Hakone Tozan Line

Hakone Tozan Railway is a private railway company in Japan, and it was opened in 1900. It is best known
for its operation of the Hakone Tozan Line, the first mountain railway in Japan. It also operates the Hakone
-Tozan Cable Car. The Hakone Tozan Line consists of two sections: a lower section from Odawara to
Hakone-Yumoto, and an upper section from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora. At Gora, a cable car is available to
transfer visitors to and from Lake Ashinoko


(L) Hakone-Yumoto area (R) Super-express 50000 is parked at Hakone-Yumoto Station.

A landsat picture: Red-line represents Hakone Tozan Railway, serving Odawara and Gora.
Orange line represents a cable car, serving Gora and Sohunzan.
Green line represents a ropeway between Sohunzan and Togendai, Lake Ashinoko.
Source: Wikipedia

Hakone Tozan Cable Car
Hakone Tozan Cable Car is a funicular railway in Hakone. It links Gora, the upper terminus of the railway line,
with Sounzan, 214 metres above sea level. At Sounzan, connection is made with the Hakone Ropeway,
which runs to Togendai on Lake Ashinoko. It was opened in 1922, and the line was rebuilt in 1995, when
new cars replaced the old.

A funicular rail track starts at Goura station with a gradient of 133‰ The maximum gradient of Hakone cable car is 200‰.

A cable car climbs along the cherry blossoms and common broom in full bloom.
Common broom or Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius, is also known as an invasive species.

(L) This picture shows the Hakone cable car track near the upper station of Sounzan.
(R) A cable car at the Sounzan station

Technical parameters:
Length: 1200 meters
Height: 214 meters
Maximum steepness: 20%
Journey time: 10 minutes

Hakone Ropeway
Hakone Ropeway links between Sounzan and Togendai via Owakudani. It makes a part of the sightseeing route
between Odawara and Lake Ashinoko. The company belongs to the Odakyu Group.


(L) Interior of a gondola lift station at Sounzan (R) A gondola lift between Sounzan and Owakudani

(L) An active volcanic plume at Owakudani valley which was once called as Jigokutani, the valley of Hell
(R) Owakudani valley that is viewed from a ropeway gondola.

A volcanic plume that is viewed from Owakudani Observation plaza.

(L) A volcanic plume and Kanmuridake mountain ( Lava dome ) (R) An active plum at Owakudani

(L) A volcanic plume and Kanmuridake (M) A symbolic stature of a black egg, cooked in a hot spring and turned into black.
(R) A wonderful view of Mount Fuji from the gondola


The above pictures are the scenes seen from an aerial tram Hakone Ropeway to the Great Boiling Valley, Owaku-
dani. From Togendai on the Lake, the Hakone Ropeway connects to Sounzan, the upper terminus of the Hakone
Tozan funicular railway. This in turn connects to the Hakone Tozan Line mountain railway for the descent to
Odawara, in connecting to Shinjuku and Tokyo.

Elevation of stations:
Sounzan: 767 M
Owakudani: 1044 M
Togendai: 740 M

Lake Ashinoko
Lake Ashinoko, is a scenic lake in the Hakone area. The name means "lake of reeds." The average depth is 15 M,
with the maximum depth is 43.5 M. The lake surface is 723 M above sea level.



It is a crater lake that lies along the southwest wall of the caldera of Mount Hakone, a complex volcano that
last erupted in 1170 CE at Owakudani. The lake is known for its views of Mount Fuji, hot springs, historical sites.
Along Lake Ashinoko, there was the old Tokaido road, the main link between Kyoto and Tokyo.


(L) Lake Ashinoko (R) Hotel de Yama

(L) Rykan, Ryuguden operated by Prince-Hotel group (M) Hakone-Komagatake Ropeway (R) Torii of Hakone Shrine at Lake Ashinoko

Hakone Komagatake Ropeway

Hakone Shrine
Hakone Shrine is a shrine that has been visited by shogun, samurai, and many travelers over the centuries.
Large sections of the Old Tokaido road are preserved here. It is also known as the Hakone Gongen.
Hakone-jinja was founded in 757. The original shrine was believed to be at the summit of Mount Komagatake.
The shrine was relocated to the shores of Lake Ashinoko in 1667. Credit for establishment is also given to
Priest Mangan, for pacifying the nine-headed dragon that lived at the bottom of Lake Ashinoko.


(L) A flag of rising of Hakone Shrine (M) The entrance stone monument (R) Grand Torii to the Hakone Shirine

(L) Stone steps and cedar trees of hundreds years of age
(R) Kaguraden

(L) Hakone Jinjya (R) Ryujinsui water for ritual purification　龍神水

(L) Ryujinsui water for ritual purification (R) Votive picture of horses 絵馬

(L) Nine-headed dragon shrine (Shingu) (M) Haiden of Hakone Shrine (R) Torii of Hakone Shrine at Lake Ashinoko

　Odakyu Railway
　Hakone-Tozan Railway
　Yoshiike Ryokan, Hakone-Yumoto
　 Fujiya Hotel, Miyanoshita, Hakone

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Railway Travel around the World　 世界鉄道旅行
　　All railway trains should be completely smoke -free.


箱根登山ケーブルカー、ロープウェイ、芦ノ湖
執筆　医学博士　宮本順伯
★This Web site is link-free.
The article was written and photography was taken in April 2017,
by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D., Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2017 Junhaku Miyamoto, PhD. All right is reserved.

Domestic Travel in Japan