Hakone - Day 2

Day 2 in Hakone wasn't any clearer to see Mt. Fuji. Our room had a "Fuji view", but all we could see were clouds. Ah well, the lake was beautiful.

Following breakfast in the hotel we wandered into the shopping/souvenir area next to the hotel. They had motorized animals for kids to ride. Of course, Addison wanted a turn and of course, we agreed.


Then it was on to the main attraction of the day - Hakone Open-Air Museum. This museum opened in 1969 as the first open-air museum in Japan. There are over 100 pieces plus indoor exhibition areas too. The moving sculpture in the video below greets visitors in the parking area.


The day began rather sunny and we stopped almost immediately upon entering the museum for a family photo. We're sitting on a "fried egg"!


Addison wanted to sit on the squooshy part too.
This next piece was interactive. It is called "My Sky Hole". You enter in the dark box, walk down a spiral staircase, through a dark tunnel, where you have several opportunities to look up through a hole roughly the size of a softball at the sky. After doing this you go through the rest of the tunnel to another spiral staircase that leads up to the clear box. Very interesting.


Going in

The sky hole

Going out

Gazing up at the sky.

The kid's area came next. First, there were a series of slides that went through the hillside. The slides ended at a small play area full of crazy red and black shapes. Next to this was a series of multi-colored diamonds.




Addy and Ian at the top.









The piece de resistance of the kids area was the "Castle of Nets". Described in the brochure as a hammock composition into which children can enter and play, this play area was extraordinary. Addison had a blast!







Another play area was the "Curved Space". A recreation of the crystal lattice structure of a diamond built on a gigantic scale. That was fun too, but Addison had some difficulty climbing as all the surfaces were smooth and tall (for her).



















Next we wandered to the "Garden of Stars", a star-shaped labyrinth. Ian accompanied Addison for this one. The labyrinth is built into the ground. They walked down a flight of stairs into the maze. I was able to guide them through from the top.



















This sculpture, called "Close" by Antony Gormley, fascinated Addison. She referred to him as "the guy". As in "Where'd the guy go?" after we'd walked past him. Ha ha!

Time for a little relaxation at the hot spring foot bath. The water was at least 40 degrees C (about 104 F). Although sunny, the day was a little chilly and the hot water felt really good. Plus, it's vantage point lets you enjoy a large number of sculptures. Rest, get warm, enjoy the art. What's not to like?!




We saw lots more sculptures, many of which are in the slideshow below, but not featured here. There is also an indoor museum dedicated to the works of Picasso (no photos allowed). After our trip through the museum we were feeling rather famished. We found a mom-and-pop ramen shop and had a late lunch. Then we crossed the street and stopped into the Craft House in Gora Park to see some local craftsmen at work. There were artists blowing glass, spinning pottery, painting ceramics, and arranging dried flowers. The public is allowed to participate in these crafts for a fee, of course. And if you have the time. We opted just for observation. Then it was time to head back to Tokyo.

I really loved the open-air museum above all in Hakone. It was so super kid-friendly. Whoever thought of this museum was a genius. A museum in which a child can run, jump, scream, and giggle as much as they want. Brilliant.