Guide · The lake

Lake Ashi in Hakone, seen from the deck

A volcanic lake with shrines, an old imperial villa and Mount Fuji on its edges. Here is what you pass on the crossing, how the lake came to be and how it changes through the year.

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Editorial team, hakonesightseeingcruise.comUpdated October 22, 2026read in 6 minutes59 sources

The matching tour Mt. Fuji, Lake Ashi cruise and bullet train day 4.4 (5,293 reviews) 10 hoursLake Ashi cruise ticket includedBullet train back to Tokyo from$153per person Check availabilityFree to cancel until 24 hours before the start

In short

01What it is: A lake inside the Hakone caldera in western Kanagawa.¹
02How it formed: A rock avalanche blocked the valley 3100 years ago.²
03On the crossing: Kuzuryu Shrine and the peace torii appear on the left.³
04Fuji in view: From Moto-Hakone toward Togendai you can see the torii and Mt Fuji.⁴
05Getting on: Boats leave from Togendai, Moto-Hakone-ko and Hakone-machi-ko.⁵

A lake made by a volcano

Lake Ashi in Hakone fills part of a volcanic caldera in western Kanagawa, and the Hayakawa river drains it toward Odawara and the Pacific.¹ The Hakone Tourist Association dates its birth precisely: 3100 years ago a steam explosion collapsed the northwest flank of Mount Kamiyama, and the rock avalanche blocked the outlet of the valley, damming the water that became the lake.²

The scar of that collapse is still there. It is Owakudani, the steaming volcanic valley you cross on the Hakone Ropeway before you ever reach the shore.⁶ Kamiyama itself is the highest peak in Hakone, which is why you can pick it out from almost anywhere on the water.⁷ Knowing this changes how the lake looks: the forested hills around you are the rim and the cones of one volcano.

The Japan Meteorological Agency still treats Hakoneyama as an active volcano. Its forecast for the mountain currently stands at alert level 1, the lowest of five, with the reminder that it is an active volcano.⁸ ⁹ None of that stops the boats, but it explains the sulfur smell that drifts down from Owakudani on some days.

On the crossing

Togendai to Moto-Hakone, what appears when

Departure

Togendai, north shore

The port shares a building with the ropeway.¹⁰
On the way

Wooded shores

Kuzuryu Shrine and the peace torii show on the left.³
Toward the bay

Torii and Fuji

On clear days both appear in one view.¹¹
Arrival

Moto-Hakone-ko

The port nearest Hakone Shrine.¹²
Onward

Hakone-machi-ko

The southern port, next to Onshi Hakone Park.¹³

The shores you pass on the crossing

Most crossings run between Togendai at the north end and the southern bay. Leaving Togendai, the western shore is wooded and quiet, and a little further on Kuzuryu Shrine and the peace torii of Hakone Shrine appear on the left side of the ship, according to Odakyu Hakone's editors who rode the Victory.³ Have your camera ready on that side before the turn into the bay.

The torii stands in the water at the foot of the shrine woods. It was built in 1952 to celebrate Japan regaining its independence with the peace treaty, and it is the only torii of Hakone Shrine built in the ryobu style.¹⁴ ¹⁵ Our page on Hakone Shrine covers the shrine, the steps and the dragon legend in detail.

The ships call at Moto-Hakone-ko, the port nearest the shrine, and Hakone-machi-ko on the south shore.¹⁶ ¹³ Between them lies a wooded headland that is Onshi Hakone Park, an imperial villa and garden built in 1886.¹⁷ On the east side the Hakone-en resort holds the base of the Komagatake ropeway, the second ropeway that meets the lake.¹⁸

Month by month

Darkness and wet days around Lake Ashi

Hours without sunDays with precipitationSeason

Bars show how long it stays dark at mid-month, worked out by us, next to the rainy days of 1 mm or more that the Japan Meteorological Agency records at Gotemba (temperature) and Hakone (rain), 1991 to 2020.⁵⁹

The lake in facts

Lake Ashi at a glance

Topic	What the sources say	Source
Origin	Collapse of Kamiyama, 3100 years ago	Tourist association
Setting	Inside the Hakone caldera	Tourist association
Outflow	Hayakawa river toward Odawara	Tourist association
Volcano status	Alert level 1 of 5	Weather agency
Fishing season	Opens 1 March	Hakone Navi
Fall colors	Early October to early December	Hakone Navi

From the Hakone Tourist Association, the Japan Meteorological Agency and Odakyu Hakone's Hakone Navi.² ¹ ⁸ ⁹ ¹⁹ ²⁰

The shores

North, east or south shore

Ropeway and boats

Togendai

The north end

Links to: Hakone Ropeway
Walk to gondola: About 3 minutes
Bus from Yumoto: About 40 minutes

Second ropeway

Hakone-en

The east shore

Links to: Komagatake ropeway
Ride to the top: 7 minutes
Aquarium height: 723 m

Shrine and torii

Moto-Hakone

The south bay

Ports: Moto-Hakone-ko, Hakone-machi-ko
Shrine founded: 757
Park built: 1886

Decision helper

Where on the lake should you spend your time?

