Hakone Open Air Museum: Great Fun for Adults and Children Alike

The Hakone Open Air Museum, set in the stunning landscape of Hakone, Japan, offers an enjoyable and interesting experience for kids and adults alike. Not your ordinary museum, the Hakone Open Air Museum is composed of over 120 outdoor sculptures by well-known modern and contemporary sculptors, exhibition halls including the Picasso Pavilion, and pieces where children can play. Even travellers who dislike visiting museums while on vacation will find the Hakone Open Air Museum a fun, unique and relaxing experience.

I came upon the Hakone Open Air Museum by accident. After a morning spent sightseeing in Hakone and riding the various modes of transport (cable car, Hakone Ropeway, sightseeing cruise on Lake Ashi), I decided to visit the museum on a whim since it was close to Gora Station. The words "open air" attracted me as well, since the cool spring weather was conducive to enjoying the outdoors.

The Hakone Open Air Museum, which opened in 1969 as Japan's first-ever open-air art museum, immediately enchanted me with its collection of off-beat, colorful stone sculptures situated within the sprawling grounds, most of them in the Round Plaza and Green Plaza sections. My personal favorites include the white marble Tete Endormie bust, the smiling and sleeping La Pleureuse figure with leaves adorning its head, and the large sunny side-up egg-shaped sculptures.

Exploring the grounds further, you will encounter the stained-glass covered tower called Symphonic Sculpture by the artist Gabriel Loire which provides sweeping views of the Hakkone Open Air Museum grounds, if you have the energy to climb to the top of the building. In addition to the children's playground area, young kids will enjoy exploring the large-scale hammock structure called "Woods of Net", and the "Soft Sculpture for Children" attraction.

Art aficionados are in for a treat at the Picasso Pavilion, which showcases the famous Spanish artist's work in ceramics. The exhibit was interesting, but I did not spend that much time inside the pavilion though, preferring the outdoors. However, in another smaller exhibition space, the "40 Years of Japanese Graffiti" exhibit by Nobumasa Takahashi was definitely eye-catching, with its vivid black-and-white illustrations of futuristic robots and children thrown together in huge canvasses. (Please refer to the attached photos).

In case you need a break from walking around the grounds of the Hakone Open Air Museum, there are a few cafes and restaurants offering refreshment and relaxation. Moreover, there is a natural hot spring foot-bath that will surely soothe those aching feet after a few minutes dip in the water. Note that towels for wiping your feet cost 100 yen, so be prepared with small change.

The Hakone Open Air Museum is definitely worth a visit, for adults, children, and non-museum goers alike, despite not being quite well-known outside of Japan. Each person will find something to enjoy and appreciate from among the museum's plethora of unique attractions, or simply spend a quiet afternoon strolling the spectacular grounds.

Practical Information for visiting the Hakone Open Air Museum

Museum Hours: 9am - 5pm; Open year-round, admission allowed until 30 min prior to closing

Admission: 1,600 Yen (US$1 = 90 Yen as of July 2010).
Senior citizens (65 & over), university and high school students: 1,100 yen
Middle and elementary school students: 800 yen

Hakone Free Pass holders: 1,400 yen

Access:

By train: JR Odawara Station - Odakyu-line Hakone Yumoto Station
- Hakone Tozan Railway, exit at Chokoku-no-Mori Station, 2 minute walk

By bus: JR Odawara Station - Odakyu-line Hakone Yumoto Station
- Hakone Tozan/Izu-Hakone Bus, exit at Ninotaira Iriguchi Station, 5 minute walk