Hakone
Hakone is one of the popular sightseeing and
resort areas in Kanto region, and is located southwest part of Kanagawa
Prefecture. It is located about 80-100 km southwest of Tokyo.
Whole Hakone is a caldera volcane named Mount Hakone, and it has a
diameter of about 15 km.
There are some peaks on central cone such as Kamiyama (1,438m) and
Hakone-Komagatake (1,356m).
On the west side of caldera cone, there is Lake Ashi which is a
caldera lake, and Sengokubara field stretches on the north side.
The somma surrounds these, and its peaks are about 900-1,200 meters
high.
Hayakawa River flows from Lake Ashi, through Sengokubara and east side
of caldera cone.
And it forms a gorge, and flows to the east and into Sagami Bay.
Mount Hakone is an active volcano, then we can see some spots emitting
volcanic gas and there are many hot spring resorts in this area.
Since the 17th century, the main route "Tokaido" between Edo (current
Tokyo) and Kyoto was passed through here, because it was the shortest
route.
And here was the hardest part on the route, because travelers had to
get over a steep pass.
Then Edo govenment placed a checking station here, and they checked the
travelers and cargoes strictly to defend Edo city.
Now the main route don't pass this area.
Shinkansen and JR Tokaido Line run toward southeast along the
coastline,
and Tomei Expressway runs toward northwest.
But this area has various transportation as the sightseeing area.
Most popular entrance to this area is Odawara.
Hakone
Navi : Sightseeing information of Hakone
Hakone-Zenzan
: Hakone Town Tourist Association official website
Along Hakone Tozan
Railway
Hakone Tozan Railway is the most popular transportation to Hakone.
It runs from Odawara, through Hakone-Yumoto, to Gora, along Hayakawa
River.
Between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto (about 6 km), the slope is gentle.
But between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora (about 9 km), the slope is steep,
then the train climbs the difference of height of 445 meters within the
short distance.
- Hakone-Yumoto hot spring resort
/1/
: It is the largest
hot spring resort town in Hakone, and is just located at the gateway to
cantral Hakone.
Hayakawa River and Sukumo River are confluent here, and there are many
hotels and ryokans along the rivers.
- Tonosawa hot spring resort /2/
: It is a quiet hot spring resort
located about 1 km west of Hakone-Yumoto. There are several old
established ryokans.
- Ohiradai hot spring /3/
: It is located about 2 km west of
Tonosawa. There is a public bath "Himenoyu".
- Miyanoshita hot spring resort /4/
: It is a hot spring
resort located about 1.5 km west of Ohiradai.
Fujiya Hotel is the most famous old established ryokan opened in 1878,
and many celebrities and foreigners have stayed here. (John Lennon and
Yoko Ono also stayed here.)
Fujiya
Hotel official website
- Dougashima hot spring /5/
: It is near the bottom of the gorge
of Hayakawa River, and is located just below Miyanoshita.
There are only two hotels, and we must ride the each hotel's cable car
to go there.
- Kowakudani hot spring resort /6/
: It is a hot spring resort located
about 1 km west of Miyanoshita.
An old established ryokan and a few large hotels are dotted.
- The Hakone Open-Air Museum /7/
: It is an open-air museum of art.
There are many sculptures in the large garden.
The creaters of the works are Picasso, Rodin, Moore and other famous
artists.
- Gora hot spring resort /8/
: It is one of large hot spring
resorts, and is the terminal of Hakone Tozan Railway.
Here is also a stopping point to Lake Ashi.
Owakudani valley
/11/ 
It is a valley located to the
north of central cone, and is main place emitting the volcanic smoke in
Hakone.
A sightseeing road to here, and many tourists visit here.
There are some walking trails around here.
And we can see the valley from above by ropeway. (The ropeway connects
between Lake Ashi and Sounzan to which we can climb from Gora by cable
car.)
The unique speciality here is "black egg".
It is made by only boilling common eggs in the hot spring here. The
sulfer and iron contents in the spring make the eggshells black by a
chemical change.
It is said that eating a black egg gives you extra 7 years.
Sengokubara area
Sengokubara
area is the north part of caldera in Hakone, and is located at a height
of 600-700 meters.
Hayakawa River flows through this area from southwest to southeast.
Grasslands and wetlands are spread, and there are some unique museums
in this area.
- Sengokubara field /21/
: It is the grassfield, and is
located at the northern foot of Mount Daigatake which is one of the
central cone.
It is known for the field of Japanese silver grass in autumn.
- Hakone Botanical Garden of
Wetlands /22/
: It is a botanical
garden like a natural park, and the whole site is in Sengokubara
wetland.
There are about 200 kinds of Japanese wetland plants, 1,300 kinds of
highland and alpine plants and 200 kinds of foreign plants.
It is closed from December 1 to March 19.
- Venetian Glass Museum /23/
: It is a museum displaying
traditional and modern works of Venetian glass. There are some
European-style buildings for museums and shops around a pond.
- The Museum of The Little Prince
/24/
: "The Little Prince"
(Le Petit Prince) is a children's literature by Antoine de
Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944, a French writer).
It has been read in Japan, and the animated TV series had been created
in Japan in 1978.
This museum was opened in 1999 as the world's first museum about the
writer. It introduces the writer and his works. The site is like a
theme park.
The
Museum of The Little Prince official website
Lake Ashi /31/ 
Lake Ashi is a caldera lake in
Hakone, and is called "Ashinoko" in Japanese.
It is about 6 km long from north to south, and the width is about
0.6-1.5 km.
There is the caldera cone on the east side of the lake, and the somma
is on the west side.
And it is located at the level of 723 meters.
The pleasure boats are operating between Kojiri area on the north shore
and Hakone town area on the south shore.
Kojiri area has a terminal of ropeway from Sounzan through Owakudani.
The name of terminal station is Togendai.
Hakone town is the historic town placed the checking station, and is
the central town in Hakone area.
There are two companies of pleasure boat here. They are Hakone-Kankosen
and Ashinoko-Yuransen.
They are rivals, and each company has own pier.
Additionally, if you use a discount coupons with fare of transportation
and addmission of sightseeing spots in Hakone area, you must board the
ship of the designated company on the coupon.
Hakone Kankosen official website
- Hakone Checking Station /32/
: It is the restored checking station in Edo Period, and is located
Hakone town. In Japanese, it is called "Hakone Sekisho".
Some buildings and gates have been precisely reproduced. And there is
the museum of this sekisho.
Hakone
Sekisho official website
- Onshi-Hakone-Koen Park /33/
: Here was a detached palace of Emperor's family, but it was destroyed
by the Kanto Great Earthquake in 1923. Then the site was donated to
Kanagawa Prefecture in 1946.
It is on a small peninsula near Hakone Checking Station.
This site is covered with gardens and forests, and we can see Ashinoko
and Mount Fuji.
- Old road lined with cypress trees
/34/
: The old road was the main road from Hakone Checking Station to Edo.
It is said that the cypress trees were planted in the early 17th
century.
We can find the scenery of those days.
- Hakone Shrine /35/
: It is a Shinto shrine located near southeast shore of Lake Ashi. It
is said that it was founded in 757.
One of the torii gates stands in the lake.
Other surrounding
spots
- Hatajuku /41/
: It is a small town in the south valley of caldera, and was one of
post stations in Hakone area in Edo Period.
Now here is known for Yosegi-zaiku which is a traditional woodwork in
Hakone.
There is "Yosegi Kaikan", a museum introducing Yosegi-zaiku, in the
center of the town.
And there are some workshops of Yosegi-zaiku in the town.
- Yugawara hot spring resort /42/
: It is an old hot spring resort. The position is out of Hakone, but it
is the southeast entrance to Hakone.
It is close to Atami which is the great hot spring resort, but Yugawara
has old Japanese-style hotels and has a local feeling.

