Hakone (箱根)

Map

Getting There

• train
• bus
• car
• ferry

Best Times to Visit

• spring: Cherry blossoms and fresh greenery enhance lakeside, garden, shrine, and outdoor museum visits; temperatures are generally comfortable for sightseeing and walking.
• summer: Cooler mountain temperatures support hiking and outdoor exploration, while Lake Ashi festivals, fireworks, and seasonal flowers add special appeal.
• autumn: October and November bring spectacular foliage across Gora Park, Lake Ashi, Sengokuhara, and the Hakone mountain railway.
• winter: Crisp air improves Mount Fuji visibility, hot springs are especially appealing, and snow and seasonal illuminations create distinctive scenery.

What's There

• art: Outdoor sculpture, Impressionist paintings, modern Japanese art, glassworks, ceramics, and Picasso collections make Hakone a major art destination.
• crafts: Gora Park offers glass, ceramics, pottery, beads, and sandblasting workshops, while Hakone is known for traditional marquetry crafts.
• culture: Tea ceremonies, traditional sweets, historic travel routes, festivals, museums, and long-established hot-spring customs provide rich cultural experiences.
• festival: Seasonal events include shrine rituals, Lake Ashi opening ceremonies, summer fireworks, and other traditional celebrations throughout the year.
• fishing: Lake Ashi supports recreational fishing and is associated with wakasagi, a locally featured small fish.
• flowers: Gora Park and surrounding highlands offer seasonal roses, hydrangeas, cherry blossoms, pampas grass, and autumn foliage.
• food: Signature foods include black eggs, yuba rice bowls, onsen buns, soba, and wakasagi dishes.
• garden: Gora Park and the Glass Forest Museum feature landscaped gardens, greenhouses, fountains, European-style grounds, and seasonal plant displays.
• hiking: Mountain trails, volcanic landscapes, lakeside paths, and scenic highland routes make Hakone suitable for hiking, especially in comfortable weather.
• history: Hakone Shrine, the reconstructed Edo checkpoint, and the historic Tokaido route connect attractions with important religious and travel history.
• lake: Lake Ashi is central to Hakone sightseeing, offering cruises, lakeside shrines, fishing, and views across the volcanic mountain landscape.
• mountain: Hakone occupies a mountainous volcanic region with elevated resorts, dramatic valleys, ropeway journeys, and forested slopes.
• museum: Hakone has an exceptional concentration of museums, including open-air sculpture, fine art, glass, ceramics, and historical collections.
• nature: Volcanic valleys, forests, caldera scenery, seasonal vegetation, lakes, and clear mountain air are core parts of the Hakone experience.
• onsen: Hakone is one of Japan’s best-known hot-spring destinations, with numerous baths and ryokan across its mountain resorts.
• park: Gora Park combines formal gardens, seasonal flowers, greenhouses, a fountain, tea spaces, and hands-on craft experiences.
• shrine: Hakone Shrine stands beside Lake Ashi and is famous for its lakeside torii and longstanding religious importance.
• views: Clear-weather vistas include Lake Ashi, volcanic mountains, ropeway scenery, and occasional views of Mount Fuji.

Specialties

• Black Eggs (黒たまご): These eggs are boiled in Owakudani’s geothermal waters, which turn their shells black through a chemical reaction involving volcanic gases. They are a signature Hakone specialty traditionally associated with longevity.
• Yuba Don (湯葉丼): Yuba don is a rice bowl topped with delicate tofu skin simmered in a savory broth. Hakone’s version is especially associated with the Hakone-Yumoto restaurant Naokichi and uses local spring water and soybeans.
• Onsen Manju (温泉まんじゅう): Hakone onsen manju are steamed sweet buns filled with smooth red bean paste. They are sold in both light and dark varieties, commonly flavored with white sugar or brown sugar syrup.
• Hakone Soba (箱根そば): Soba is a prominent local food in Hakone, where restaurants make use of the area’s abundant spring water. Regional preparations include natural-yam soba and soba served with yuba.
• Wakasagi Fish (わかさぎ): Wakasagi, a small fish associated with Lake Ashi, is served as a local Hakone specialty. One notable preparation is freshly fried wakasagi at the lakeside Sakura Honjin restaurant.