What a fun experience to walk through all the plants and see some wildlife. They had a little shop and cute little surrounding town. Got to see a black pheasant which was pretty cool.
[Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands (Sengokuhara)]
□ Elements
・ Access
Take the Hakone Tozan Bus (Line T) from Hakone-Yumoto Station and alight at "Sengoku-Kogen" or "Sengoku-annaijo-mae." From there, it is an 8-minute flat walk. A large free parking lot is available for private vehicles.
・ time
60-90 min for a full circuit. The garden features over 1,700 species of plants that bloom from early spring to autumn. Peak hours are between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Visiting at the 9:00 AM opening time is recommended to observe the marshland flora in the morning mist and avoid tour groups.
・ Outfit
Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. While the boardwalks are well-maintained, they can be slippery when wet from morning dew or rain. The garden is an open wetland with no shade; bring a hat and sun protection in summer. Temperatures are significantly lower than in coastal Kanagawa due to the 650m altitude.
・ Stay
Located in the heart of Sengokuhara, making it an ideal base for travelers staying at nearby highland resorts. It is within walking distance of the Susuki Grassland, allowing for an efficient half-day itinerary in the northern Hakone area.
・ Eat
Lunch at the various restaurants along Route 75. All visitors must adhere to the "Leave No Trace" policy; no public trash bins are provided on-site.
Beautiful and relaxing walk in nature. Feels like being in Princess Mononoke in real life. We saw lots of fish in the water. We loved this.
Went during light shower rain but that made it even better!
Staff were kind, ticket buying process was easy, you can park in the car park nearby for free.
Not many flowers when I went, but you see many crawdads, a carnivorous plants section, and can walk around 7 more sections of different themes(swamp, wetlands etc). There is a little shop there too for cute bits and bobs.
If you’re into plants or nature person, then recommend! Depending on the season, there are different flowers blooming. They have few carnival plants, which was cool. Entrance 700 yen.
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