Scenic or Nature /

Park or Garden /

Resort /

City, Town or Village /

Quarter or Street /

Temple or Shrine /

Museum or Laboratory /

Market or Commercial facility /

Factory /

Other Building or Construction /

Historic place /

Remains /

World Heritage Site
How to get to here
To
Odawara by railroad
- By Shinkansen, about 35 minutes
from Tokyo. Only all "Kodama" and some "Hikari" stop here.
- By JR Tokaido Line, about 1
hour and 15-25 minutes from Tokyo.
- By Odakyu Line, about 1 hour
and 10-15 minutes by limited express, about 1 hour and 30 minutes by
express from Shinjuku.
Most limited expresses lead to Hakone-Yumoto.
Hakone
Tozan Railway, Cable Car and Ropeway
- From Odawara to Hakone-Yumoto,
the
trains of Odakyu run. It takes about 14 minutes.
From Hakone-Yumoto to Gora, the mountain trams of Hakone Tozan Railway
run. About 25 minutes to Miyanoshita, about 38 minutes to Gora.
- From Gora to Sounzan, about 10
minutes by cable car.
- From Sounzan to Togendai, about
30 minutes by ropeway.
Pleasure
boats of Lake Ashi
From Kojiri (Togendai) to Hakone
town, about 40 minutes.
Route
buses in Hakone
- Odawara (15min) Hakone-Yumoto
(11min) Miyanoshita (33min) Hakone town
- Odawara (15min) Hakone-Yumoto
(28min) Sengokubara (16min) Kojiri
- Hakone-Yumoto (20min) Hatajuku
(25min) Hakone town
- Yugawara (37min) Hakone town
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