Hakone / Yugawara / Odawara

Top Things to do

• Odawara Castle Park

  4.0

  222 Reviews

  Kanagawa Odawara-shi Jonai Chinai

  Odawara Castle is believed to have first been built in the mid-15th century when the Omori clan advanced into the Odawara region. The present site of Odawara Castle is designated as a National Historic Site, including most of honmaru main compound and ninomaru secondary compound and part of the outer castle enclosure. It's now administered as a castle park centered on the honmaru for the enjoyment of history and castle lovers.

• Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History

  4.5

  157 Reviews

  Kanagawa Pref. Odawarashi Iryuda 499

  First opened in 1995, here visitors can learn about the 4.6 billion year history of the Earth and the diversity of life found on her. The museum’s standing exhibition is divided into four themes—the Earth, life, Kanagawa, and symbiosis. The exhibition includes over 10 thousand real specimens, including a meteorite in the shape of a globe, ancient dinosaur fossils, mammals, plants, and inspects. One of the highlights of the museum is its showroom filled with 27 of 3.2 meter tall giant encyclopedias containing various exhibits. The museum’s theater, showing nature documentaries and science-based quizzes, is also a popular attraction. A restaurant and museum shop can also be found inside. The closest station is Iriuda Station.

• Anest Iwata Turnpike Hakone

  4.0

  52 Reviews

  Kanagawa Pref. Odawarashi Hayakawa 2-22-1

  This toll road extends from Odawara City to Yugawara Town via Hakone City. It runs along mountain ridges and there are great views of Mt. Fuji on clear days. The Anest Iwata Sky Lounge is at the end of the Hakone Odawara Main Line on the summit of Mt. Daikan; relax there in comfort while taking in the scenery spreading 360 degrees around you.

• Suzuhiro Kamaboko Museum

  4.0

  149 Reviews

  Kanagawa Pref. Odawarashi Kazamatsuri 245 Suzumiya inside Kamaboko

  This hands-on workshop facility is in Kazamatsuri, Odawara City. Each floor is divided into themes such as tradition and technique and food and chemistry. Guests can observe the manufacturing process and try their hands at making kamaboko and chikuwa fish cakes. On the second floor there is also a permanent gallery of work from their International Small Art Exhibition, Suzuhiro Kamaboko Board Painting Contest Besides kamaboko, original souvenirs are also for sale.

• Daruma Restaurant -Kaiseki Ryori-

  3.5

  143 Reviews

  Kanagawa Pref. Odawarashi Honchou 2-1-30

  A seven-minute walk from Odawara Station, this longstanding Japanese restaurant was founded in 1893, and you can feel the history in the grand castle-like architecture, which is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The first-floor dining hall mainly offers set meals and rice bowl dishes, with the “tendon” (tempura bowl) and its rich sesame oil scent being especially popular. The local catch sashimi set is popular as well. Upstairs is tatami seating, where they serve banquet-style “kaiseki ryori” featuring select vegetables and fresh fish caught in Sagami Bay, among other dishes.

• Suzuhiro Kamaboko no Sato

  4.0

  51 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.

• Odawara Flower Garden

  4.0

  55 Reviews

  Kanagawa Pref. Odawarashi Kuno 3798-5

  This garden, located in Kuno, Odawara City, is brimming with seasonal flowers. One can enjoy the tropical plants in the domed conservatory as well as the abundant blooms in the rose garden. With over 200 varieties, the plum grove boasts the largest collection of plum trees in the Kanto region. The grove is barrier free disability accessible for all to enjoy a stroll through the beautiful blooms. Limited to summer only, the dancing fountain is available for children to dabble in the water on hot summer days.

• Hakone-jinja Shrine

  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.

• 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.