Art among the mountains

A journey through nature with visits to museums, the Valley of Geysers, and an authentic village

Duration: 2 nights, 3 days (starting at 10:00)
Price: On request
Departure: Departure from the hotel in Tokyo / Arrival at Odawara Station

Overview

Both Hakone and Fuji are mountains born of fire. Hakone is a caldera volcano, active for about 400,000 years; its last major eruption created Lake Ashi and the Owakudani geyser valley. Fuji is under constant observation, and the area above the Fifth Station has been considered a sacred pilgrimage zone since ancient times. Between these two volcanoes lie art museums, former imperial villas, and authentic villages.

This three-day journey with two overnight stays introduces you to the landscapes and heritage of the people of this region. On the first day, you will visit two museums in Hakone and the geyser valley, then stay in one of nine residences located in the gorge. On the second day, you will ascend to the forest border on Mount Fuji, visit the museum of a textile artist who single-handedly revived a lost dyeing technique, and explore a village once destroyed and restored.

Tour start: 10:00 / 3 days, 2 nights. The journey is conducted in a private car with a personal driver and accompanying guide.

Itinerary: Tokyo → The Hakone Open-Air Museum → Kaiseki Cuisine Kadan (former Kanin-no-miya villa) → Owakudani → Pola Museum of Art → Espacio Hakone Guest House Rinpo-Kiryu (overnight) → Fuji Subaru Line Fifth Station → Itchiku Kubota Art Museum → Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba → Hakone Espacio (overnight) → Odawara Station

Key Features

Hakone Open-Air Museum against the backdrop of mountains — Around 120 works are displayed across an area of approximately 70,000 m², with pieces by Henry Moore and Rodin set against the backdrop of the Hakone mountain range. The Picasso Pavilion houses a collection of 319 works.
Pola Museum — architecture hidden in the forest — Opened in 2002. The building rises only 8 meters above ground, with the main part located underground and nestled in the forest. The collection numbers around 10,000 works, making it the largest Impressionist collection in Japan.
The majestic Owakudani Valley of geysers — The valley was formed about 3,000 years ago when the northern slope of Hakone’s highest peak, Mount Kami (1,438 m), collapsed. The displaced earth and sand blocked the Hayakawa River, creating Lake Ashi.
Fifth Station of Fuji — the altitude of the forest boundary — The altitude is approximately 2,300 meters. The Fuji Subaru Line road ascends 1,200 meters over a distance of 30 km. Above this point lies an area long considered sacred for pilgrimage.
Kubota Itchiku Art Museum — Itchiku Tsujigahana — The museum is dedicated to Itchiku Kubota, who revived the lost technique of kimono dyeing and created his own unique "Tsujigahana." The museum exhibits the unfinished masterpiece "Symphony of Light."
Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato — a restored village — In the early hours of September 25, 1966, a devastating landslide destroyed the thatched-roof village of Kabuto-zukuri. In 2006, restoration began at this site, and today there are 20 houses here.

Itinerary

Day 1 — A Day in Hakone

Two art museums, a former imperial villa, and a valley of geysers

10:00 Departure from Tokyo
Depart from your hotel in Tokyo in a private car with a personal driver and guide. After approximately two hours, you will arrive in the mountains of Hakone.
11:45 Hakone Open-Air Museum
Sculptures leave the exhibition halls to merge with the very nature of Hakone. Beyond the works of art, mountain ridges stretch, trees rustle, the light shifts—this is a unique contemplative experience possible only here, where you encounter sculpture amidst nature.
13:15 Kaiseki Kyujin Kadan (former Kan'in-no-miya Villa)
Built in 1930 as the summer villa of Prince Kan'in Kotohito, the residence features a half-timbered façade and Art Deco interiors. The prince’s refined taste, shaped during his studies in Belle Époque France, is still evident in the window frames and light fixtures. Enjoy a monthly changing kaiseki menu with seafood from Sagami and Suruga Bays in the dining hall where banquets were once held.
15:00 Owakudani
As you step out of the car, you are greeted by the scent of hydrogen sulfide. A barren sulfur field where no plants grow, and reddish-brown eroded slopes. The realization that this is the Kamiyama collapse site changes your perception of the landscape. It is said that each famous black egg, boiled in the local spring, adds seven years to your life.
16:00 Pola Museum of Art
Cross the bridge and descend underground through the glass entrance. Only about 8 meters of the building rise above ground; the main part is hidden within the Hakone forest. After exploring the exhibition halls and stepping outside, you realize that this is not simply a “museum built in the forest,” but architecture designed to be one with the forest itself.
17:15 Espacio Hakone Geihinkan Rinpo Kiryuu
Descend about 100 meters on a special train through the valley to the foot of the Dogashima Gorge. There are only nine private villas here, and the only sound is the gentle flow of the Hayakawa River. Each villa is supplied with water from the Dogashima hot spring.
19:00 Dinner and hot springs
Dinner accompanied by the sounds of the river in the valley. As you enjoy the hot spring, you realize that the same underground waters from Owakudani, which you visited during the day, flow directly here. Upon request, geishas from Hakone Yumoto can be invited to the residence to perform dances and songs. A tea ceremony can also be arranged (advance reservation required for all events).

