Doable Hakone Course

Hi all. Need some advice on the best Hakone itineray..

We'll take the Romancecar from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto and purchase the Hakone Free Pass. However, we only want to take the boat ride on Lake Ashi, visit Owakudani & take the ropeway for the view. Unless there're other interesting sights?

Then we shall proceed to Gotemba for a couple of hours. After which, we wish to go Lake Kawaguchi, where our hotel is.

My questions are: What's the best way to do it without wasting too much time repeating the route? What's the shortest way to Kawaguchi from Gotemba? We've JR Pass.
We don't mind forgoing Gotemba if time didn't permit. If so, what's the best way to get to our hotel from Hakone?

Your advice greatly appreciated.

I assume you refer to Komagatake Ropeway, when you write "ropeway". Then I would recommend the following course:

Shinjuku - (Romance Car) - Hakone-Yumoto - (bus) - Moto-Hakone - (boat ride) - Hakone-en - (ropeway) - Komagatake - (ropeway) - Hakone-en - (Odakyu Hakone Highway Bus) - Gotemba - (shuttle bus) - Gotemba Outlet - (shuttle bus) - Gotemba - (bus) - Kawaguchiko

With the above schedule, it is better to use regular tickets than a Hakone Free Pass, because the boat from Moto-Hakone to Hakone-en is the one which is not covered by the pass. Neither is the ropeway to Komagatake.

Buses between Yumoto and Moto-Hakone run frequently, but the Odakyu bus is less frequently. I recommend to look up schedules in advance.

I think you should forget Gotemba, it's not too interesting anyway.

The first rule of visiting Japan is don't ruesh because it'll take 2x as long to do anything as you're used to back home. (different languange, system, unfamiliar places, etc.)

So my advice is to relax and enjoy your trip to Hakone. There's a nice moss garden museum before you get to the lake and a reconstructed Edo era guard fortress at one of the landings at the lake.

So take your time and enjoy it.

Well Uji, I was refering to the ropeway from Togendai to Owakudani. I didn't know there's another ropeway?

I guess Natsuki's got a point about double time. Especially since we've kids in the group.

Thanks all!

Isee,
The ( Odakyu railway ) romance car from Shinjuku is not a JR train. As you write you have JR Pass for this day, I recommend: from Tokyo or Shinagawa station by JR kodama shinkansen to Odawara, buy Hakone Free ticket there, beyond Odawara it is non-JR transport.
Yes the ropeway Togendai - Owakudani is not the ropeway Komagatake, this is a different area.
You can go from Gora to Gotemba by bus, so you make the "recommended Hakone roundcourse" clockwise minus the train Gora - HakoneYumoto.
There is no JR train between Gotemba and Kawaguchiko.

Thanks, Peter.

It would be a shame to get to that area and not visit the Hakone Outdoor Museum. It is well worth seeing, even with kids.