Shinto shrine with the wooden torii rising from the lake, framed by the park's cedar forest; free access.
The Hakone Shrine, or Hakone-jinja, is one of the three great shrines of the Fuji region and a place of pilgrimage since the year 757, when the Buddhist monk Mangan founded it on the shores of Lake Ashi. The complex is surrounded by a forest of centuries-old cedars that create a deeply mystical atmosphere, with shaded avenues descending from the main shrine to the lakeshore. The most photogenic feature is the red-lacquered wooden torii that rises directly from the lake water, especially impressive when there is mist over the lake or at dawn. Access to the precinct and the torii is completely free. The Shrine Treasure (museum of historic objects) has a small admission of 500 ¥. The shrine is at the port of Moto-Hakone, at the end of the pirate-ship cruise, and at the start of the historic Tokaido road through the forest. It is reached by bus from Hakone-Yumoto in 40 minutes or by getting off the boat at the port of Moto-Hakone.
