- 7 Family-Friendly Things to Do in Hakone, Japan
- 1. Hakone Gora Park
- 2. Hakone Checkpoint
- 3. Hakone Shrine
- 4. The Hakone Open-Air Museum
- 5. Hakone Kowakudani Yunessun
- 6. Hakone Glass Forest Museum
- 7. Forest Adventure Hakone
- Hakone with Kids: The Best Places Depend on Your Child’s Age
- 🔗 More Hakone Travel Guides
7 Family-Friendly Things to Do in Hakone, Japan
“I’m planning a trip to Hakone, but will there be places that my kids can actually enjoy?”
Hakone is often known for its hot springs, museums, and beautiful scenery. But there are also plenty of places that families with children can enjoy.
In this guide, I’m sharing places that we have actually visited with children, as well as places that we haven’t visited with our kids yet but would like to visit as a family.
👉If you’re planning a day trip or sightseeing around Hakone, it’s also worth checking out tours and discounted tickets.
【Hakone Day Trip】 【Hakone Ropeway One-Way & Round-Trip Tickets】
1. Hakone Gora Park
Flowers, nature, and hands-on activities
Hakone Gora Park is a nice place to enjoy seasonal flowers and spend some relaxing time with your family.
There are also hands-on activities such as glass blowing and pottery, so it’s more than just a place to walk around.
Younger children can enjoy walking through the park and looking at the flowers and scenery. Older children may enjoy trying one of the craft activities themselves.
The park is about a 5-minute walk from Gora Station and is also easy to reach from Koen-Shimo and Koen-Kami Stations on the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.
Good for families who:
- Enjoy flowers and nature
- Want to try a hands-on activity together
- Are sightseeing around Gora
Activity availability and age requirements vary, so it’s a good idea to check the details before visiting.
Read more:
Hakone with a Baby: Our Family Trip to Gora and Hakone-Yumoto
👉 Check Hakone Gora Park tickets
2. Hakone Checkpoint
A glimpse into Japan’s Edo period
Hakone Checkpoint was an important checkpoint along the Tokaido road during Japan’s Edo period.
You can walk around the historic buildings and learn about how the checkpoint worked. It’s a nice place to experience a little bit of Japanese history while sightseeing.
There is also an official website with information for children, explaining the role of the checkpoint and what life was like during the Edo period.
If you’re interested in traditional Japanese crafts such as yosegi zaiku, Hakone’s famous wooden parquetry, you could also combine your visit with a walk around the surrounding area.
For younger children, I wouldn’t expect them to understand the history in detail. Instead, it can simply be a place to walk around and look at the traditional buildings.
Good for families who:
- Want to visit a historic Hakone landmark
- Are sightseeing around Lake Ashi
- Want somewhere to take a short walk during their trip
Read more:
Hakone with Kids: Our Three-Generation Family Trip
👉 Check Hakone Checkpoint tickets
【klook】
3. Hakone Shrine
Check the route before visiting with young children
Hakone Shrine is one of the most famous sightseeing spots in Hakone.
The Heiwa no Torii, or Peace Torii, standing by Lake Ashi is also a popular photo spot.
However, if you’re visiting with young children, there is one thing you should know: there are quite a few stairs.
According to the official Hakone Shrine website, the main approach has around 90 stone steps. There is also a side route without stairs.
If you’re traveling with a baby or using a stroller, it’s worth checking the route before you go.
There is also parking available at the shrine.
For families with small children, I would especially recommend checking where to park and which route to take before your visit.
Read more:
Hakone with Kids: Our Three-Generation Family Trip
4. The Hakone Open-Air Museum
A museum where kids can have fun, too
When you hear “museum,” you might think that it could be boring for young children.
But the Hakone Open-Air Museum has areas where children can play and explore, making it a place I’d like to visit with my kids as they get older.
We haven’t visited with our children yet, but there are several things here that look particularly fun for kids.
One of the places I’m especially interested in is Woods of Net.
It is a colorful, interactive art installation where children can climb, jump, and play inside a large net structure.
It is currently available for children up to elementary school age. It may be unavailable depending on the weather.
Other areas that look interesting for families include:
- Star Garden, a maze
- The Symphonic Sculpture
- A fried-egg-shaped bench
- Grassy areas for relaxing
- A foot bath
The Symphonic Sculpture is an 18-meter-high tower. You can climb the spiral staircase inside and enjoy views of the Hakone mountains from the top.
