The 10-Best Things to See and Do in Hakone

Now I'll share with you the things to do in Hakone so that when you visit this beautiful place, you do not miss anything:

Onsen is nothing but a hot spring, and you should not miss this on your trip to Hakone. Hakone has a large number of onsen. Some hotels are designed along with a hot spring. How fun it would to eat and drink inside a natural hot water bath in winters. This feeling is out of the world. I'll mention 3 most visited onsen to you.

The first one is known as the Yunessun. It is a hot spring theme park with huge grounds and a lot of fun baths. The fun baths include tubs filled with coffee, wine, and herbs separately and a water slide. The mandatory thing is you need to be in your swimsuit. If you plan to stay and chill nearby, you can stay at the B&B Pension Hakone hotel.

The second very famous onsen is called Tenzan. It is a standard onsen, and you can imagine how beautiful it would be as it is an open-air bath lying next to a mountain-side. For ease of reaching this place, there is a free shuttle bus from Hakone-Yumoto Station.

I find visiting these onsens is the best on the things to do in Hakone list as it is different and is relaxing. The international travelers many a time miss these onsens because of lack of knowledge; hence, I have included this at the very first spot. Japanese travelers cannot even imagine missing these!

This place is a perfect balance between the beauty created by God and by humans. The museums lie within the beautiful bounds of valleys and mountains. The sculptures exhibited in the grounds of the museum complement well to the mountains.

Both inside and outside the museum is divided into various sections. There is an exhibition hall called Picasso, which has paintings, sculptures, and ceramic work by an artist and his photos at various stages during his life.

In the great lawns of the museum, you will find abstract sculpture made by both Japanese and non-Japanese artists. The most significant one is the Symphonic Sculpture. Another important figure is a tower that you can climb with a spiral staircase inside of it. It is surrounded by colorful stained glass so that you can get beautiful view of the park and mountains outside.

There are shops and cafes inside the museum so you can eat and buy things. There are also kid-friendly spaces inside like the Zig Zag World, where kids can play and enjoy.

I hope you find this place interesting and thoughtful to be included in the things to do in Hakone list.

The park is open throughout the year between 9:00 to 17:00 hours. The last entry is taken at 16:30 hours.

The next on my list of things to do in Hakone is Hakone National park or the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The park is a diverse landscape created by volcanoes and culture. The park is spread across different sites in Yamanashi, Kanagawa and Shizuoka prefectures as well as Tokyo. Hakone witnesses several hiking trails inside the park.

The national park is divided into four areas. The first one is the Mt. Fuji Area, which is based on Mt. Fuji, and the surrounding area has lakes, swamps, and plateau regions. The next one is the Hakone area, which is mainly known for hot springs. Next is the Izu Peninsula Area, which has a mention of Amagi Mountain Range, a varying coastline and hot springs again. The last one being the Izu Islands Area, which has seven islands in Izu Shishito Islands, out of which two islands still have active volcanoes.

The Hakone Visitor Center shows you videos about the national park and arranges a guided tour for you. To give you a great experience, it has nature observation events and craft classes.

The park is open from 9:00 to 17:00 hours, and the last admission is allowed at 16:30 hours. The park remains closed on the second Wednesday of June and the following day. It also remains closed from December 28th to January 1st.

If you wish to look at a beautiful moss garden along with Japanese ceramics work from ancient times, this museum should be on your things to do in Hakone list. The museum is located in Gora and was founded by Okada Mokichi in 1952. The museum mainly holds ceramic work like large earthenware and ceramic vessels by Japanese artists of pre-historic times. Haniwa burial statue is considered one of the most significant cultural property.

The amazing moss garden with stone ways in between looks stunning. The garden is blessed with tall maple trees. The garden looks indescribable during autumn and spring. There is a teahouse that serves amazing green tea.

The museum has another garden, which is of Japanese style and is known as Sekirakuen Garden. The garden lies on the slopes of Gora and is open only on weekends, national holidays, and complete November.

The park timings are:

9:30 to 16:30 (until 16:00 December to March). Admission ends 30 minutes before closing time.

The museum remains closed during the following days:

Thursdays (except in November or if Thursday is a national holiday), December 25 to 31, and January 4 to 8.

The next on my list of things to do in Hakone lies the Gora Park. The Gora Park lies on a steep slope above the Gora station. This is a western-style garden designed to relax and relish the beautiful scenery of Hakone.

Interestingly although the park lies in Japan, it is designed in the French style. The park has a fountain and a rose garden. Also, the park holds two greenhouses, first one holds a tropical botanical garden, and the other one contains a flower garden. If you overlook the fountain you will find a restaurant to satiate your hunger, and there is a teahouse too called Hakuun-do Chain.

The park arranges various activities as well, like glass blowing, pottery, glass etching, and dried flower arrangement. Visitors can join for these activities happening in the Crafthouse situated in the park.

After reading only five of the things to do in Hakone list, I feel by now you have already started making plans about visiting this place.

