The Hakone Open Air Museum (Chokoku no Mori Bijutsukan) is Japan's first open-air art museum, established in 1969 across 7 hectares of forested hillside in Hakone. Over 120 large-scale sculptures by Henry Moore, Rodin, Miró, and Calder stand in manicured grounds with the Hakone hills and seasonal foliage as backdrop. Indoor galleries house Japan's largest Picasso collection (approximately 300 works), and the Symphonic Sculpture — an 18-metre stained-glass tower visitors can climb through — is the museum's signature installation. Admission is ¥1,600 for adults; hours are 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30) year-round.
Museum Highlights & Attractions
🏛️ Outdoor Sculpture Park
Included in ¥1,600The museum's 7-hectare outdoor grounds present monumental sculptures in a landscape garden setting with mountain views. Henry Moore's "Reclining Figure," Rodin's "The Thinker," Calder mobiles, Miró ceramic walls, and major Japanese sculptors including Taro Okamoto are distributed across lawns, hillside paths, and forest edges. The seasonal backdrop — cherry blossoms in April, hydrangeas in June, red maples in November, snow in December — transforms the presentation of each work.
🎨 Picasso Pavilion
IncludedJapan's largest collection of Picasso works spans approximately 300 pieces including ceramics, prints, drawings, and paintings across dedicated gallery floors. The collection's depth (representing all major periods of Picasso's career from 1899 to 1972) is exceptional for Japan and rivals holdings in European museums. The pavilion's galleries are air-conditioned and provide relief from summer heat or winter cold.
🌈 Symphonic Sculpture (Stained-Glass Tower)
IncludedThe museum's most photographed single work is an 18-metre cylindrical glass stained-glass tower by Gabriel Loire of Chartres, constructed in 1973. Visitors enter the tower's interior and climb a spiral staircase through successive chambers of coloured glass that transform natural light into a spectrum of colour effects. The tower interior feels like ascending through a cathedral made of light.
♨️ Foot Spa (Ashiyu)
Free with museum admissionAn open-air natural hot spring foot bath is available on the museum grounds — visitors can rest their feet in geothermal water amid the sculpture garden without additional charge. The foot bath is a practical complement to a long day of outdoor walking and is particularly appreciated in cooler months.
🧒 Children's Sculpture House
IncludedAn indoor-outdoor interactive art space designed specifically for children, with climbable sculptural playgrounds and participatory art-making spaces. The facility makes the museum particularly family-friendly — children have dedicated spaces where active engagement with art is explicitly encouraged.
🌙 Seasonal Night Museum
VariesSeasonal "Night Museum" events illuminate the outdoor sculpture grounds and the Symphonic Sculpture tower after dark, typically in late autumn and winter. The combination of snow, illuminated sculptures, and the glowing stained-glass tower is the museum's most dramatic seasonal experience. Check the museum's website for current evening event schedules.
Stay in Hakone
Hakone accommodation ranges from traditional ryokan with onsen to modern hotels near Hakone-Yumoto Station. Staying overnight allows you to visit the Open Air Museum at opening time and combine it with the Hakone Ropeway and Lake Ashi in a single day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get to the Hakone Open Air Museum?
The museum is directly accessible from Chokoku-no-Mori Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway, which runs between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora stations. The walk from Chokoku-no-Mori Station is approximately 2 minutes. From Tokyo's Shinjuku Station, take the Odakyu Romancecar limited express to Hakone-Yumoto (approximately 90 minutes, ¥2,470) then transfer to the Hakone Tozan Railway for approximately 25 minutes to Chokoku-no-Mori. If you hold the Hakone Free Pass (valid on most Hakone transport), the Hakone Tozan Railway is included. The museum is also on the Hakone Loop route easily combined with Hakone Ropeway, Owakudani, and Ashinoko Lake.
How long does the Hakone Open Air Museum take to visit?
Budget a minimum of 2 hours for a focused visit covering the main outdoor sculpture grounds and the Picasso Pavilion. A thorough visit — including the children's area, foot bath, café, and all indoor galleries — typically takes 3 hours. The outdoor sculpture trail is approximately 1.5 kilometres of path across varied terrain; comfortable walking shoes are strongly recommended. The museum grounds are fully accessible via paved paths with ramps, but the hillside sections involve gradient. Visitors who arrive when the museum opens (9:00) often have the outdoor sculptures largely to themselves in the early hours.
Is the Hakone Open Air Museum good in winter?
Yes — the museum operates year-round and has specific winter appeal. Snow on the sculpture grounds combined with the stained-glass tower illumination creates the museum's most atmospheric conditions. The Picasso Pavilion and indoor galleries provide heated shelter. The foot bath is particularly pleasant when the air is cold. The Hakone mountains can receive heavy snowfall which occasionally affects access via the Tozan Railway — checking local conditions on arrival in Hakone is advisable if heavy snow has recently fallen.
Can children enjoy the Hakone Open Air Museum?
The museum is one of Hakone's most child-friendly attractions. The Children's Sculpture House provides purpose-built interactive art play structures. The outdoor grounds have wide open space for running and picnicking. The Symphonic Sculpture tower is a climb that children consistently find exciting. The foot bath provides a fun novel experience. The museum's scale and variety maintains engagement across a 2–3 hour visit without boredom. Child admission (elementary school students) is ¥800. Younger children are free (preschool).