Match your interest to a shore

I want the classic torii photo I want Fuji over the water I am coming off the ropeway I want a quiet garden walk I want to go up a summit

Moto-Hakone

The peace torii stands in the lake below Hakone Shrine.²¹

The southern ports

Odakyu Hakone names Motohakone and Hakonemachi-ko for Fuji views.²²

Togendai

The ropeway entrance is about 3 minutes from the ships.¹⁰

Onshi Hakone Park

A former imperial villa garden, free to enter.²³

Hakone-en

The Komagatake ropeway climbs from the shore there.²⁴

3100 years ago, a steam explosion caused the northwest flank of the mountain to collapse, and a rock avalanche created Lake Ashinoko by blocking the outlet of water from the valley.

Hakone Tourist AssociationSource 2

Mount Fuji over the water

The view people come for is Mount Fuji rising above the far end of the lake. Odakyu Hakone names Motohakone and Hakonemachi-ko as places with fantastic views of the mountain.²² On the water, its editors point out that on the run from Moto-Hakone Port to Togendai Port you can see both the Heiwa no Torii and Mt Fuji.⁴

Clear mornings matter. The same editors suggest visiting early, when the still surface can mirror the mountain, and say that in winter the air is clear enough to give a wider view than you might imagine.²⁵ ²⁶ The ropeway operator adds that in summer the mountain is often hidden by clouds as the day warms, so morning is the best time.²⁷

None of this is a promise. Cloud can cover Fuji for a whole day, and tours that visit the lake say plainly that visibility cannot be guaranteed. Our page on seeing Mount Fuji from Lake Ashi sets out the odds by month with the rain record for Hakone.

Map

Lake Ashi, its three ports and the loop around them

The lake with the cruise ports and the Komagatake ropeway, the shrine shore at Moto-Hakone up close, then the whole loop from Odawara over Owakudani to the water.

Map of Lake Ashi with Togendai port, Kuzuryu Shrine Hongu, Hakone-en, the Komagatake summit station, Moto-Hakone-ko and Hakone-machi-ko — Lake Ashi and its ports

Map of the southern shore of Lake Ashi with Hakone Shrine, the Heiwa no Torii, Onshi Hakone Park and the Hakone Checkpoint — The Moto-Hakone shore

Map of the Hakone loop from Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto by Gora, Sounzan, Owakudani and Ubako to Lake Ashi — The Hakone loop

1
Togendai port
The northern port: cruise tickets on floor B2F, and the Hakone Ropeway about a 3-minute walk away in the same building.²⁸ ¹⁰
In Google Maps ↗
2
Kuzuryu Shrine Hongu
On the lakeshore with no bus stop nearby, about 30 minutes on foot from the Togendai bus stop; the forest around it charges admission.²⁹
In Google Maps ↗
3
Hakone-en
Lakeside base station of the Komagatake ropeway.²⁴
In Google Maps ↗
4
Komagatake summit
Top of the 1,800 m Komagatake ropeway, 7 minutes up from Hakone-en.²⁴
In Google Maps ↗
5
Moto-Hakone-ko
The port nearest Hakone Shrine, with a ticket counter, a waiting area and a shop.¹⁶ ¹²
In Google Maps ↗
6
Hakone-machi-ko
The southern port, a short walk from Onshi Hakone Park and the Hakone Checkpoint.¹³
In Google Maps ↗
7
Hakone Shrine
A shrine that dates back to 757; the main approach climbs 90 stone steps.³⁰ ³¹
In Google Maps ↗
8
Heiwa no Torii
The gate standing in the lake, built in 1952 and the only ryobu-style torii of the shrine.¹⁴ ¹⁵
In Google Maps ↗
9
Onshi Hakone Park
An imperial villa and garden built in 1886, now a public park over the lake.¹⁷ ²³
In Google Maps ↗
10
Hakone Checkpoint
A sight listed beside Hakone-machi-ko, the southern port.¹³
In Google Maps ↗
11
Odawara
Where the Freepass from Odawara starts, and where the site tour boards its train back to Tokyo.³²
In Google Maps ↗
12
Hakone-Yumoto
Start of the Tozan Train to Gora; the T Line bus reaches Togendai in about 40 minutes.³³ ³⁴
In Google Maps ↗
13
Gora
Top of the Tozan Train and foot of the cable car to Sounzan.³⁵
In Google Maps ↗
14
Sounzan
Cable car to ropeway in about 2 minutes on foot, in one building.³⁶
In Google Maps ↗
15
Owakudani
Change gondolas here; on the way up from Sounzan the line crosses the valley about 130 m above the ground.³⁷ ³⁸
In Google Maps ↗
16
Ubako
Between Owakudani and here is one of the stretches where Mt. Fuji shows on clear days.³⁹
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

