Know Your Trains: Odakyu Romancecar

Edit 10 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

A 50000-series "VSE" model Romancecar train, at Hakone-Yumoto Station.
Taken on Saturday, 12 May 2018.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, we went to Hakone.  As a Japan Rail Pass user, I took the Tokaido Shinkansen to Odawara Station, which is the fastest way to get there from Tokyo.  But there are alternatives which may suit you better, and one of the most popular choices is the fleet of limited-express trains run by the Odakyu Railway, collectively known by the brand name of "Romancecar" (ロマンスカー, Romansukā). Romancecar is not a blanket term for any one service, for there are many different limited-express trains operating on the Odakyu network, each with their own stopping patterns and names.  In a nutshell, they are:

Name	Start Station(s)	End Station(s)	Time	Max. Frequency*
Super Hakone	Shinjuku	Hakone-Yumoto	85 minutes	1-2 per day
Hakone	Shinjuku	Hakone-Yumoto	90 minutes	2-3 per hour
Sagami	Shinjuku	Odawara	75 minutes	1-2 per hour, mornings/evenings
Homeway	Shinjuku	Hakone-Yumoto	90 minutes	2 per hour, evenings
Metro Hakone	Kita-Senju	Hakone-Yumoto	65 minutes	1-2 per day
Metro Sagami	Hon-Atsugi	Kita-Senju	85 minutes	1 per day, mornings
Metro Homeway	Kita-Senju.	Hon-Atsugi	85 minutes	1 per day, evenings
Enoshima	Shinjuku	Katase-Enoshima	65 minutes	1 per 1-2 hours
Homeway	Shinjuku	Fujisawa	60 minutes	1 per hour, evenings
Fujisan	Shinjuku	Gotemba	100 minutes	1 per 6 hours

*Based on August 2018 schedules.

...So yeah, there's a lot to get through.  Let's start with the Odawara Line trains.  The Hakone (はこね) train is the main service to Hakone-Yumoto, the major train and bus hub of the Hakone area.  The Super Hakone (スーパーはこね, Sūpā Hakone) follows the same route, but makes no stops except for Shinjuku, Odawara, and Hakone-Yumoto, for an even faster trip.  They are supplemented by the Sagami (さがみ) and Homeway (ホーマウェイ Hōmuwei), which are both aimed at local commuters.  The Sagami mainly travels toward Shinjuku in the mornings (a few go the other way), while the Homeway runs from Shinjuku in the evenings.

No.	Name (English)	Name (Japanese)	Line	Super Hakone	Hakone	Sagami	Homeway
OH01	Shinjuku	新宿	Odakyu Odawara	X	X	X	X
OH19	Mukogaoka-Yuen	向ヶ丘遊園		I	O	O	X
OH23	Shin-Yurigaoka	新百合ヶ丘		I	O	O	X
OH27	Machida	町田		I	O	O	X
OH28	Sagami-ono	相模大野		I	O	O	X
OH34	Hon-Atsugi	本厚木		I	O	O	X
OH39	Hadano	秦野		I	O	O	O
OH41	Shin-Matsuda	新松田		I	O	O	O
OH47	Odawara	小田原		X	X	O	O
			Hakone- Tozan
OH51	Hakone-Yumoto	箱根湯本		X	X	I	I

Legend:
X: All trains stop at this station.
O: Some trains stop at this station.
I: No trains stop at this station.

Next up are the Metro Hakone (メトロはこね, Metoro Hakone), Metro Sagami (メトロさがみ, Metoro Sagami), and Metro Homeway (メトロホームウェイ, Metoro Hōmuwei).  What's different about these is that, instead of stopping or starting at Shinjuku, they instead serve Tokyo Metro's Chiyoda (C) subway line, before continuing along the Odakyu line at the other end.

No.	Name (English)	Name (Japanese)	Line	Metro Hakone	Metro Sagami	Metro Homeway
C18	Kita-Senju	北千住	Tokyo Metro Chiyoda	X	X	X
C11	Otemachi	大手町		X	X	X
C08	Kasumigaseki	霞ヶ関		X	X	X
C04	Omotesando	表参道		X	X	X
C01	Yoyogi-Uehara*	代々木上原		I	I	I
			Odakyu Odawara
OH14	Seijogakuen-mae	成城学園前		X	O	O
OH23	Shin-Yurigaoka	新百合ヶ丘		I	O	X
OH27	Machida	町田		X	X	X
OH34	Hon-Atsugi	本厚木		X	X	X
OH47	Odawara	小田原		X	I	I
			Hakone- Tozan
OH52	Hakone-Yumoto	箱根湯本		X	I	I

Legend:
X: All trains stop at this station.
O: Some trains stop at this station.
I: No trains stop at this station.

