Gora Park – The Most Beautiful Place for Fall Foliage in Hakone

Most people who visit Hakone have only one attraction in mind – Mount Fuji – but there are other lovely places to check out too. Besides getting a glimpse of Mount Fuji, my other favourite place in Hakone is the Gora Park. It’s best to visit around mid November to late November in order to admire the autumn foliage. The park is not as big as the ones in Tokyo (eg. Shinjuku Gyoen, Yoyogi Park etc.) but there are still many stunning areas where you can take Instagram-worthy pictures.

In the past, Gora Park was built for the upper classes, and only featured the Western garden and the Japanese garden. During the second World War, the Japanese garden was sold to the World Messianity Church and is currently residing in the Hakone Museum of Art as part of its gardens.

Today, there are 7 areas of interest within the Gora Park, and I explored the entire park in a clockwise direction. Upon entering the main entrance, you will see the Hands-on Workshop Craft House on your left. You can learn blow-glass, pottery, sandblast, lampwork beads, and flower arrangement, and have fun creating your own works of art.

Venturing further in will bring you to a huge fountain where you will find the Isshikido saro Café Pic on the left. This restaurant serves gourmet sandwiches and ice-cream. The Rose Garden is all the way at the end of Gora Park. On your way back to the entrance of the park, you’ll pass by another café offering goraen curry and bread stew, the Haku-undo Tea Garden, the Tropical Flora House, and the Bougainvillea House.

The Bougainvillea House boasts a collection of hibiscuses displaying exotic colours, and rare flowers rich in colours that blossom throughout the four seasons. I guess you can visit Gora Park at anytime of the year, but I highly recommend the autumn season.

Hakone Gora Park
Address: 1300 Gora, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture 250-0408
Opening Hours: 9am to 5pm daily
Admission Fee: ¥550 per person. Admission is free for children under 12 years old, Hakone Free Pass users, and the Hakone Tozan Train & Cable Car 1-Day Pass users.
Website: https://www.hakone-tozan.co.jp/gorapark/