A day by the lake

Pack

A layer, the lake is cooler than town
Rain gear, sailings run in rain
Sunglasses for the glare off the water

Plan

An early boat for the best Fuji chance
A return or a pass if you stop at both bays
Time for Onshi Park on foot

Price calculator

Days from Tokyo that reach the lake

Compare a few tours with Lake Ashi for your group

Coach and bullet train dayLake Ashi cruise includedfrom $153 Shinjuku day by busAn hour on the lakefrom $82 Fuji, Kamakura and the lakeA short boat cruisefrom $84

People 2

Total from$306

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Each total multiplies a listing's lowest GetYourGuide price by the number of travelers and converts it at today's ECB rate; the booking page shows the binding figure for your date.

Video

Hakone pirate ship and a Lake Ashi walking tour

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Onshi Park and the southern shore

The headland between the two southern ports is the most rewarding stop on foot. The Hakone Tourist Association describes the park as a former summer villa of the imperial family, used until the 1920s and now free to enter.²³ From the balcony of its lakeside building you look across the water toward Mount Fuji on clear days.

Kanagawa counts the view from the park among its 50 picturesque sights, according to Odakyu Hakone.⁴⁰ The H Line bus from Hakone-Yumoto stops at Onshi-koen-mae after about 40 minutes, but most visitors simply walk there from Hakone-machi-ko or Moto-Hakone-ko.⁴¹

Along the southern shore runs a stretch of the Old Tokaido road, where you can walk among trees around 300 years old.⁴² If you have an hour between boats, a loop from Moto-Hakone-ko through the shrine woods and back along the shore is an easy way to see the lake from land as well as from the deck.

The lake through the seasons

Lake Ashi in autumn is the season most visitors ask about. Odakyu Hakone gives early October to early December for the fall colors and early September to early November for the silver grass of Sengokuhara, so the slopes above the lake turn through several shades in turn.²⁰ ⁴³

Spring starts early: the cherry trees flower between late March and early April, and the azalea season carries on to the end of May.⁴⁴ The fishing season on the lake opens on 1 March, and you will see anglers in small boats from the ship's rail.¹⁹ In winter there are snowy days, and the boats run a winter timetable from 1 December to 19 March.⁴⁵ ⁴⁶

Summer belongs to festivals. The Lake Festival takes place on 31 July, and during the Ashinoko Summer Festival Week as many as 18,500 fireworks rise over the water.⁴⁷ ⁴⁸ Lake Ashi and Owakudani sit high, and Odakyu Hakone says they are usually about 3 to 4 degrees cooler than Hakone-Yumoto, so bring a layer even in July.⁴⁹

How calm is the water?

Visitors prone to seasickness can relax. Odakyu Hakone says the lake is calm and the ships are large, so there is almost no rocking.⁵⁰ The crossing is short, and the open decks on top give you room to move from side to side as the views change.

Weather is the real variable. Rain does not stop the ships, but heavy fog or strong wind can change the destination or cancel a sailing.⁵¹ ⁵² On a foggy day the lake becomes a grey, quiet place, beautiful in its own way, while the mountain views simply disappear.

Taking a boat across is also a way around the roads. The Hakone Tourist Association notes that a boat lets you bypass the traffic that clogs Hakone on weekends.⁵³ On a busy holiday that can make the water the fastest route between the ropeway in the north and the shrine in the south.

Seeing the lake from above

The crossing shows you the lake at water level, but some of the best views of it come from the heights around it. The Hakone Ropeway, run by the same company as the boats, is one: taken toward Togendai in the early evening, it looks down on the glittering surface of Lake Ashi.⁵⁴ Halfway between Owakudani and Togendai, Odakyu Hakone's editors describe a panorama that takes in both Mt Fuji and the lake.⁵⁵

On the east shore, the Komagatake ropeway climbs from Hakone-en to the summit in 7 minutes, and its operator lists Fuji and bays on both coasts among the views from the top.²⁴ ⁵⁶ Our page on the Komagatake ropeway explains the summit deck and the shrine that stands up there.

Two more viewpoints sit within reach of the southern bay. Mount Taikanzan, at 1,015 m, looks over the lake and Fuji from the Hakone Turnpike side.⁵⁷ Closer to the water, the Narukawa Art Museum near Moto-Hakone frames the lake through an observation window 50 meters long, which makes a dry alternative on a day when the decks are wet.⁵⁸

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