Hakone

3rd Day

DirectionsAbout 40 minutes by JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line from Tokyo Station to Odawara Station. About 15 minutes by Hakone Tozan Tetsudo Line from Odawara Station to Hakone Yumoto Station.

One of the best international holiday resorts. Home of renowned spas and a large historical zone.
Hakone is the name that refers to the whole area, surrounding Mt. Hakone-yama that is situated in the southwestern part of Kanagawa, and is part of the Fuji Hakone Izu National Park. Hakone is an internationally well-known holiday resort that includes many renowned spas and Lake Ashino-ko, which was created by Mt. Fuji's repetitive volcanic activity. In Hakone, there are said to be "Hakone Thirteen Spas", or some even say "Hakone Seventeen Spas" altogether distinguished from each other by their distinctive ingredients and different healing effects.

The Hakone Barrier was built on the Tokaido Highway(The road from Edo to Kyoto) in 1619 in order to fortify the capital Edo (former name of Tokyo) against various foreign clans from the west and to maintain public peace. The Hakone Barrier used to terrify travelers as they were thoroughly inspected before they were allowed to continue traveling along the Tokaido, the main transport artery of those days. For this reason, Hakone used to be called "the border between the east and the west". The original barrier which has been restored with related information, including armor and weapons, is open to the public nowadays.


There are many other interesting sites in the surrounding area of Hakone. Visit Onshi Hakone Park, for instance, to see the up-side-down Mt. Fuji reflected in the surface of Lake Ashino-ko nearby. Hakone Museum proudly presents its collection of approximately 50 pieces of pottery. Enjoy a pleasant walk through Hakone Sengokubara Shissei Kaen where a beautiful garden of hydrophytes welcomes you. The conservation and protection of nature and the historical sites are well maintained in Hakone. The wetland plant colony is listed as a natural monument. Rows of cedar trees stretch for 2 km along the old Tokaido and the group of stone statues of Buddha is enshrined in Hakone.