Hakone Checkpoint — Attraction in Hakone

Hakone checkpoint museum is one of the best ways to experience the history of this section of Japan. Located close to other tourist attractions, this mostly outdoor museum sits along the eastern shore of Lake Ashi.

At 500 JPY or $6.00 CDN, the admission fee is well worth the cost. Within the outdoor section of the museum, you’ll visit the reconstructed buildings that made up the checkpoint - a border control stop between the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto. Here you will learn about the importance of this checkpoint, and why this location was chosen to become the most strict and regulated border crossing within the country.

Be sure to climb up the hill at the back (there are stairs) to get to the watch towers. Here you have a view of the museum, the lake, and on a nice day, Mount Fuji in the distance.

As you continue along the path, you’ll come to an indoor section of the museum where you can see models of the long processions of people marched from cities such of Kyoto to Tokyo as a display of power and wealth, and why Tokyo loved this so-called “display of power” as a defence tactic.

I would give yourself 1-2 hours to visit this location. We paired this with the boat tour of lake ashi and still had a lot of time remaining in our day.

The museum has information in Japanese and is self-guided. I recommend picking up an English pamphlet as it contains information about each station as well as a map.

It’s a fantastic stop to learn about some history and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys knowing the background of the area they...

Hakone checkpoint museum is one of the best ways to experience the history of this section of Japan. Located close to other tourist attractions, this mostly outdoor museum sits along the eastern shore of Lake Ashi.

At 500 JPY or $6.00 CDN, the admission fee is well worth the cost. Within the outdoor section of the museum, you’ll visit the reconstructed buildings that made up the checkpoint - a border control stop between the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto. Here you will learn about the importance of this checkpoint, and why this location was chosen to become the most strict and regulated border crossing within the country.

Be sure to climb up the hill at the back (there are stairs) to get to the watch towers. Here you have a view of the museum, the lake, and on a nice day, Mount Fuji in the distance.

As you continue along the path, you’ll come to an indoor section of the museum where you can see models of the long processions of people marched from cities such of Kyoto to Tokyo as a display of power and wealth, and why Tokyo loved this so-called “display of power” as a defense tactic.

I would give yourself 1-2 hours to visit this location. We paired this with the boat tour of lake ashi and still had a lot of time remaining in our day.

The museum has information in Japanese and is self-guided. I recommend picking up an English pamphlet as it contains information about each station as well as a map.

It’s a fantastic stop to learn about some history and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys knowing the background of the area they...

Hakone used to be an important checkpoint to control traffic along the Tokaido, the highway which linked Tokyo with Kyoto during the feudal Edo Period.

It's clear that the greatest care was taken to restore the checkpoint to be as original as possible, using tools and techniques that would have been used in the era. Mannequins of people and animals are displayed in a flat grey colour as the colour of their clothing and fur is still uncertain. I personally greatly appreciate this small detail.

The ticket includes passing into the checkpoint and the nearby museum. The museum lacks translations to all objects in the exhibition which is a shame. Yet is does not detract the overall experience.

I highly recommend making the effort to go up to the observation tower, on days with good weather your can shoot some great photographs here that are of postcard quality if Fuji show's it's snowy peak.

A bit further up the road, away from the town center, is a cedar road that used to connect to the checkpoint, this is a must-see if you've been at...