Region
Kanto
Island
Honshu
Largest City
Yokohama
Population
8,489,932

Hakone Museum of Art

A ceramics museum with a beautiful Japanese garden and handicraft shop.

The Hakone Museum of Art (or Hakone bijutsukan in Japanese) is an ideal stop for photographers and people interested in Japanese culture and history.  Most visitors to Hakone overlook the Hakone Museum of Art and go straight for the Hakone Open Air Museum, a popular modern art and sculpture museum. But, trust us, both are worth your while.

Japanese ceramics and earthenware

Hakone Museum of Art in Hakone, Japan.

Haniwa statues are cute and creepy at the same time.

Located along the Hakone-Tozan Cable Car between Owakudani and Gora Stations, the main museum displays consist of historic earthenware and ceramics found in Japan that date back to prehistoric times up to the Edo Period (1603–1868). Museum goers can view small decorative plates and figurines,  as well as large vases and pots once used for fermenting food.

Be sure to head to the second floor, where a large window overlooks the garden outside and the Hakone mountains in the distance. A museum shop on-site sells several Japanese handicrafts including Japanese cloth, wooden keepsake boxes, and ceramics.

Sekirakuen Garden

Hakone Museum of Art in Hakone, Japan.

Fall foliage at the Hakone Museum of Art is particularly spectacular.

The main highlights of the Hakone Museum of Art are the two traditional gardens on its grounds. Shinsenkyo is referred to as the moss garden and the second is a more secluded Japanese landscape garden called Sekirakuen. The moss garden is carpeted with 130 different varieties of soft moss, with a narrow stone trail winding through it. In the center of the moss garden is a teahouse where you can relax with a cup of matcha tea, peacefully accented by a neighboring koi pond and waterfall.

Woah, black eggs!

Sekirakuen garden connects to the moss garden. Here, you can wander through arranged volcanic rocks and bamboo groves and gain enough elevation to get a great view of Hakone’s mountains.

For your fill of traditional Japanese aesthetic, be sure to add the Hakone Museum of Art to your Hakone bucket list.

Trivia

Woah, black eggs!

Try Hakone's infamous black eggs for a snack that's more photo-worthy than anything. Check out these other famous foods in Kanagawa while you're at it.

More

Things To Know

Things to Know

With multiple seasonal appeals, one of the best times to visit the Hakone Museum of Art is in the fall, when the leaves of 220 momiji (Japanese maple) trees in the moss garden have turned to brilliant yellows and reds.

Hours and Fees

April to November: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Dec. to March: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Check website for special hours. 

Entry to the museum costs ¥900 per adult, but with a Hakone Free Pass you can get a ¥200 discount. Shinwatei, the teahouse, is open from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Matcha costs ¥720.

How To Get There

Address

1121 Ninotaira, Hakone, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa 250-0407, Japan

By train

Take the Hakone-Tozan Railway from Hakone-Yumoto Station to Gora Station (¥410), then take the Hakone-Tozan Cable Car until Koen-Kami Station (¥170). Note, the Hakone-Tozan Railway has been closed since October 2019 after extensive damage from Typhoon #19. Check the latest closures here.

By bus

From Hakone-Yumoto Station, take the Hakone Tozan Replacement Bus to Gora Station (¥610), then take the Hakone-Tozan Cable Car to Koen-Kami Station (¥170). See the bus timetables here.

By car

It takes about two hours to reach the Hakone Museum of Art from Tokyo city center. Ten free parking spaces are available at the museum. If you’re staying in Hakone and have a vehicle, it’s about a 20-minute drive.


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