Hakone Open-Air Museum, Open-air museum and sculpture garden in Hakone, Japan.
The Hakone Open-Air Museum is an open-air museum and sculpture garden in Ninotaira, Japan. The site spreads across 17 acres (70,000 square meters) and displays over 120 permanent works by artists from around the world, set among hills and trees.
The museum opened in August 1969 as Japan's first open-air museum under the direction of architect Bukichi Inoue. The idea began in 1968 with the goal of showing modern art in nature.
The complex includes a small park with playgrounds made of colorful sculptures where children can climb and run. Families often spend a whole day here, combining art with outdoor activity.
The museum is two minutes on foot from Chokoku-no-Mori Station and opens daily from 9 AM to 5 PM. The paths are flat and wheelchair accessible, and there are several covered areas for resting along the way.
A foot bath with natural hot spring water invites visitors to rest their feet while observing the sculptures around them. The water comes directly from Hakone's hot springs, which have been known in the region for centuries.
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