Hakone, Kanagawa

Hakone
Hakone; 箱根町
	; Flag
	; Flag
	Location of Hakone in Kanagawa
	; Hakone
	Coordinates: 35°11′N 139°2′E / 35.183°N 139.033°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Kanagawa
District	Ashigarashimo
	Government
- Mayor	Nobuo Yamaguchi
	Area
- Total	92.82 km2 (35.8 sq mi)
Population; (January 2008)	13,585
- Density	146/km2 (378.1/sq mi)
	City Symbols
- Tree	Yamazakura (Prunus jamasakura)
- Flower	Hakonebara (Rosa microphylla hirtura)
- Bird	Woodpecker
Website	Town of Hakone
Phone number	0460-85-7111
	Address 256 Yumoto, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa-ken; 250-0398

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Mount Fuji from Mt. Kami in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park

Hakone (箱根町, Hakone-machi^?) is a town in Ashigarashimo District in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located in the mountainous far west of the prefecture, on the eastern side of Hakone Pass.

As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of 13,585 and a density of 146 persons per km². The total area was 92.82 km².

[edit] History

Hakone is the location of a noted Shinto shrine, the Hakone Gongen, which is mentioned in Heian period literature. During the Gempei War, Minamoto no Yoritomo prayed at this shrine for victory over his enemies, after his defeat at the Battle of Ishibashiyama, which was also located with the borders of present-day Hakone. As with the rest of Ashigarashimo Distrct, the area came under the control of the late Hōjō clan of Odawara during the Sengoku period. After the start of the Edo period, Hakone-juku was a post station on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto. It was also the site of a checkpoint known as the Hakone Checkpoint (箱根関所, Hakone sekisho^?), which formed the border of the Kantō region. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, all travellers entering and leaving Edo along the Tōkaidō were stopped here by officials, and their travel permits and baggage was examined.

After the start of the Meiji Restoration, Hakone was a part of the short-lived Ashigara Prefecture before becoming part of Kanagawa prefecture in August 1876.Hakone attained town status in 1889. After merger with five neighboring towns and villages in September 1956, it reached is present boundaries.

[edit] Economy

Lake Ashi from Hakone Ropeway, a major tourist attraction in Hakone

The economy of Hakone is strongly dominated by the tourist industry. Hakone is noted for its onsen hot spring resorts, which attract both Japanese and international visitors due to its proximity to the greater Tokyo metropolis and to Mount Fuji. Most of the town is within the borders of the volcanically active Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, centered around Lake Ashi. Sights include the volcanically active Owakudani geysers and Hakone Shrine on the shore of the lake, as well as the Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands. In April the cherry blossoms (sakura) and in autumn the Miscanthus sinensis (susuki) are noted sights.

Hakone has a number of art museums, including the Hakone Open-Air Museum.

Major events include the annual Hakone Ekiden at the New Year, which runs from Tokyo to Hakone and back over two days, partly in commemoration of the Tōkaidō road.

One famous hotel in Hakone is the historic Fujiya Hotel in Miyanoshita, which was patronized by noted literii, politicians and foreign dignitaries in the Meiji and Taishō and early Shōwa periods.

A noted local handicraft is parquetry.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Railway

Hakone is best accessed from Odawara and Mishima, the terminus of the Odakyu Odawara Line, 70 minutes from Shinjuku, Tokyo. From Odawara, the Hakone Tozan Line continues into various resort towns in Hakone. Odakyu also runs the Romancecar limited express between Shinjuku and Hakone-Yumoto. From Gora, the terminus of Hakone Tozan Line, the Hakone Tozan Cable Car funicular goes to Sounzan. Owakudani can be reached by Hakone Ropeway from Sounzan and the lake, while the lake is crisscrossed by cartoonishly decorated "pirate" ships for tourists. There is also Hakone Komagatake Ropeway, which goes to the top of Mount Komagatake.

A popular "Hakone Free Pass", allowing unlimited use of most forms of transport for several days, is available. You can buy this free pass in Shinjuku, Odawara, and any other chief stations along Odakyu Odawara Line.