Top 30 things to do in Hakone according to TripAdvisor

Hakone is the perfect day out of Tokyo that has long remained one of the most popular tourist spot on TripAdvisor. Hakone is located in the southwestern part of Kanagawa prefecture less than 100 kilometers from Japan's main capital Tokyo and is part of Fuji Hakone Izu National Park. Hakone is a popular place for Japanese and foreign travelers because of its beautiful nature, the view of Lake Ashinoko and Mount Fuji and is a place with many hot springs. One can find many lovely ryokans exotic streets and a very cool open air museum there as well. Don't know what to do? Then check out this list inspired by TripAdvisor on the top 20 things to do in Hakone.

The Hakone Museum of Art with its beautiful garden

Choan-ji temple

It is such a great idea to stop by at this temple before sunset when all the statues on a wooded slope above the temple become spookily charming even on a cloudy day. This is one of the unique places in Japan to visit. Here you can feel the cold windy weather. This is must-visit place as you can see a live volcano. You can get a boiled egg in hot water spring which is believed to add seven years of life to a person. This is a very nice and calm place in the forest, just a short walk from the nearest bus stop. Not only the little statues and the koi pond in the temple are something that’s unique and special, looking at the stairway in different angles you can see it’s actually surreally heaven-like. It is not overrated to say that this is the stairway to heaven!!!

*Note: Travellers are requested to carry own coats to avoid cold wind. As you walk,  the pungent smoky weather can be intolerable.

Adress: 82 Sengokuhara, Ashigarashimo-gun, Hakone-machi 250-0631, Kanagawa Prefecture

Hakone Motomiya Shrine

If you are intentionally going to Motomiya shrine to get a red seal, you may want to visit there before 4 pm. Under a cloudy sky, the shrine even looks more superb in a dignified atmosphere.

Interestingly, there is neither a bell nor a saisen box at the shrine. It seems that there are only three days in January where you can see a priest at Motomiya Shrine. Lying there in the vicinity of the shrine is a pile of Iwagaki stones that is said to be a powerful godly spirit's magnetic field.

*Note: 1. Walking shoes are highly recommended because of the staircase and gravel road. 2. You may want to take a ropeway to visit. The entry for hiking is a restricted area now.

Address: 110 Motohakone, Ashigarashimo-gun, Hakone-machi 250-0522, Kanagawa Prefecture

 

The Hakone Open-Air Museum
The Hakone Open-Air Museum
The Hakone Open-Air Museum is an outdoor art museum that covers a huge area of approximately 70,000 square meters. You can enjoy sculptures from Henry Moore, Marta Pan and others.
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Hakone Shrine
Hakone Shrine
This spiritual spot representing Hakone, is popular all year round. Many women come to pray there as it is famous as a shrine of marriage.
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Pola Museum of Art
Pola Museum of Art
An enormous collection of the owner of the cosmetics company, Pola. You can feel what beauty means to these professionals from the exhibits to the exterior.
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Owakudani
Owakudani
Owakudani was created when the Hakone volcano exploded about 3000 years ago. Powerful outbursts of smoke and sulfur can be viewed up close in the well maintained areas.
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Hikone Castle
Hikone Castle
This is a valuable castle, constructed in the early Edo Era, has preserved its original appearance most excellently. Its lofty silhouette looking down from Mt. Hikone upon Lake Biwa and the castle town is impressive.
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Hakone Hot Springs
Hakone Hot Springs
Hakone is a town of hot springs with a long history. You can enjoy looking at Mount Fuji while bathing in the hot springs surrounded by nature. Hakone offers hot springs for relaxing, skin beauty, curative qualities, and much more. So you can also choose a bath according to your purpose. There are numerous ways of enjoying Hakone, you can make it a day trip or decide to stay overnight at an inn.
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Hakone Ropeway
Hakone Ropeway
One of the 50 scenic areas in Kanagawa Prefecture. This is one way to get to Owakudani. The bubbling hot springs valley created by volcanic activity is the source for Hakone’s onsen.
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Hakone Komagatake Ropeway
Hakone Komagatake Ropeway
This is an 1800 meter ropeway which extends from Hakone-en Garden to the peak of Mt. Komagatake. At the peak, you will find Hakone-Mototsumiya Shrine, said to be the origin of Hakone Shrine and is also a energy spot.
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Hakone Tozan Railway
Hakone Tozan Railway
It is an essential part of Hakone tourism and also designated as a Public Works Heritage Site and a Heritage of Modern Industrialization. You can enjoy the curves, steep slopes, and switchbacks along the railroad that has a 530m difference in elevation.
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Hakone Glass Museum
Hakone Glass Museum
An exceptional world appearing in the middle of the great nature of Hakone. Buildings that have recreated Venice have an atmosphere that feels like being in a European castle of the Middle Ages.
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Hakone Sightseeing Cruises
Hakone Sightseeing Cruises
If this is your first time visiting Hakone, sightseeing from the pirate ship is an experience you must not miss. Hakone, full of popular places to visit, will become even more memorable if you experience this cruise ride.
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Sengokubara
Sengokubara
Sengokuhara is the wetlands and the plains of pampas grass that covers a wide area of Hakone. The autumn pampas has been selected as one of The Top 50 Picturesque Sceneries of Kanagawa and The Top 100 Flowers of Kanagawa. It is visited by many people during the early spring when the controlled burning of the mountain “Yamayaki” occurs.
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Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands
Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands
Japan’s first wetland garden that starts from Hakone where 1700 species of flora live in the wetlands and marshes that exist between the high and low mountains of the nation. Closed during the winter.
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Hakone Gora Park
Hakone Gora Park
A park with many buildings that have survived since its opening. You can experience a tea ceremony, pottery, glass blowing, sand blasting, and many other things here.
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Onshi-Hakone Park
Onshi-Hakone Park
The park was opened on the site of the former Hakone Detached Palace. It used to serve as the vacation home for the Imperial family and as a place to welcome special foreign guests. The superb view hasn’t changed from its time as an Imperial villa.
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Climbing Mt. Fuji
Climbing Mt. Fuji
Mount Fuji was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013. Interest in Mount Fuji is rising as it was rated a three-star site in the Green Guide Japan, the Japanese version of Michelin’s travel guidebook Le Guide Vert.
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Hakone Museum of Art
Hakone Museum of Art
Hakone’s oldest art museum. The autumn leaves of the garden are so beautiful that they are used in posters for Hakone. Noted exhibits include earthenware up to the Edo Era.
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Hakone Sekisho
Hakone Sekisho
Hakone Sekisho, whose purpose was to strictly inspect all entries for the defense and security of Edo, has been completely restored. The lifestyle from those times has been faithfully recreated through life-sized dolls and authentically built gadgets.
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