specifically looks for when we travel. We love the outdoors, so this was right up our alley so, it might not be for every family. But I truly think it's worth it even if it isn't your normal type of activity - you're getting to go fish in Japan, and most of the hard work is done for you!

Here's how it worked: each visitor gets their own section of the river, partitioned off by rocks. You fish your section with a simple cane pole, line, and hook, baited with fish eggs, and keep as many as you can eat. Once you're done, you place your catch in a net the location provides, then bring it to the staff, who clean the fish for you. From there, you cook them yourself on a provided charcoal grill. Plates, chopsticks, and soy sauce are provided too but we brought our own gluten-free soy sauce. You are allowed to bring additional food and seasonings if you would like to make more of a meal. There are tables and chairs provided for each fishing section.

Communication wasn't an issue at all: the staff used a handheld translation device, speaking into it so I could read the response, and I used Google Translate on my end to communicate back. We paid in cash for this activity.

After fishing, we tried to find our way back to the bus stop and got a little lost but it turned into an unplanned, genuinely beautiful hike we wouldn't have done otherwise. We eventually found the bus stop and made our way to Odawara Station to catch the Shinkansen onward. For what it's worth, there is a bus stop right at the end of the road out of the trout fishing location - we just confused ourselves and missed it, but it'll get you where you need to go without the detour we took!

One important note if you're using the Hakone Free Pass like we did: that particular bus, from the trout fishing spot to Odawara Station, was not included in the pass. Every other part of the loop, plus the bus to our ryokan, was covered.

Our catch of the day! Trout fishing in Hakone was hands-down one of our favorite mornings of the whole trip.

So, Is It Good for Kids?

Genuinely, yes. We had about as unlucky a weather day as you can get with rain and fog through nearly the entire loop and Jackson still had a great time. The variety of transportation, the interactive moments like the crow's nest and the cannon, and hands-on activities like trout fishing carried the days even without a single clear view. If you get better weather than we did, you'll get everything we got plus the scenery but it’s a good time even if the weather isn’t perfect.

More From Our Japan Trip

This is one piece of a full 14-day trip through Japan. For the complete route, see our 14-Day Japan Itinerary, or check out the full trip cost breakdown.

Want the exact plan we used, hotel-by-hotel and day-by-day? Grab our 14-Day Japan Guidebook - our full itinerary, transportation, hotels, timing, and planning logistics, built from this exact trip.