Hakone

Introduction

This article is about the town in Kanagawa Prefecture. For the volcano, see Mount Hakone. Town in Kantō, JapanHakone 箱根町TownMount Fuji seen from Lake AshiOwakudani and Hakone Yumoto cable carView of Lake Ashi and Hakone Town from Mount Hakone KomagatakeMiscanthus sinensis in SengokuharaLake Ashi and Hakone Checkpoint FlagSealInteractive map of HakoneHakone Show map of JapanHakoneHakone (Kanto Area)Show map of Kanto AreaHakoneHakone (Kanagawa Prefecture)Show map of Kanagawa PrefectureCoordinates: 35°11′22″N 139°01′29″E / 35.18944°N 139.02472°E / 35.18944; 139.02472CountryJapanRegionKantōPrefectureKanagawaDistrictAshigarashimoFirst official recorded5th century BC (official)Town settledOctober 29, 1892Government • MayorHiroyuki Katsumata (from November 2020)Area • Total92.82 km2 (35.84 sq mi)Population (April 1, 2021) • Total10,837 • Density116.8/km2 (302.4/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)– TreeYamazakura (Prunus jamasakura)– FlowerHakonebara (Rosa hirtula)– BirdWoodpeckerPhone number0460-85-7111Address256 Yumoto, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa-ken 250-0398WebsiteOfficial website Hakone Town Hall Mount Fuji from Mount Kami in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park Hakone (箱根町, Hakone-machi) is a town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2023[update], the city had a population of 10,965, and total area of 92.82 km2 (35.84 sq mi). Hakone is a notable spa town and a popular tourist destination due to its many hot springs being within view of nearby Mount Fuji, the most visited mountain in Japan.

Geography

[edit] Hakone is located in the mountains in the far west of the prefecture, on the eastern side of Hakone Pass. Most of the town is within the borders of the volcanically active Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, centered on Lake Ashi. Surrounding municipalities[edit] Kanagawa Prefecture Minami-ashigara Odawara Yugawara Shizuoka Prefecture Gotemba Kannami Mishima Oyama Susono Climate[edit] Hakone has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hakone is 13.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2221 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.9 °C.

Demographics

[edit] Per Japanese census data, the population of Hakone peaked around the year 1970 and has declined since. Historical populationYearPop.±% 1920 8,379—     1930 9,012+7.6% 1940 10,673+18.4% 1950 14,498+35.8% 1960 20,972+44.7% 1970 21,299+1.6% 1980 19,882−6.7% 1990 19,365−2.6% 2000 15,829−18.3% 2010 13,850−12.5% 2020 11,293−18.5%

History

[edit] Hakone is the location of the Hakone Gongen, a noted Shinto shrine which is mentioned in Heian period literature. During the Genpei War, after his defeat at the Battle of Ishibashiyama in neighboring Manuzuru, Minamoto no Yoritomo prayed at this shrine for victory over his enemies. As with the rest of Sagami Province, the area came under the control of the later Hōjō clan of Odawara during the Sengoku period. After the start of the Edo period, Hakone-juku was a post station on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto. It was also the site of a major barrier and official checkpoint on the route known as the Hakone Checkpoint (ja:箱根関, Hakone sekisho), which formed the border of the Kantō region. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, all travellers entering and leaving Edo along the Tōkaidō were stopped here by officials and their travel permits and baggage were examined to enforce Tokugawa laws that restricted the travel of women and weapons. After the start of the Meiji Restoration, Hakone became a part of the short-lived Ashigara Prefecture before becoming part of Ashigarashimo District in Kanagawa prefecture in August 1876. Hakone attained town status in 1889. The imperial household established the summer Hakone Imperial Villa close to the lake. During the Meiji period, the area developed into a summer resort for the wealthy of Tokyo and the foreign settlement in Yokohama. After a merger with five neighboring towns and villages in September 1956, it reached its present boundaries.

Government

[edit] Hakone has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 14 members. Hakone, together with neighboring Manazuru and Yugawara, contributes one member to the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Kanagawa 16th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

[edit] Lake Ashi from Hakone Ropeway, a major tourist attraction in Hakone The economy of Hakone is strongly dominated by the tourist industry. Hakone is noted for its onsen hot spring resorts, which attract both Japanese and international visitors, due to its proximity to the greater Tokyo metropolis and to Mount Fuji. Sights include the volcanically active Ōwakudani geysers and Hakone Shrine on the shore of the lake, as well as the Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands. In April the cherry blossoms (sakura) and in autumn the Miscanthus sinensis (susuki) are noted sights. Hakone has a number of art museums, including the Hakone Open-Air Museum and Pola Museum of Art. Major events include the annual JLPGA CAT Ladies Golf tournament and the Hakone Ekiden, a long distance collegiate foot race, held at the New Year, which runs from Tokyo to Hakone and back over two days, partly in commemoration of the couriers who ran the Tōkaidō road. One famous hotel in Hakone is the historic Fujiya Hotel in Miyanoshita, which was patronized by noted literary figures, politicians and foreign dignitaries in the Meiji, Taishō, and early Shōwa eras. A noted local handicraft is a kind of marquetry called Yosegi. Hakone is also well known among anime fans for being the main location in the manga and anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, in which it has been renamed Tokyo-3, and there are numerous attractions related to the franchise offered in the town. In 2017, Hakone was included as one of 88 anime pilgrimage sites for 2018 by the Anime Tourism Association. In 2020, new decorations were introduced to the city in the anticipation of the release of the final film of the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy.

Education

[edit] Hakone has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a public high school. There are also two private elementary schools, one private middle school, and one private high school. (Kanrei Shirayuri Gakuen Junior/Senior High School). The private Seisa University also has a campus in Hakone.

Transportation

[edit] Railway[edit] Odawara and Mishima, the terminus of the Odakyū Odawara Line, 70 minutes from Shinjuku, Tokyo. From Odawara, the Hakone Tozan Line continues into various resort towns in Hakone. Odakyu also runs the Romancecar limited express between Shinjuku and Hakone-Yumoto. From Gōra, the terminus of Hakone Tozan Line, the Hakone Tozan Cable Car funicular goes to Sōunzan. Ōwakudani can be reached by Hakone Ropeway from Sounzan and the lake, while the lake is crisscrossed by cartoonishly decorated "pirate" ships for tourists. There is also Hakone Komagatake Ropeway, which goes to the top of Mount Komagatake. A popular "Hakone Free Pass", allowing unlimited use of most forms of transport for several days, is available. Hakone Free Pass can be bought at Shinjuku Station, Odawara Station, any other chief station along Odakyū Odawara Line, Hakone-Yumoto Station, Gōra Station, any other chief station along Hakone Tozan Line, Sōunzan Station, Tōgendai Station, Sengoku-Annaijo Bus Stop, Moto-Hakone Port, Hakone-Machi Port, and JR Gotemba Station Bus Information. Hakone Tozan Railway Hakone-Yumoto – Tōnosawa – Ōhiradai – Miyanoshita – Kowakidani – Chōkoku-no-Mori – Gōra Hakone Tozan Cable Car Gōra – Kōen-Shimo – Kōen-Kami – Naka-Gōra – Kami-Gōra – Sōunzan Hakone Ropeway Sōunzan – Ōwakudani – Ubako – Tōgendai Highways[edit] Hakone Shindō National Route 1 National Route 138 Hakone Turnpike Ashinoko Skyline

Sister cities

[edit] Tōyako, Hokkaido, since July 4, 1964 Jasper, Alberta, Canada, since July 4, 1972 Taupō, New Zealand, since October 7, 1987 St. Moritz, Switzerland, friendship city since November 2, 2014

Tourist attractions

[edit] Hakone Town's tourist attractions include: Lake Ashi, the Hakone Barrier, the Hakone Shrine, the Hakone Resort Complex, the Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands, the Hakone Venetian Glass Museum [ja] and many others. Hakone, hand-colored print 1860–1900 Torii of the shrine in Hakone, at Lake Ashi Yumoto Onsen, Meiji era The summer festival in Hakone includes a bonfire in the shape of the kanji 大 (dai) and fireworks Lake Ashi Lake Ashi pirate ship Panorama view of ancient Hakone Barrier area and Lake Ashi Hakone Yumoto Spa area