The Hakone Open air Museum

There are very few places where free-standing sculpture can be properly appreciated in Japan, mostly due to the lack of open space in the cities.
The Hakone Open air Museum in Ashigarashimo, Hakone, opened in 1969 as the first open air museum in Japan, with 120 works and 5 exhibition halls, to provide an proper exhibition area to this type of sculptures.
The Utsukushigahara open air museum is owned and run by the same organization.




The sculptures are displayed on the well-kept 70,000 square meter exhibitions grounds.


The Picasso pavilion, displays over 300 works by Picasso, focusing on his works on ceramics.
The Henry Moore Collection has one of the largest Moore’s collections of works in the world.



A combination of a day at the park and at the museum, the grounds provides entertainment for all members of the family.



The most famous sculptures displayed on the grounds are perhaps “Balzac” by Auguste Rodin, and the Moore sculptures.




But perhaps the most distinctive works on the exhibition may be the sculpture “Miss Black Power” by Niki de Saint Phalle, and the “symphonic Sculpture” by Gabriel Loire.


The museum is a required visit for art lovers visiting Hakone.



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Hakone Shrine

Even though the buildings are not visible in the mountain forest, is easy to find the most famous shrine in Hakone, the three outstanding toriis of the Hakone shrine, two of them in moto-hakone and one in the lake Ashi, are hard to pass unnoticed.



According to the legend the shrine was create by mountain hermit Mangan to consolidate three mini shrines, one on top of Mt. kame, another on top of Mt. Komagate and another called Han’nyanji to worship the kami (god) of the mountains.




The path to the shrine buildings is through a series of steps lined with lanterns in a beautiful cedar forest.





The grounds of the main hall extend on large area at the end of the steps, the area can get crowded on weekends, so is recommended to arrive early.


The “floating” torii or “peace torii”, is a very distinctive view not only of the shrine but of the town itself.
The shrine is particularly beautiful at the early hours of the morning due to the mist covering the lake and mountain, you may need to drive there as transportation is not available at this early time.


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Onshi Hakone Park

The view from the top of the peninsula “tower-island” in lake Ashi is so spectacular that In 1886 the Imperial Household Ministry, built a vacation palace on the site, for the imperial family and foreing guests.


The palace consisting of Japanese and western style buildings was damaged by the big Kanto earthquake, and later donated to the Kanagawa prefecture in 1946, and later opened to the public as the Onshi(Imperial gift)-Hakone Park.
Large scale restoration activities on the park has returned the western building to his former appearance (there are plans to restore the Japanese building).


The Lakeside observation (western style) building is used to display documents related to the original palace, and observation and rest area on the second floor, the view from there is breathtaking, Mount Fuji is usually visible from here.






Entering using the path of cedar tree, instead of the main entrance will give you the opportunity to admire the Ashikawa Bridge, a famous Edo-period stone bridge, moved here for preservation; the view to motohakone from here is an often-missed sight.



Strolling through the park, provides Majestic scenic views of the lake Ashi, the mountains, Mount Fuji (is somewere there behind the clouds), and seasonal flowers. The park view has been selected as one of the “50 scenic views of Kanagawa”, be sure not to miss it if you visit Hakone.


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Hakone, town of scenic views

Hakone is a town in the Kanagawa prefecture, centered around the lake Ashi, part of the volcanically active Fuji-Hakone-Izu national park (the park is not a specific place but a collection of dispersed tourist sites that dot the region).


With its scenic views, hot springs, and cultural locations, Hakone is one of the most popular destinations for national and international visitors. Located at around 80 Km from Tokyo provides also the best excuse to take a break of the fast-paced city and enjoy nature, there are also plenty of outdoor activities on the mountains in the area.


The most convenient access from Tokyo is by train from Shinjuku station. Scenic boats, ropeways and cable car provide access within the town and to adjacent locations.


Hakone was after the edo-period a border checkpoint between Edo and Kyoto.
At Hakone sekisho, travelers’ permits and badges were examined before entering or leaving the region. The ancient post station is being recreated at the original location and now you can get an insight of the period customs and political divisions.


Lake Ashi is a beautiful lake, formed by volcanic activity 400 thousand years ago, surrounded by mountains and dense forest, provide breathtaking views of mount Fuji, on this visit, mount Fuji was not visible due to rain and fog.


The most distinctive view of Hakone is provided by the torii of the Hakone Shrine in the lake Ashi.

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