Hakone Museum of Art — Attraction in Hakone

For many people, the attraction here will largely lie in the exceptionally beautiful gardens. Part of them consist of a shady moss-covered area and part of a more formal display of Japanese shrubs and trees. The whole thing amounts to what I think is the best small garden I have ever visited in Japan. We were there on an overcast day in late May, but I would imagine it would be gorgeous whatever time you visit - autumn especially of course.

The museum itself provides a relatively small exhibition of Japanese artefacts that will likely only turn on an expert or aficionado of historically important porcelain and ceramics. For the layman, not much of stunning beauty or interest.

Free parking is available across the street, and you can get a discounted joint ticket for the museum/grounds plus Gora Park nearby (also...

A relatively small but calming Japanese style moss garden with exhibit halls showing paintings of a Japanese artist and also some ancient Japanese pottery. Parts of the garden were closed off and there was some repair works when I visited at the end of September 2024. There is also a small tea house where you can buy tea and a small snack to sit and admire the moss garden. As it was empty and looked dark inside, it looked closed and I didn’t go in. I took my time at this garden/museum and stayed around 1 hr 45 minutes. I would say if you’re the check-box type of traveller, an hour would be more than sufficient. There is free parking within 3 minutes walking distance of...

The highlight of my trip to Hakone was this museum! The exhibit we saw featured a mix of classic art with modern art of the same themes. The booklets were in English and extremely informative. The restaurant in the museum though, was literally the culinary highlight of this mountain town. The dining room takes full advantage of the scenery, with large windows and views of the nature trail. The menu features set meals which included drinks, salad, soup (THE BEST SOUP), bread, entree, and tea/coffee; so all of your bases are covered. I highly recommend...