HOME Tokyo and Surroundings Kanagawa Hakone / Odawara Tokyo Guide: Top 3 Most Popular Parks in Hakone / Odawara (July 2019 Ranking)
Tokyo Guide: Top 3 Most Popular Parks in Hakone / Odawara (July 2019 Ranking)

Tokyo Guide: Top 3 Most Popular Parks in Hakone / Odawara (July 2019 Ranking)

Date published: 24 August 2019

Here are the best Parks in Hakone / Odawara, with travel tips and more, according to LIVE JAPAN, a top-class travel website for visitors to Japan. Our ranking is based on the most popular pages viewed by foreign visitors in a given category. For instance, Hakone Gora Park, Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands, Onshi Hakone Park and other related spots will be listed. Be sure to check them out during your visit to Hakone / Odawara!

No.1:Hakone Gora Park

No.1:Hakone Gora Park

Opened in 1914, this was the first formal French garden in Japan. The total area was approximately 36,400 square meters when the park first opened. About 26,500 square meters remains and is used as the park grounds. There are many slopes and stairs throughout the park, and there is a difference of approximately 40 meters in elevation between the main gate and the west gate. You can feel the difference in temperature within the park, and during the wintertime, you can observe a rare phenomenon where snow falls only in some areas of the park. You can also enjoy such seasonal flowers as cherry blossoms and azaleas in spring, hydrangeas in summer, maples in autumn, and poinsettias in winter. There are many other attractions, such as the Tropical Flora House, Tea Garden, and Hands-on Workshop Craft House where you can experience pottery making.

No.2:Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands

No.2:Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands

The botanical garden, which utilizes a site that used to be rice paddies, mainly displays the plants that grow in the wetlands, such as swamps as well as rivers and lakes. In the garden, you can go around and see plants from lowland plants to alpine plants and from young wetlands to mature wetlands. About 1,700 species of plants, such as 200 species of wetland plants and 1,110 species of grassland, grove, and alpine plants that are scattered all over Japan, as well as foreign alpine pants, are blossoming with the seasons in the eight different divisions that consist of a deciduous broad-leaved forest, a Japanese pampas grass field, a lower wetland, a Moliniopsis japonica field, an alpine garden, a higher wetland, a Sengokuhara wetland, and a swamp forest. Also, the botanical garden holds special exhibitions of the season and small classes on the insectivorous plants. At the shop, original postcards and official guidebooks, as well as wild plants, are sold.

No.3:Onshi Hakone Park

No.3:Onshi Hakone Park

Onshi-Hakone-Koen Park is located on the former site of Hakone-Rikyu Palace. The park, chosen as one of the top 50 most picturesque places in Kanagawa, is a Registered Monument covering 15.9 hectares. You can take in splendid views of Lake Ashinoko and Mt. Fuji here. You can also enjoy fuji cherry blossoms in spring, golden-rayed lilies in summer, red leaves in autumn and camellias in winter. The Lakeside Observation House in the central plaza has a cafe, balcony and exhibits on the palace that inspired its architecture. Rental bikes and a popular 200-step staircase add to this park's appeal as a relaxing getaway close to nature.

*This information is from the time of this article's publication.
*Prices and options mentioned are subject to change.
*Unless stated otherwise, all prices include tax.

Share this article.

Limited time offer: 10% discount coupons available now!

 
Search