Now the things to do in Hakone bring you to Lake Ashinoko. This spot is the most beautiful spot of Hakone and is the most favorite one among the tourists. The lake has an interesting past, as it was built because of the volcanic eruption that happened at this place 3000 years ago! At the east and north shores of this lake lies small towns and some lakeside resorts and hotels.

At the background of this lake, you will find the beautiful mountains, Mt. Fuji. This spot in Hakone can be considered the symbol of Hakone, and it exactly looks like the scenery or landscapes we used to make in drawing classes during school time!

To capture the best photographs in combination with lake and the mountain, you should go to Hakone detached palace garden or Moto-Hakone (a few steps south from the sightseeing boat pier) and also from the boats cruising along.

There are two boat companies operating cruises on the lake's southern shore, namely, Hakone Sightseeing Boats and Izu Hakone Sightseeing Boats. These two operate between Moto-Hakone and Hakone-machi ports.

Clouds and poor visibility might affect the view of Mount Fuji. Visibility generally remains good in the colder season rather than summer and during early morning and noon.

You must have heard about a very famous novel called The Little Prince. This museum is a dedication to Little Prince and the author of the novel Antoine de Saint Exupery. He was a French aristocrat, writer, and aviator. According to the story, the young prince visits various planets present in space, including Earth as well and addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. This book became the world's bestselling book and most translated book ever. Around 140 million copies were sold and were translated in 300 languages. Although it looks like a children's book. But has to teach a lot about life and human nature, and hence this museum lies on my list of things to do in Hakone!

The museum remains open from 9:00 to 18:00 hours while the entry is permitted only till 17:00 hours. Weather conditions might affect the opening and closing hours. So kindly check before you leave. The business hours of the Exhibition hall and Video hall are from 9:00 to 17:30 hours. The museum remains closed on the second Wednesday except for March and August.

The museum houses a restaurant as well, which remains open between 11:00 to 18:00 hours.

Like glassmaking is an art in itself, you should visit the next spot in my list of things to do in Hakone to witness this art. Hakone Glass no Mori or the Venetian Glass Museum is home to 100 new and old varieties of Venetian glassware like vases and goblets.

The complex includes two museums, a sprawling lawn, a restaurant, and a cafe to satiate your hunger needs after long hours of roaming around.

The first museum is named Venetian Glass Museum and holds 100 Venetian glassware. When you get into the museum, you will feel a little Venice inside. The room inside the museum holds high vaulted ceilings, very descriptive stained-glass panels, and hidden alcoves with display cases.

The second museum being the Venetian Modern Glass Museum. This museum houses glass workpieces by various artists in different colors, shapes, and sizes. Then there is a museum store spread across a few floors, which has glass pieces from around the world, and you will be dazzled by looking at them.

The visitors also get to make their glass sculptures in the Experience Studio. Although don't get so much excited because your first piece won't be even close to the beauty you see in the museum. But yes, it is a different experience in itself!

The museum remains open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. throughout the year. The last admission is at 5:00 p.m.

Hakone is a place dedicated to nature lovers as it has so many parks, and the place is very much liked by the kids too! Another park in my things to do in the Hakone list is Onshi Hakone Park. This park was initially an Imperial Villa that was used by the Emperor to relax and rest and to entertain the honored guests. Later this villa got destroyed twice during two devastating earthquakes. After World War II, Kanagawa made a public park here called the Onshi Hakone Park.

The park showcases beautiful views of Lake Ashi and Mt. Fuji in combination. Because the view from here is so beautiful, it has been listed in "The Top 50 Picturesque Sceneries of Kanagawa Prefecture" and "The Top 100 Views of Mt. Fuji in the Kanto Region".

Some cornerstone remains from the Imperial Villa that lies in the middle of the park and front of the Lakeside Observation Building. The first floor of the Observatory holds documents about the design and building of Imperial Villa.

The garden looks beautiful throughout the year. There are around 200 mossy stone steps and small pathways that run inside the park so you can taste a little bit of hiking here.

This is my favorite place on the list of things to do in Hakone. And this lies last because everything is beautiful that ends beautifully!

This shrine is located on the foot of Mount Hakone and along the shore of Lake Ashi. The shrine lies hidden in a dense forest, but the torii gates will help you locate it even then. Torii gates are a kind of gate design for shrines mostly made up of wood and painted in orange and black. In total, this shrine has three torii gates.

The path that leads you to the shrine from the first torii gate has lanterns on both sides. This pathway looks so dreamy, just like those in Hollywood films. The shrine sits peacefully among tall trees and looks pretty when drowned in mist. Visiting this shrine is a magical experience.

The shrine remains open throughout the year.

I am sure my list of things to do in Hakone has already lit a feeling inside you to visit this place once in your life. This place is so close to nature and is blessed with beautiful sceneries. You will find a new way of life coming here. You will have different things to witness which you have never done before, like a dip in the hot springs, experiencing the magical shrine, hiking along with the various parks, witnessing glass museums and looking at sceneries so serene.

Please book things in advance. They provide complete assistance while you book. Go for it and plan your holiday today!