Winter is here! Brr! We made a somewhat last-minute trip to Hakone to celebrate having a few days off from work and me starting my new elementary art position! Hakone is only an hour and a half drive via toll roads from Yokota. I wanted to share our itinerary again in case anyone is wanting to go down there but not have to plan anything. Here ya go! haha! this is all kid-friendly stuff because, hello, we have a toddler. lol 😆
Click here to see my Hakone travel list of saved pins on Google Maps.
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Accommodations
We have a Hilton credit card which gets us a free weekend night at a Hilton resort every year. Our 2020 credit rolled over because of COVID-19, so we were able to stay two free nights at the Hilton Odawara Resort and Spa, which was as amazing as it sounds. A beautiful hotel, close to attractions in Odawara and short drive from Hakone sights. Plus, free parking.
It also has its own Onsen, which we have been dying to try. Ed used the onsen everyday we were there. He said it was a borderline spiritual experience. 🤣 I unfortunately did not get to use it because I have a tattoo. Most onsens have a no-tattoo policy. Ed said he saw ‘no tattoo’ signs so I decided not to try and press my luck. I think I would have been okay if I had gone late at night, but I fell asleep by 9 both nights we were there. 😂
We booked a standard double twin room but were upgraded at check-in to a family room (thank you again, Hilton card). This gave us an extra tatami room where we were able to have Emme’s crib. She uses the guava lotus travel crib when we travel and the Slumberpod to keep her area dark, which we cannot recommend enough! I would consider the slumberpod a must-have item for parents who travel with babes/toddlers.
Day 1
We checked in early around 12, and we had plans to go to the Hakone shrine that day. We ended up staying at the resort the entire day because it was so nice! Emme got a nap in while I read a book and Ed hit the onsen. Then we went down to the kids play room which is huge and covered in soft foam structures, with an extra room for playing soccer. We ate dinner there and did a round of bowling there, too. If we had our swimsuits we would have used the swimming pool which was beautiful (rookie mistake forgetting those). We decided we will go back once more before we move and do the pool and Hakone shrine, in better weather.
Day 2 Hakone Open Air Museum
Day two kicked off with a yummy complimentary breakfast and then we headed straight for the Hakone Open Air Museum, which I highly recommend. Especially if you have kids and don’t get to enjoy art often. They have works by several very notable artists like Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, and Roberto Giacometti, to name a few. I also loved seeing the works of Japanese artists that were new to me. It’s the perfect way to experience sculptures because your children can run around and there are nice interior buildings to take breaks from the heat or cold in (in our case, the cold).
Emme’s favorite part was the Symphonic Sculpture, which is a large tower that look similar to a stained glass mosaic. She loved identifying the colors of the glass.
There is an entire building reserved for Pablo Picasso works that I really enjoyed, because they had a lot of works I had never seen before, and great information about his career and inspiration. There is also a hot foot bath outside, which was the closest I came to an onsen on this trip. 😂 You see these a lot around the Hakone area because Hakone is known for its hot springs.
Anyways, I would recommend this museum to anyone! I am actually in the process of creating a little pamphlet/guide for the parents of my elementary art students to encourage them to take their children there to see the works of these master artists! I will email it out to my art education list, too.
Emme ended up falling asleep with me carrying her, which is why I don’t have more photos from the museum. Also you cannot take photos of any works inside. I also didn’t see anyone else taking photos with a big camera outside, just cell-phones, so I started to wonder if I wasn’t supposed to be taking any photos. It’s sometimes hard to tell with the Japanese language barrier. Usually they make it very clear with signs.
Day 2 The Great Boiling Valley Ōwakudani
We decided to head to the nearby Great Boiling Valley or ‘Ōwakudani’ to try the famous black eggs. The eggs are rumored to add 7 years to your life if you eat them (sign us up!). It was about 500 yen to park if I remember. Then we paid 500 yen for a bag of 5 eggs. You can take the eggs with you or eat inside their little cafe. We ate inside and also grabbed a coffee for me and and black curry bread for Emme and Ed. The eggs just taste like a great hard boiled egg, and are super hot. You can also ride the gondola with a view of Fuji but we skipped it because someone is afraid of heights (surprise: it’s me).
Day 2 Gora Park and Brewery
I really wanted to try the Gora Brewery and Grill, so we drove there after Ōwakudani and were not disappointed! Parking is free and plenty at the time we arrived, around 3pm I believe? I think they close at 4 to prep for dinner. After we ate we walked across the street to Gora Park, which was open until 5pm (but all of the interior extras like the tea room close at 4). We were the only people there and thought it was great! 500 yen for entry per adult. Tons of plants even in the winter, and we want to go again in the spring to see the wisteria.
Day 3 Odawara Castle
On our last morning we ate another complimentary breakfast, played in the playroom, then checked out. We went straight to the nearby Odawara Castle. The castle is a beautiful edo-era construction that also has a tiny monkey cage on the grounds which surprised us. Interior tours are closed for COVID but you can walk around outside and get up close to it for free. There is also a beautiful shrine and temple basically on the grounds, and cute coffee shop.
What we will go back for
If we go back, we will visit the Hakone Shrine, and find a tattoo friendly Onsen for me to try. Or I will go rogue and try to sneak into the hilton onsen. I would definitely do Gora Park again in warmer weather, and possibly do the open air museum a second time.