It looks like a fun experience for children who are old enough to climb the stairs themselves.
Strollers are available to borrow for free, but the museum has slopes, stairs, and stone-paved areas. There are also conditions for bringing your own stroller, so families with young children should check the official information before visiting.
👉 Check Hakone Open-Air Museum tickets
5. Hakone Kowakudani Yunessun
A hot spring and water park that babies can enjoy
If you’re looking for somewhere in Hakone where children can really have fun, Hakone Kowakudani Yunessun is one place to consider.
There is a swimsuit area, and much of it is indoors, so you don’t have to worry as much about the weather.
The resort has several areas, including Gods’ Aegean Sea, the lazy river-style Bozappy River, and the children’s Pony Lagoon.
Pony Lagoon has a water depth of about 30 cm and also has a 1-meter slide.
According to the official website, even babies can use Yunessun, and there are shallow areas for younger children.
We have actually visited Yunessun with our baby daughter when she was 0 years old, so it’s a place I would recommend considering if you’re planning a trip to Hakone with a baby.
Younger children can play in the shallow areas, while older children can enjoy the lazy river and water slides.
Read more:
Yunessun with a 0-Year-Old and 2-Year-Old: Our Family Experience
👉 Check Yunessun tickets
【klook】 【kkday】 【アソビュー】 【じゃらん】
6. Hakone Glass Forest Museum
More than just looking at glass
The Hakone Glass Forest Museum is a museum featuring Venetian glass.
At first, you might think that a glass museum could be difficult with small children.
However, there are also hands-on activities designed for visitors, including children.
Current activities include:
- Sandblasting, where you create a design on a glass
- Fusing, where you combine pieces of glass to create something
Both activities can be enjoyed by children and adults.
Fusing takes around 15–20 minutes, while sandblasting takes around 40–60 minutes.
In 2026, the museum also offered a children’s art-viewing guide for children from preschool age through junior high school.
The programs and events can change, so it’s worth checking the latest information if you’re planning to visit with children.
Because there are many glass objects in the exhibitions and shops, families with young children will need to take a little extra care. Holding your child’s hand while looking around may make the visit easier.
👉 Check Hakone Glass Forest Museum tickets
7. Forest Adventure Hakone
A place we’d like to try when the kids are older
Forest Adventure Hakone is an outdoor adventure park where you can enjoy activities such as tree-top obstacles and zip slides in the forest.
Our children are still too young, so we haven’t visited yet. But it’s definitely somewhere we’d like to try when they’re a little older.
There is currently a Kids Course for children who are at least 90 cm tall.
The Kids Course is for children up to third grade, with parents watching from the ground.
For the more advanced Adventure Course, children need to be in fourth grade or older, or at least 140 cm tall.
The course you can choose depends on your child’s age and height.
If you want your children to enjoy an active outdoor experience surrounded by nature, this is one place worth keeping in mind for a future Hakone trip.
👉 Check Forest Adventure Hakone tickets
Hakone with Kids: The Best Places Depend on Your Child’s Age
Hakone has a surprisingly wide range of family-friendly places, from flowers and nature to hot springs, pools, hands-on activities, museums, and outdoor adventures.
For families with young children, places such as:
- Yunessun
- Hakone Gora Park
- Hakone Checkpoint
could be good options.
As children get older, places such as Woods of Net at the Hakone Open-Air Museum and Forest Adventure Hakone offer more opportunities to move around and be active.
When planning a family trip to Hakone, you don’t have to fill your itinerary with only the sightseeing spots that adults want to visit.
I think adding at least one place where the kids can have fun can make the trip more enjoyable for the whole family.
As we visit more of these places with our children, I’ll add our own experiences to this guide.
🔗 More Hakone Travel Guides
- A Day in Kamakura Without the Kids: Food, Cafes & Hidden Gems Around Komachi Street
- Haneda Airport Food, Shopping & Things to Do | A Family-Friendly Guide
- Hakone with a Baby: Our Stay at Hidamari Ichinoyu
- A Fun Day Around Shinagawa Station: Aquarium, Lunch, Coffee & a Sailor Moon Show
- Best Bakeries & Donut Shops in Yokohama: Family-Friendly Places to Try
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