Hakone Museum of Art
Hakone's oldest museum, where ancient ceramics meet a garden of national beauty
Opened in 1952, the Hakone Museum of Art is the oldest of Hakone's celebrated cultural institutions, and one of its quieter rewards. Its collection traces Japanese ceramics across millennia, from the rough, vital forms of Jomon earthenware through the medieval wares of the Six Ancient Kilns to refined Edo-period pieces. Yet the building is only half the story. It stands within Shinsenkyo, a garden conceived by founder Okada Mokichi between 1944 and 1953 and designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 2021: a composed landscape of moss, bamboo, and considered stillness that feels genuinely unhurried.
When to go
Arrive early in the day to enjoy the garden at its most serene. Autumn draws visitors for the foliage, but the moss garden rewards in any season. Note that the museum closes on Thursdays.