Step onto the cobblestones where the Shogunate's word was law and the mountain spirits were appeased with fire and prayer.
Between 1619 and 1869, this was the most important of the 53 checkpoints on the Tokaido road. It served as the Shogunate's security bottleneck, ensuring that no weapons entered the capital of Edo and no wives of the feudal lords (political hostages) escaped it.
The strict policy of Teppo-dezuma. Smuggling was punishable by crucifixion. Today, the checkpoint is a faithful reconstruction based on original Edo-era blueprints.
Guards scanned Lake Ashi for swimmers attempting to bypass the toll.
Original structures held those caught without valid travel permits.
Over 400 giant cedars, planted in 1618, still line the old highway. They were placed to shield travelers from the summer sun and the winter winds of the mountain pass.
Standing submerged in the volcanic waters of Lake Ashi, the Heiwa-no-Torii is positioned to face the rising sun, acting as a gateway between the human and spirit worlds.
Hidden in the dense forest at the foot of Mt. Hakone, this shrine has blessed travelers for over 1,200 years. Famous samurai, including Minamoto no Yoritomo and Tokugawa Ieyasu, came here to pray for victory in battle and safe passage through the treacherous mountain mists.
Commemorating Japan's return to independence in 1952, this iconic gate is reached by a flight of stone stairs descending directly into the water.
Dedicated to the nine-headed dragon of Lake Ashi. It is widely visited by those seeking good fortune in new beginnings and relationships.
Established by Manko Shonin after he was told by the gods in a dream to move to the caldera.
The Tokugawa Shogunate fortifies Hakone to protect the new capital of Edo.
The Dawn of Modern Tourism
Japan's first Western-style hotel opens, hosting guests like Charlie Chaplin and John Lennon.
Best viewed during the "Golden Hour" (3:00 PM - 4:30 PM) when the sunlight hits the pampas grass at a low angle.
While the rest of Hakone is defined by dense cedar forests, Sengokuhara is a vast, open marshland. In the autumn, the entire mountainside is covered in **Susuki** (Japanese Silver Grass), which turns a brilliant, shimmering gold that sways like a sea of light.
This landscape has remained virtually unchanged for centuries, offering a glimpse into the "Old Japan" that existed before the Edo development. It is a pilgrimage site for photographers and nature lovers every November.
"A building that speaks two languages at once: the architectural soul of the East meeting the diplomacy of the West."
Miyanoshita’s **Fujiya Hotel** is one of the most famous buildings in Japan. Established in 1878, it served as the primary gateway for Westerners entering Japan during the Meiji Restoration.
The architecture is a rare "pseudo-Western" style, featuring traditional Japanese gabled roofs atop Western-style timber frames. It survived the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and WWII, standing as a witness to the birth of modern Japanese tourism.
Guest books here contain the signatures of Albert Einstein, Hellen Keller, and John Lennon—who famously spent his "househusband" years drinking tea in the hotel’s garden lounge.
A sanctuary for the world's most curious minds and the birthplace of impossible wooden mechanics.
The couple famously spent several summers at the Fujiya Hotel in Miyanoshita. Lennon was often seen walking the forested paths of Hakone, seeking the quietude of the caldera during his "quiet years" in the 1970s.
Chaplin stayed in Hakone during his first visit to Japan. Legend has it he was so captivated by the Tozan Railway that he spent hours observing the mechanical switchbacks of the mountain train.
The world’s most famous puzzle box was invented here by **Ryugoro Ohara**. Originally used by samurai to hide secret documents while traveling the Tokaido road, these boxes use "invisible" sliding panels that require up to 72 specific movements to open.
The Hakone Tozan line is an "invention" of civil engineering. It is Japan’s only genuine mountain railway, utilizing a specialized "Abt" rack system and unique water-cooling sprinklers on the wheels to prevent track fires during steep descents.
"In Hakone, the past is not a memory; it is a mechanism of wood, a prayer at the shrine, and a step on the cedar road."