Miyanoshita, Hakone
Miyanoshita is one of Hakone's oldest and most elegantly atmospheric resort areas, perched on a forested hillside along the Hayakawa River valley at an altitude of approximately 440 meters.
It carries a distinctly refined and unhurried character that sets it apart from the busier commercial areas elsewhere in the Hakone region.
The town developed as a premier destination for wealthy travelers and foreign visitors during the Meiji era, when Japan first opened to the outside world. Its cool mountain air, natural hot springs, and scenic surroundings made it a favored retreat for diplomats, aristocrats, and artists seeking escape from the heat and pace of urban life.
The undisputed centerpiece of Miyanoshita is the Fujiya Hotel, one of Japan's oldest and most celebrated Western-style hotels, founded in 1878.
It was among the very first hotels in Japan built specifically to accommodate foreign guests and played a significant role in introducing Western hospitality standards to the country.
The Fujiya Hotel has hosted an extraordinary roster of famous guests over its long history, including Charlie Chaplin, John Lennon, Indira Gandhi, and Douglas MacArthur.
The hotel's distinctive white wooden buildings set within beautifully landscaped gardens have been carefully preserved and remain one of the most atmospheric places to stay in all of Hakone.
The hotel underwent extensive renovation and reopened in 2020 following several years of careful restoration work. Its historic dining room, famous for Western-style cuisine served in a grand Belle Époque setting, continues to welcome non-staying guests for lunch and afternoon tea.
The natural hot spring waters flowing through Miyanoshita are classified as sodium sulfate springs, valued for their gentle therapeutic properties and their positive effects on digestive health and skin conditions. Several ryokan and bath facilities in the area draw from these same natural sources flowing directly from the Hakone volcanic system.
The area surrounding the town offers excellent walking and hiking opportunities through the beautifully forested hillsides of the Hakone mountains. The trails around Miyanoshita connect to broader hiking routes across the region, passing through quiet mountain scenery rarely visited by day-trippers focused on the main tourist circuit.
The main street below Miyanoshita Station has a small but genuinely charming collection of independent shops, galleries, and cafes that reflect the town's long association with arts and traditional craftsmanship.
Several shops specialize in yosegi-zaiku, the famous Hakone marquetry woodwork involving intricate geometric patterns assembled from different colored woods.
Yosegi-zaiku has been practiced in the Hakone mountain region for over 200 years and is designated a nationally recognized traditional craft of Japan. The craft originated in the mountain villages surrounding Miyanoshita and remains most authentically represented in the small specialist workshops of this area.
The Hakone Open-Air Museum is located just one stop below Miyanoshita at Chokoku-no-Mori Station, Japan's first open-air art museum, established in 1969. Its collection of sculptures by Henry Moore, Rodin, and Picasso set across beautifully landscaped outdoor grounds is easily combined with a visit to Miyanoshita as part of a broader exploration of the mountain railway route.
Miyanoshita sits on the Hakone Tozan Railway line, with its own station providing direct connections down to Hakone-Yumoto and up through the dramatic switchbacks toward Gora. The mountain railway journey through the steep forested valley on either side of the town is particularly beautiful during hydrangea season in June and July, and during autumn foliage in November.
From Tokyo, the most convenient access is via the Odakyu Romancecar limited express from Shinjuku Station to Hakone-Yumoto, followed by the Hakone Tozan Railway to Miyanoshita Station, with a total journey time of approximately 2 hours.
