Hakone gets called “the impossible pass” for a reason. Back in the Edo period, this was the route the shogunate insisted on using to link the Kansai and Kanto regions — a road that had to climb straight over Hakone’s mountains, so steep that only the fit and determined could get through. A checkpoint was set up here too, watching everyone who tried to enter or leave Edo. Post towns grew up along the route just to give exhausted travellers somewhere to recover, and that’s basically the DNA of the Hakone you visit today.
That’s the history lesson out of the way. What I actually want to tell you is what it’s like to walk it yourself — specifically the stretch that takes in Hakone Shrine, Lake Ashi, and the finish line of the Hakone Ekiden, one of Japan’s most-watched New Year sporting events. I’ll save Hakone-Yumoto, Owakudani and Sengokuhara for another post.
Hakone Shrine and the Kuzuryu Shrine — quieter than I expected
Hakone Shrine and Lake Ashi really should be visited together; they sit right next to each other. Walking into the shrine grounds, the air genuinely feels different — cleaner, cooler, the kind of thing you notice even if you’re sceptical about that sort of claim. Cedar trees that have clearly been there for centuries line the approach, their trunks thick enough that it’d take several people linking arms to get all the way round one.
The shrine also has a martial arts connection I hadn’t expected. When I visited, there was a children’s kendo tournament going on in the dojo within the grounds — genuinely one of the more interesting things I stumbled across, and not something you’d necessarily plan a trip around.
Walk up through the tunnel of cedars and the main hall comes into view — and it’s big. Fitting, really, given it enshrines Hakone Ōkami, the deity said to watch over this whole area. There were plenty of overseas visitors around too, so don’t expect to have the place to yourself.
Right beside the main hall is a second, smaller shrine: Kuzuryu Shrine (新宮, the “new shrine”). The nine-headed dragon legend behind it is tied to Lake Ashi — the dragon is regarded as the lake’s guardian deity, channelling the life-giving power of the water that Hakone Ōkami produces. If you enjoy the food Hakone is known for, that’s partly down to this water, so it’s worth pausing here properly rather than just snapping a photo and moving on.
Worth knowing: this shrine-side building is the “new shrine” (Shingu). There’s also a separate “old shrine” (Hongu) further round the lake, only reachable on foot or by boat — I didn’t make it there on this trip, but it’s on the list for next time.
[Here is the like : Officail Hakone Shrine Site, or Japan Tourism Agency – Hakone Shrine]
Lake Ashi — no pirate ship required
After paying my respects, I headed to the lake itself. I hadn’t booked a spot on the sightseeing “pirate ship,” so there wasn’t a huge amount of structured stuff to do — I just wandered the shoreline. Turned out that was more than enough. Clear water, mountains wrapping around it, the whole scene doing exactly what a scenic lake is supposed to do. My one disappointment: Mount Fuji was hiding behind cloud the whole time I was there, so I didn’t get that classic shot.
Near the shrine, the lakeside is lined with places to eat, and one in particular kept coming up: a curry-filled bread — specifically the rice-flour curry doughnut at Bakery & Table Hakone, filled with a whole boiled egg. I didn’t try it myself this time, but it’s clearly a local institution, so it’s on my list for the next visit.
[Here is the link : Bakery & Table 箱根 ]
Walking to the Hakone Ekiden finish line, via the old checkpoint
From the lake I carried on towards the Hakone Ekiden finish line — about a 20-minute walk. On the way, I passed through the old Hakone Checkpoint (Sekisho), where the Edo-period buildings have been reconstructed so you get a sense of what it would have looked like.
Not far past the checkpoint, the finish line appears — and I’ll admit I got a bit excited. It’s the exact stretch you see on TV every New Year: the road surface changes to that pale, tiled-looking finish as it curves round into the goal. Actually standing there, knowing runners come flying down that final stretch, was a strange feeling — followed pretty quickly by genuine respect for what it takes to run up that hill in the first place. That’s a serious amount of stamina.
[Google Map : The Hakone Ekiden Finish Line]
The wakasagi — worth the walk on its own
This area is also where you can try wakasagi (a small lake fish) — the kind that’s traditionally presented, via Hakone Shrine, to the Imperial Household after the season’s first catch each October. I tried the tempura version myself: properly crisp, and genuinely good enough that I could have kept eating it with plain rice indefinitely.
[Google Map link: I stopped by the restaurant “TRAUTO Lab ” ]
By this point I’d walked a fair distance from the shrine, but the whole route kept me surrounded by deep green — genuinely calming to walk through, and a good reminder of just how mountainous Hakone actually is. Tall cedars lined up neatly overhead the entire way, like walking through a corridor of trees.
After the wakasagi, I headed back — down to the lake, onto a bus, and back up the mountain roads home.
FAQ
Is Hakone Shrine worth visiting if I’ve already seen a lot of shrines in Japan? If you only have time for one shrine near Lake Ashi, this is the one — the cedar-lined approach and the lakeside setting make it feel different from a typical city shrine.
Can you walk from Hakone Shrine to the Hakone Ekiden finish line? Yes — it’s roughly a 20-minute walk along the lake, passing the old Hakone Checkpoint (Sekisho) on the way.
What’s the wakasagi fish everyone talks about in Hakone? It’s a small lake fish from Lake Ashi, traditionally presented to the Imperial Household after the first catch of the season each October. It’s usually served as tempura and is a genuine local speciality.
Do I need to book the Lake Ashi pirate ship (sightseeing boat) to enjoy the area? No — walking the shoreline near Hakone Shrine is enjoyable on its own, though the boat is a nice option if you want to see more of the lake or reach the Kuzuryu Shrine’s original site (Hongu).
Is Mount Fuji visible from Lake Ashi? On a clear day, yes — but cloud cover is common, so treat any Fuji view as a bonus rather than a guarantee.
