Hakone / Yugawara / Odawara

Top Things to do

• Hakone-jinja Shrine

  4.0

  1294 Reviews

  Kanagawa Pref. Ashigarashimogunhakonemachi Motohakone 80-1

  Since ancient times, this shrine has been patronized by generations of military commanders who came to pray for the earnest realization of their wishes during battle. This shrine is said to be one of the best power spots in the Kanto region where one can “conquer a state when Hakone has your back”. The deity of love, Kuzuryu’s newly constructed shrine is also next to Hakone Shrine. Get off the Izu Hakone bus at “Moto-Hakone” or otherwise get off the Hakone Tosan bus at “Moto-Hakone Port” and the temple is a 10- minute walk away.

• Hakone Kowakien Yunessun Inn

  Kanagawa Pref. Ashigarashimogunhakonemachi Ninotaira 1297

  It is an all-weather hot spring theme park located in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture. In the amusement zone where you can have fun with your bathing suits on, there is a collection of unique baths which can be enjoyed by both adults and children such as the “Gods’ Aegean Sea” and the “Authentic Coffee bath”. In the open-air bath “Mori no Yu” which brims with Japanese style, you can melt into the magnificent nature of Hakone in the open-air baths and you can relax comfortably in the bath where the walls, floor and ceiling are clad in Hinoki cypress. Coming for a day trip is of course possible, but as there are also four official hotels it is also feasible to stay.

• Hakone Grasunomori Museum (Hakone Venetian Glass Museum)

  4.0

  800 Reviews

  Kanagawa Pref. Ashigarashimogunhakonemachi Sengokuhara 940-48

  Located in Sengokuhara district, Hakone, the Hakone Grasunomori Museum (Hakone Venetian Glass Museum) is Japan’s first museum dedicated to Venetian glass. It actually comprises two museums: the Venetian Glass Museum itself, which has on display around 100 masterpieces of the delicate, finely-wrought Venetian glass for which there was a vogue among the noble families of Europe between the 15th and 18th centuries, and the Modern Glass Museum, which displays Venetian glass dating from the 19th century onwards. Particularly worth seeing is the approximately 10-meter-long crystal glass arch over the bridge between the garden and the Museums; the arch is made from around 160,000 pieces of crystal glass, which sparkle in the breeze. The Hakone Grasunomori Museum offers glassmaking experience activities (including sandblasting, etc.), with participants being able to make their own pieces to take home as a souvenir.

• The Hakone Open-Air Museum

  Kanagawa Pref. Ashigarashimogunhakonemachi Ninotaira 1121

  This was Japan’s first open-air Museum which was founded in 1969. Located on the grounds of a 70,000 meters squared premises with Hakone’s nature as a backdrop, the museum has a permanent display of approximately 120 masterpieces by modern and contemporary sculptors. Such large scale works of art couldn’t be displayed but for the outdoor space; there are also works of art which children can enter and play in, and you can touch the pieces of art as much as you want. At the Picasso Pavilion, there is the world’s top collection of 300 plus works which are open to the public. The hot spring foot bath which flows from the source is also popular. Alight at the Hakone Tozan Railway at Chokoku-no-Mori Station, from which it is a two-minute walk to the museum.

• Lake Ashi

  Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture Hakone-machi

  This is a dammed lake of Mt. Hakone, and the largest lake in Kanagawa Prefecture, which has a view of Mt. Fuji. It is a mysteriously beautiful lake which has blue water to the extent that Ryotaro Shiba extolled it by writing “The colour of the clothing of the God that created Hakone”. Again, it is also famous as a fishing spot where you can enjoy rainbow trout and bass fishing such as black bass fishing and Japanese pond smelt fishing.

• Pola Museum of Art

  3.5

  4 Reviews

  Kanagawa Pref. Ashigarashimogunhakonemachi Sengokuhara Ozukayama 1285

  The museum exhibits approximately 9,500 works of art collected over a number of decades by Mr. Tsuneshi Suzuki, the owner of the Paula Orbis group known for Paula cosmetics. The collection of Impressionists’ work is also said to be the greatest in both quality and quantity in Japan. The architecture overflows with a translucent quality due to the abundant amount of glass used which is a feature of the museum, and art can be appreciated in the abundant greenery and light which shines in through the enormous picture windows. A promenade was opened in 2013 so you can stroll at your ease in the middle of nature while listening to the birds singing.

• The Little Prince Museum in Hakone

  4.0

  483 Reviews

  Kanagawa Pref. Ashigarashimogunhakonemachi Sengokuhara 909

  A museum dedicated to the world-famous children’s story The Little Prince and the author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry located in the Sengokuhara area of Hakone Town, Kanagawa Prefecture. The museum’s central exhibition hall presents the life of Saint-Exupéry and the writing of The Little Prince. The museum grounds also feature a recreation of an early 20th century French townscape, a beautiful garden, a restaurant serving delicious Little Prince-inspired dishes, and a shop.

• Hakone Lake Ashi pleasure cruises

  Kanagawa Pref. Ashigarashimogunhakonemachi Motohakone 45-3

  Board a pleasure cruise traveling Lake Ashi in Hakone Town, Ashigarashimo County, Kanagawa Prefecture. There’s a scheduled route which connects the four harbors of Hakone Sekisho-ato Port, Motohakone Port, Hakone-en Port, and Kojiri Port, as well as a round trip routes which leave from and return to each of the four. The round trip routes take anywhere from 30 to 70 minutes depending on the harbor. A 70 minute tour route circling Lake Ashi departs only from Kojiri Port. Cruise-goers can enjoy traveling across the lake’s waters while gazing at the mountains of Hakone and Mt. Fuji. Together with a trip on the Hakone Pirate Ship, which also sets sail on Lake Ashi, taking one of these pleasure cruises is a staple of any visit to Hakone.

• Suzuhiro Kamaboko no Sato

  4.0

  247 Reviews

  Kanagawa Pref. Odawarashi Kazamatsuri 245

  A theme park dedicated to kamaboko steamed fish paste operated by Suzuhiro, a kamaboko shop of long-standing located in Odawara. The park is filled with things to see and do. There’s a museum which introduces the history of kamaboko; classes which teach how to make kamaboko by hand (advance reservation required); a market where souvenirs such as kamaboko, dried foods, and fried delicacies are sold; and a bar where visitors can eat and compare kamaboko made according to different methods. The restaurant and all-you-can-eat buffet, serving the unique delights of Odawara, are also popular.