Hakone

Hakone

Hakone, a national park and resort area southeast of Fujiyama, is a popular weekend getaway for Tokyoites. There are plenty of lakes and hot springs, shrines and art museums, and its proximity to Tokyo makes it a wonderful place for a short visit if you want a break from the bustling city life. The park can be explored in a single day, but it’s much more interesting to spend at least one night in a traditional Japanese ryokan (hotel) or a fancy hotel, enjoying one of the thermal spring baths.

General Information

Even if you already have a rail pass, we suggest splurging on the “Hakone Free Pass” offered by Odakyu Railway. It entitles you to travel from Shinjuku to Gora and back, transferring to a funicular that takes passengers up the mountain to the cable car. The latter will take you through the volcanic Owaku-dani Valley to Lake Ashi, on which you can take a cruise to Hakone-machi. From there, a bus (using the same pass) along the Sumiko River will return you to Odawara, where you can catch a train to Tokyo.

Among the many attractions on the trip itinerary is the Hakone Open Air Museum (Tokoku-no-mori, or “Sculpture Forest”; daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; www.hakone-oam.or.jp) in Miyanoshita. Founded in 1969, the museum is set in a beautifully landscaped and landscaped area surrounded by mountains. The garden features works by Western sculptors such as Moore, Arp, Calder and Giacometti, as well as Japanese masters including Shimizu Takashi and Takamura Kotaro. The exhibits are selected for their ability to withstand the elements, and the museum is equally appealing in summer and winter. The Meiji-era resort town of Miyanoshita is also known as the site of Japan’s oldest European-style Fuji Hotel. Stop in for morning coffee or afternoon tea in the wood-paneled Orchid Room overlooking a beautiful Japanese garden.

Visitors stop here on their way to the town of Gora, where they transfer to funicular carriages to Sozan, and there to the gondolas of the cable car, carrying them up into the mountains and through the smoking sulfur valley of Owakudani. In Gora, escape the sulfur-scented air in the halls of the Paul Art Museum (daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; www.polamuseum.or.jp), which occupies an attractive glass building surrounded by forest. Along with Japanese paintings and ceramics, you’ll encounter works by European artists, including Cézanne, Monet, and Van Gogh.

On Lake Ashi, tour boats depart from the docks at Togendai and take their passengers to Hakone-machi at the opposite end of the lake in 20 min. In good weather, the reflection of Fujiyama in the clear blue waters is breathtaking. In early August, lakeside resorts sponsor a colorful fire and water festival called Torii Matsuri, during which huge wooden gates burst into flames and thousands of lanterns are lowered onto the water.

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During the Tokugawa period, Hakone-machi was a major town in Tokaido, the only road in this mountainous region linking the imperial court in Kyoto with the capital of the Edo shogunate. The shogunate, always suspicious of movements on the road, maintained a system of garrisons on it, and no one could pass along it without official permission. The existing Hakone Sekisho outpost is an exact replica of the original with a small museum of costume and armament from the period. The county is known for its hotels and thermal springs, as well as Hakone-zaiku woodwork with mosaic inlay.

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In Hatayaku, artisans have been known for the art of marquetry for over 1200 years – here you can visit a workshop and purchase an interesting box or puzzle.

Be sure to relax in one of Hakone’s hot springs.