Hakone Shrine / Kuzuryu Shrine Singu

Why Hakone Shrine / Kuzuryu Shrine Singu is special ?

Hakone Shrine (箱根神社, Hakone Jinja) stands at the foot of Mount Hakone along the shores of Lake Ashi. The shrine buildings are hidden in the dense forest, but are well advertised by its huge torii gates, one standing prominently in the lake and two others over the main street of Moto-Hakone.

A path leads from the torii gate in Lake Ashi up a series of steps flanked by lanterns through the forest to the main building of the shrine, which sits peacefully among the tall trees. The shrine is beautiful throughout the year, and is particularly breathtaking when shrouded in mist.

A second shrine, Mototsumiya ("original shrine") stands at the summit of Komagatake, one of Mount Hakone's multiple peaks. It is accessible by the Komagatake Ropeway from Hakone-en or via hiking trails.

Source: http://www.japan-guide.com

What to explore at Hakone Shrine / Kuzuryu Shrine Singu?

You have to crossthe path which leads from the main transit area of Moto-Hakone toward the shrine. This path runs from east to west. After walking a few minutes along the path, lined with traditional lamps and a mini-shrine, passing through a forest of tall cedar trees, the path opens to the main entry area to the shrine. To the right is a set of stairs leading up the mountain to Hakone Shrine. To the left is the famous torii gate which appears to be floating on water.

This is the heiwa-no-torii which is an icon of the shrine. The torii lines up exactly with the stairs, and two torii gates (one at the bottom of the stairs and one at the top), leading to the main hall of Hakone Shrine in a north-south orientation.

Turning away from the water and walking back up the stairs, you will reach the chōzuya (water purification basin) and the torii at the base of the main stairs. This point is also where the path from the town (where the first picture in this article was taken) intersects with the path leading from The Torii of Peace to the main hall of the shrine.

A few meters west of this area is a carpark and also a restaurant. You can stopp at the restaurant for udon after visiting the shrine.

How to get to Hakone Shrine / Kuzuryu Shrine Singu?

Hakone Shrine is a five minute walk from the Moto-Hakone boat pier, which is a 35 minute bus ride by Hakone Tozan Bus from Hakone-Yumoto Station by bus line H (960 yen, 4-5 buses per hour, covered by the Hakone Free Pass).