Day 2 — A Day at Mount Fuji

The energy of the volcano at an altitude of 2,300 meters and an authentic village at its foot

10:00 Departure from Hakone
Via Gotemba, you will reach the northern foothills of Mount Fuji in about 1 hour and 45 minutes. On clear days, you can enjoy stunning views of Fuji from your car window.
11:30 Fifth Station of the Fujisan Subaru Line
As you ascend Mount Fuji by car, you notice how the forest landscapes change with altitude, and the air becomes ever cleaner and fresher. On clear days, from around 2,300 meters above sea level, you can enjoy views of a sea of clouds and distant mountains. Mount Fuji, a sacred peak revered since ancient times, offers not only beautiful panoramas; by venturing into its embrace, you can experience a quiet, special moment that goes beyond ordinary sightseeing.
*Please note: Depending on weather and road conditions, the destination may be changed to a lower altitude or the ascent may be canceled.
13:00 Lunch by Lake Kawaguchi
Enjoy a lunch made from local ingredients at the lakeside restaurant.
14:30 Kubota Itchiku Art Museum
The kimonos displayed on the central stage are not individual, standalone works. They form a grand series depicting a single magnificent landscape. Here you will encounter "Kōkyō — Fuji"—an unfinished masterpiece to which Itchiku Kubota devoted his life. At the center of the composition is Mount Fuji; this ambitious vision conveys the interplay of light and color on the kimonos, and, despite its unfinished state, continues to expand in the imagination of every viewer.
In Kubota’s workshop, located deep within the main building, you can enjoy seasonal wagashi and matcha in a tranquil setting overlooking the Ryūmon waterfall.
16:00 Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
This is a quiet village with houses featuring thatched roofs in the kabuto-zukuri style. However, these houses are not old. In the early morning of September 25, 1966, a landslide destroyed the village. The Sabo Museum in the park preserves photographs of the village before the disaster, when it was called "the most beautiful in Japan." Forty years later, you can stroll among 20 houses restored on the same site.
19:00 Return to the residence / Dinner
Return to the valley for dinner and a soak in the hot spring. If you wish to join the guided walk with views of Mt. Fuji the next morning, please let us know in advance.

Day 3 — Departure

To the next journey

10:00 Check-out
Begin the third day of your journey with breakfast at the hotel and a leisurely rest in the hot spring. After checking out, your private driver will take you to Odawara Station for your onward journey to Kyoto or Osaka. If you wish to return to your hotel in Tokyo, we also offer private car transfers. Additionally, a private helicopter to the Kansai region or Tokyo can be arranged upon request.

MADE AND REMADE

A reimagined landscape — between Hakone and Fuji

Both Hakone and Fuji are mountains born of fire.

About three thousand years ago, the northern slope of Mount Kamiyama collapsed. The earth and sand that descended blocked the Hayakawa River—thus Lake Ashinoko was formed. At the site of the landslide lies the Owakudani Valley, where even today steam rises, tinged with hydrogen sulfide. Here, destruction simultaneously gave birth to both a lake and a valley.

Early in the morning on September 25, 1966, the slope above the village of Nenba on the shore of Lake Saiko also gave way and slid directly onto the houses. Around forty thatched-roof buildings disappeared. Forty years later, people began to thatch roofs on this land once again—today, twenty houses stand here in a row.

At the age of twenty, Kubota Itchiku saw fragments of tsujigahana—a technique lost since the Muromachi era. At sixty, he completed his own. This was not restoration, but creation anew.

Here, loss and rebirth occur on the very same land. In two days, you will witness both in a single landscape.

Additional Options

Geisha performance at the residence — dance and song by geishas from Hakone-Yumoto (advance reservation required)
Private boat from Tokyo Bay to Atami — begin your journey by sea (advance reservation required)
Tea ceremony — in your room or in the tea room
Walk along the Owakudani nature trail (advance reservation required)
Trekking with views of Fuji accompanied by a guide
Visit to a winery in Koshu and grape picking (generally from August to October)
ESPACIO SPA (BAMFORD) treatments
Private helicopter to Kansai (Day 3)

Arrival by Sea — First Day on a Cruise Yacht from Tokyo Bay

The first day can begin on a private cruise yacht. In this case, the POLA Museum is moved to the morning of the third day.

08:30 Departure from Tokyo Bay — departure from the pier on a private yacht. On the right, you will see planes taking off and landing at Haneda; then, passing through the strait between the Bōsō and Miura peninsulas into the waters of Sagami-nada.
11:30 Arrival in Atami — from the sea, it is especially striking how the mountains come right up to the water. You transfer to a car with a personal driver and ascend into the Hakone mountains via Yugawara.
13:00 Kaiseki Restaurant "Kadan" — former residence of Prince Kan'in-no-miya.
14:45 Hakone Open-Air Museum
16:15 Ōwakudani
17:15 Arrival at "Espacio Hakone Geihinkan Rinpōkiryū" — followed by dinner, onsen, and a geigi performance, as in the land itinerary.
Day 3, 09:00 POLA Museum of Art (right at opening) / 11:00 from Sengokuhara via Otome Pass to Gotemba, and then on to Kyoto and Osaka.

※ Times are approximate and may vary depending on the speed of the vessel and the pier used.

Practical Information

Start time / Duration: 10:00 / 2 nights, 3 days
Included in the price: ・Car with a personal driver
・Accompaniment by a personal guide (except on the 3rd day)
・Entrance tickets

※ The tour price does not include meals or additional options. We kindly ask for your understanding.

※ Ōwakudani is an active volcanic area. Depending on the concentration of volcanic gases and the level of volcanic hazard, access on the day of your visit may be restricted.

※ In summer, the Fuji Subaru Line road has restrictions for private vehicles: in 2026, from 18:00 on July 3 to 18:00 on September 10. Vehicles in the "hire" category and taxis are exempt from this restriction, so you may reach the Fifth Station in your car with a personal driver. In winter, the open section of the road varies depending on snow cover.