*Yoyogi-Uehara is the junction where the Chiyoda and Odawara lines meet, but Romancecar trains do not stop to let passengers on or off at this station.

Finally, let's look at the other Romancecar services together.  The Enoshima (えのしま), as per its name, goes down the Odakyu Enoshima branch line.  You can transfer to the Enoden tram from some of the stops and go to Kamakura that way.  However, the Odakyu and Enoden stations in Enoshima are a bit far apart (10 minutes on foot), so you may want to transfer at Fujisawa instead.  There is also a version of the Homeway which follows the Enoshima's route, departing from Shinjuku in the evenings.  Finally, we have the Fujisan (ふじさん). These trains branch off from the Odakyu Odawara line to JR Central's Gotemba Line, ending at Gotemba station.  From here, one can transfer to a bus bound for the Fuji Five Lakes.

No.	Name (English)	Name (Japanese)	Line	Enoshima	Homeway	Fujisan
OH01	Shinjuku	新宿	Odakyu Odawara	X	X	X
OH23	Shin-Yurigaoka	新百合ヶ丘		O	X	X
OH23	Sagami-ono	相模大野		X	X	X
OH34	Hon-Atsugi	本厚木		I	I	X
OH39	Hadano	秦野		I	I	X
CB04	Matsuda	松田		I	I	X
			JR Gotemba
CB08	Suruga-Oyama	駿河小山		I	I	O
CB10	Gotemba	御殿場		I	I	X
OE05	Yamato	大和	Odakyu Enoshima	X	X	I
OE13	Fujisawa	藤沢		X	X	I
OE16	Katase-Enoshima	片瀬江ノ島		X	X	I

Legend:
X: All trains stop at this station.
O: Some trains stop at this station.
I: No trains stop at this station.

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The name "Romancecar" comes from "romance seat", a Japanese term for a loveseat.  This style of seating, consisting of side-by-side seats without dividing armrests, is widely used by the Romancecar fleet.  Most Romancecar trains carry 10 cars, and all seating is reserved.  Seat pitch varies from 97 to 105 cm (38-41 in.), depending on the train model.

Romancecar seats do not have a dividing armrest.
By Cassiopeia sweet [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

There are many different trainsets used by the Romancecar services.  The oldest currently-running trains (7000-series "LSE") date back to the 1980s, while the newest (70000-series "GSE") were introduced just this year (2018).  On some models (the LSE, VSE, and GSE), the driver's cab is placed on the upper deck of the lead cars, so passengers in the first car have an unobstructed view out front.  Some services, mainly Hakone, Super Hakone, and Metro Hakone, sell refreshments of bento boxes, snacks, drinks, and more at counters and/or vending machines.

The observation car of a 70000-series "GSE" train.  The driver's cabin is hidden above the ceiling.
By Cassiopeia sweet [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

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Tips

• The Hakone Free Pass can, optionally, cover round-trip train ride on the Odakyu line between Shinjuku and Odawara.  However, this only covers base fare; limited-express supplement tickets must be purchased separately.  The additional one-way fare would cost ¥910, plus ¥5,700 for the pass itself (2 days, round-trip from Shinjuku).
• The only Romancecar section covered by the Japan Rail Pass is the JR Gotemba (CB) Line between Matsuda (CB04) and Gotemba (CB10) stations, used by the Fujisan.  A one-way fare from Shinjuku with the pass would cost ¥1,490, saving ¥1,370.  It is not valid for any other Romancecar services.

Trivia

• The Romancecar line made its debut in 1957, with the 3000-series "SE" trainset.  On a trial run, it set a speed record for narrow-gauge trains, achieving a speed of 145 km/h (90 mph).  This was a major inspiration for the Shinkansen, which of course made its own debut less than a decade later.
• Many Romancecar trains have won the Blue Ribbon Award, given annually to the best-designed trains in Japan.  In 1958, the very first recipient of this award was the 3000-series "SE" Romancecar.
• The Metro Romancecar series, which made its debut in 2008, is the first limited-express service to operate on subway lines in Japan.
• The Fujisan service was known as the Asagiri until 17 March 2018.  Its name came from the Asagiri highlands, to the west of Mt. Fuji.

Left to right: Odakyu 3000-series "SE", 3100-series "NSE", and 7000-series "LSE" trains.
By Lover of Romance (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons