Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pola Museum of Art
ϙʔϥඒज़ؗ
, Pōra Bijutsukan • 1285 Sengokuhara • Daily 9am-5pm • ¥1800 •
W
polamuseum.or.jp • Bus from Gōra station (15min; ¥290)
he superb
Pola Museum of Art
boasts a diverse and eclectic collection of Western art,
predominantly from French Impressionists and École de Paris artists. When you've had
your fill of checking out pieces by the likes of Renoir, Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh,
Cezanne and Gallé, hunt down the glasswork section, and the Japanese paintings and
ceramics. The artworks are all displayed in modern galleries in a stunning building that
blends beautifully with the surrounding forest; there's a café and restaurant on site too.
Lalique Museum Hakone
ശࠜϥϦοΫඒज़ؗ
, Hakone Rarikku Bijutsukan • 186-1 Sengokuhara • Daily 9am-5pm • ¥1500; train carriage (reservation necessary)
¥2100 including drinks and dessert •
T
0406 84 2225,
W
lalique-museum.com • Bus from Hakone-Yumoto station (30min; ¥540)
Several museums in Sengokuhara aim to cater to the rarefied tastes of Japanese
women, of which perhaps the most interesting - and certainly the most beautifully
situated - is the
Lalique Museum Hakone
, dedicated to the delicate glass pieces of the
French artist René Lalique. At the entrance a parked Orient Express Pullman train
carriage, kitted out with a Lalique glass panel, is a great place for tea. Also at the
museum is café-restaurant
Lys
, which boasts a wonderful setting with a view of the
mountains (see p.227).
Ashino-ko and around
Sightseeing boats
Tōgendai to Moto-Hakone
or Hakonenomachi-ko ¥970 •
W
hakone-kankosen.co.jp •
Komaga-take cable car
¥1050
From
Tōgendai
(
౧ݪ
), a shoreline trail winds along the western side of
Ashino-ko
(
Ѷϊބ
) to the small resort of Hakone-machi some 8km south, taking around three
hours to cover. Transport along the western lakeshore is not covered by the Hakone
Free Pass (see box, p.224) and so this side of the lake is somewhat marginalized - and
all the more peaceful for it.
Most visitors, however, hop straight from the cable car on to one of the colourful
sightseeing ships
, modelled after the seventeenth-century man-o'-war
The Sovereign of
the Seas
; these regularly sail the length of the lake in around thirty minutes. A cluster
of upmarket hotels and ryokan can be found at
Hakone-machi
(
ശࠜொ
), where the
sightseeing boats dock.
Boats also run from Tōgendai to the
Prince
hotel resort, midway down the east side of
the lake; from near here a cable car glides up the 1357m
Komaga-take
(
ۨϲַ
), from
where there's a fabulous view.
20
Hakone Barrier
ശࠜؔॴ
, Hakone Sekisho • Daily: March-Nov 9am-5pm; Dec-Feb 9am-4.30pm • ¥500
The southern end of the lake is the location of the
Hakone Barrier
, through which all
tra
c on the
Tōkaidō
- the ancient road linking Kyoto and Edo - once had to pass
THE HAKONE BARRIER
In 1618 the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, put up the
Hakone Barrier
(Sekisho)
- actually more of a large compound than a single gate - which stood at Hakone-machi until
1869. The shogun decreed that all his lords' wives and their families live in Edo (now Tokyo) and
that the lords themselves make expensive formal visits to the capital every other year, a
strategy designed to ensure no one attempted a rebellion. The Tōkaidō, on which the barrier
stands, was one of the major routes in and out of the capital, and it was here that travellers
were carefully checked to see how many guns they were taking into the Edo area, and that the
lords' families were stopped from escaping. Any man caught trying to dodge the barrier was
crucified and then beheaded, while accompanying women had their heads shaved and were,
according to contemporary statute, “given to anyone who wants them”.
FROM TOP
“HEAR NO EVIL, SPEAK NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL” WOODCARVING AT TŌSHŌ
GŪ, NIKKŌ
P.207
; ŌWAKUDANI, HAKONE
P.221
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