is a

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

valley with active

sulphur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

vents and

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

s in

Hakone is a town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 11,293 and a population density of 122 persons per km². The total area of the town is . The town is a popular tourist destination due to its many hot springs and views of ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

, Japan. It was created around 3,000 years ago, as a result of the explosion of the Hakone volcano. It is a popular tourist site for its scenic views, volcanic activity, and — a local specialty of eggs hard-boiled in the hot springs. The eggs turn black and smell slightly sulphuric; eating one is said to add seven years to your life. Upon seeing the hellish scenery, when Koubu Daishi visited Owakudani more than a thousand years ago, he offered prayer to Bodhisattva. The Enmei-jizo in Owakudani is said to have its origin in the prayer.

Access

Access to Ōwakudani is via a

funitel A funitel is a type of cableway, generally used to transport skiers, although at least one is used to transport finished cars between different areas of a factory. It differs from a standard gondola lift through the use of two arms attached to tw ...

, the

Hakone Ropeway The is the name of an aerial lift, as well as its operator. The funitel line links between Sōunzan and Tōgendai via Ōwakudani, all within Hakone, Kanagawa, Japan. The line became funitel in 2002, the second of its kind in the nation, after ...

(

Ōwakudani Station is a station on the Hakone Ropeway in the town of Hakone, Kanagawa, Japan. It is from the Hakone Ropeway's terminus at Sōunzan Station, from the Hakone Ropeway's opposing terminus at Tōgendai Station. It is located at an altitude of in th ...

), or a bus line from

Odawara Station is a junction and interchange railway station located in the city of Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan, operated jointly by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tōkai). It is a gateway station to the Hakone ar ...

Hakone-Yumoto Station is a railway station on the Hakone Tozan Line in Hakone, Kanagawa, Japan. Lines Hakone-Yumoto Station is served by the Hakone Tozan Line from to , although all Hakone Tozan Line trains start from this station, and only Odakyu services operate ...

Kowakidani Station is a railway station on the Hakone Tozan Line located in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is 13.4 rail kilometers from the line's terminus at Odawara Station. History Kowakidani Station was opened on June 1, 1919. Lines * Hakone Tozan Ra ...

/ Kojiri, the Izuhakone Bus (Ōwakudani Bus Stop). There is a road to a visitor's center just below the Kuro-tamago hot springs site. Most visitors used to hike the roughly trail (which has been closed since 2015 due to increased volcanic activity) or take the Hakone Ropeway to close to where the eggs are boiled to participate in the ritual egg eating. The

offers a vast view of

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...

(on clear days) and the sulphur vents just below the visitor's center. Present day activities surrounding sulphur vents are the result of massive land slides in the past. Construction of concrete barriers and stabilization of the area have been under way for decades.

Closure

The tourist site in Ōwakudani was closed in May 2015 due to volcanic activity. It re-opened on April 27, 2016, but not fully, as it is not possible to walk close to the steaming vents due to the hazards involved. People with asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, heart pacemakers, and pregnant women are advised not enter the valley because of high volcanic activity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Owakudani Spa towns in Japan Tourist attractions in Kanagawa Prefecture Landforms of Kanagawa Prefecture Hakone, Kanagawa Hot springs of Japan Valleys of Japan