Onshi Hakone Park

What makes it special

At the centre of the park stands the Lakeshore Viewing Hall, a Western-style building designed to recall the imperial summer palace that once stood on this site. Earthquakes brought the palace down in the 1920s and 30s, and the display inside the hall shows what it was like.

The view is the point. From the balcony you look over Lake Ashi to the outer rim of the Hakone volcano, with Mount Fuji’s cone beyond it when the cloud allows. Kanagawa Prefecture names it among its 50 finest scenic spots.

Around the hall, the Japanese garden is planted to turn with the year: cherry in spring, then azaleas, then maples in autumn. Fuji also shows from the open lawns and the tree-lined paths, so the walk itself has views worth stopping for.

Visiting

One hour covers the paths, the hall and its balcony, longer if you sit in the cafe. Once inside, follow the paths through the garden and pause at the viewing decks as you go.

In the Lakeshore Viewing Hall, look at the palace displays, then take the stairs to the second-floor balcony for the full sweep of the lake. The cafe in the same building is the place for a drink with that view. The top of the park gives one more look down over the water.

Guided or on your own

The park office has run a guided walk, Hakoniwa Sanpo, on the fourth Saturday from April to November, with no charge. Places are booked by phone with the office, so call ahead to confirm this season’s dates and the language it is given in. On any other day the paths are easy to follow on your own.

Tips

Come early if Mount Fuji is the reason you are here, because the mountain tends to vanish into cloud as the day goes on.

The park is often quieter than Hakone’s better-known stops along the lake, which makes it a good place to rest between them rather than a sight to rush.