Hakone Glass Forest Museum
箱根ガラスの森美術館
Japan's first museum dedicated to Venetian glass, set on lush grounds in Sengokuhara. It consists of two buildings: the Venetian Glass Museum, displaying precious 15th- and 16th-century Venetian glass, and the Modern Glass Museum, introducing a wide range of contemporary glass art. The outdoor garden features a walking path where flowers of every season compete with glass artworks, including the "Corridor of Light," sparkling with about 160,000 crystal beads. With views of Owakudani from the garden combined with the beauty of glass craftsmanship, it's one of Hakone's leading art destinations.
The Corridor of Light and Crystal Garden
The garden's signature feature, the "Corridor of Light," is an arch 9 meters high and about 10 meters long, strung with roughly 160,000 pieces of crystal glass that sparkle spectacularly in the sunlight. The garden also features works created in collaboration with Venice's glass museum, including pieces modeled on the chandeliers of the Doge's Palace, letting visitors enjoy glass art as they stroll.
Tracing the history of glass through two museums
The Venetian Glass Museum displays about 100 pieces at a time, drawn from a collection of roughly 1,000 masterpieces of Venetian glass spanning antiquity to the 20th century. The Modern Glass Museum offers a contrasting look at the free and diverse glass expression of contemporary artists.
Seasonal Highlights
🌸 Spring (Mar-May)
A season when the garden's flowers and glass artworks make a beautiful pairing.
🌿 Summer (Jun-Aug)
The glass artworks sparkle coolly amid the garden's lush greenery.
🍁 Autumn (Sep-Nov)
The combination of autumn leaves and the crystal Corridor of Light is popular.
❄️ Winter (Dec-Feb)
Winter brings an illumination event, wrapping the grounds in a magical atmosphere (closed for winter for 11 days from the day after Coming of Age Day).
Visit Tips
- Suggested duration
- About 90-120 minutes including the buildings and garden
- Crowd levels
- Weekends during the autumn-leaf season and illumination period tend to be crowded
- Best time to visit
- Morning right after opening is relatively uncrowded
| Address | 940-48 Sengokuhara, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa |
|---|---|
| Hours | 10:00-17:30 (last admission 17:00) |
| Admission | Adults ¥1,800, university/high school students ¥1,300, junior high/elementary school students ¥600 |
| Official Website | Visit official website |
Access
- 25 min walk from Hakone-Yumoto Station (About 25 minutes by Hakone Tozan Bus (bound for Kojiri/Togendai), get off at "Hakone Garasu no Mori-mae," then a short walk)