Hakone Open-Air Museum

This art museum has the longest history in Hakone. It opened in 1952 under the museum's founder, Mokichi Okada's belief, which is translated as follows: ”Artworks are not something you keep only to yourself; It is to improve the character of people by showing the works to as many people as possible and entertaining them that will contribute to the development of the culture.” The main exhibits are historical Japanese earthenware such as pots made in the Rokko-yo six ancient kilns of Japan from the Kamakura (1192–1333) and Muromachi (1338–1573) eras and earthenware from the Jomon era (12,000 BC－300 BC). The garden was built by Okada and named Shinsen-kyo. Shinsen-kyo was registered as one of the National Registered Monuments for being valuable as the country's historical, cultural heritage. In this garden is a tearoom from which you can appreciate about 130 species of moss plants and the 200 maple trees, so you can fully enjoy the rich landscape of the garden. If you take a cable car from the Gora Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway, it is a one-minute walk after getting off at the Koen-kami Station. If you take a facility tour bus from the same station, it is a one-minute walk after getting off at the Hakone-bijutsukan-mae Stop.