About
The Hakone Open-Air Museum, also known as Chokoku-no-Mori Bijutsukan, sits in the mountains of Hakone, in Kanagawa Prefecture within Japan's Chubu Region. Its address is 1121 Ninotaira, Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa 250-0407. As the name suggests, the museum is set outdoors, so most of the visit is a walk through a landscape of trees, lawns and hillside paths.
The museum is described as Japan's first open-air museum. It holds more than 120 sculptures placed across the grounds, so the art and the scenery are experienced together rather than in separate rooms. Visitors who prefer to be indoors will find galleries as well, and the museum also includes a pavilion devoted to a Picasso collection.
What a visit offers
- Sculpture in the open air: works set among the mountain scenery, to be seen at your own pace.
- Indoor galleries: a place to shelter from weather or to see work displayed under cover.
- A Picasso pavilion: a dedicated space for the museum's collection of work by the artist.
Because the museum is spread over open ground, comfortable shoes and a plan for the weather are sensible. Hakone itself is a mountain resort area, and the museum suits a slower day that combines art with fresh air and views. For up-to-date details on visiting, you can call the museum on +81-460-82-1161.
