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Hakone has to be one of my favorite places in Japan... the fresh green in May, the red leaves in November, the snow-covered torii in winter and the white mist from the hot springs. The forest of my dreams.
📝 FUFU Hotel
I stayed at Fufu Hakone, a 5-minute drive from Johoro Station. Unlike most traditional and somewhat old-fashioned onsen inns in Hakone, Fufu is part of the Ryokan Collection's Contemporary lineup and is clean, modern and minimalist. In addition to the public bath, each room has its own onsen. I experienced the Precious Suite and Luxury Premium Suite at one time, with a price difference of almost twice, but actually preferred the Precious Suite - the room was on the first floor with a separate balcony, allowing one to walk right inside the forest. Lying on the hammock, listening to the rain and cicadas, remembering a lot and forgetting a lot.
Commons and Precious Suite
Luxury Premium Suite
Japanese-style dinner, in addition to a BBQ option
Every day, I slept in, soaked in the hot springs, and had breakfast at the hotel. The rest of the day was spent idling in Hakone's stellar art museums.
The Sculpture Forest Art Museum is nestled in the valley of Johoro, which is a park in itself. Most of the sculptures are displayed outdoors, except for a Picasso pavilion. When you're tired of walking through the forests and lawns, you can dip your feet into the hot springs against the big mountains, making it a great place to stay for most of the day.
Turn right out of Fufu and take a bus up the hill to the Pola Art Museum. It is also a half indoor half outdoor art museum with a glass structure, and the most pleasant surprise is the collection of Matisse's paintings and the green color of the downstairs cafe seen through the giant floor-to-ceiling glass.
Walking towards Kowakien, there is the Okada Museum of Art, which exhibits mainly Japanese art, Chinese ceramics and Buddhist art. Across the street from the museum, a path leads to the forested Chijo Falls, which is also a place you can't resist.
The Narukawa Museum on the south shore of Lake Ashinoko is the perfect place to see Mt. Fuji and the red leaves. Order a bottle of blue Mt. Fuji beer at the museum's café and watch Mt. Fuji slowly melt into the setting sun.
In Paradise Lost, Shoichiro Hisagi and Rinko Matsubara embark on a no-return sprint to the end of tragedy in Hakone. I can understand this, but I can't empathize with it. After all, if you encounter such a quiet forest in your lifetime, you shouldn't leave it.
- Author:japan guides
- URL:https://japan-guides.com/article/culture-63
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