Hakone Shrine Overview
Set along the forested shores of Lake Ashi in Kanagawa Prefecture, Hakone Shrine is a tranquil place of worship with a history stretching back more than 12 centuries. According to legend, the shrine was founded in 757 CE by Mangan Shonin, a priest who erected a lakeside sanctuary to the deities of the nearby mountains.
The shrine’s most iconic feature is the bright red Heiwa no Torii (“Torii of Peace”), built by the lakeside to commemorate the Treaty of San Francisco that ended the Allied occupation of Japan. Standing partly submerged in the lake, the vermillion gate has become one of Japan’s most photographed spots — on a clear day, Mount Fuji may appear dramatically in the background.
A series of red arches form a path into a forest of Japanese cedar trees, some over 800 years old, leading up to the main shrine complex. Visitors come to pray for a happy marriage, wealth, safety while traveling and luck in competitions. Legend has it that a nine-headed dragon once threatened village life by Lake Ashi, and was pacified by the priest to bring peace back to the land — a story still reflected throughout the shrine’s iconography today.
Best Times To Visit Hakone Shrine
Hakone Shrine rewards visitors in every season. Spring brings cherry blossoms around Lake Ashinoko with Mt. Fuji as a backdrop, while summer hosts the Ashinoko Summer Festival Week from late July into early August, featuring a fireworks display of over 18,500 fireworks above the lake. Autumn wraps the cedar forest in deep reds and golds, and winter — particularly December and January — offers the clearest views of Mt. Fuji from the lakeshore. Early morning visits are especially recommended year-round, when mist drifts through the cedar grove and the grounds are at their most serene.
New Year’s is one of the busiest and most atmospheric times to visit, with thousands arriving for hatsumode — the first shrine visit of the year — and fireworks launched over Lake Ashi at midnight on January 1.