is a

volcanic A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure 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 fo ...

valley with active

sulphur Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...

vents and

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

s in

Hakone is a List of towns in Japan, town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 10,965, and total area of . Hakone is a notable spa town and a popular tourist destination due to its many onsen, hot springs being within view of ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, 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 variety of

hard-boiled egg Boiled eggs are typically from a chicken, and are cooked with their shells unbroken, usually by immersion in boiling water. Hard-boiled or hard-cooked eggs are cooked so that the egg white and egg yolk both solidify, while soft-boiled eggs may l ...

s that uses the hot springs in their preparation. As a result of them being boiled in the mineral-rich waters of the valley, which contain high levels of

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

, the egg shells turn black and give off a slightly sulfuric odour; eating one is said to add seven years to your life. Upon seeing the hellish scenery, when Kōbō Daishi visited Owakudani more than a thousand years ago, he offered prayer to Bodhisattva. The Enmei-jizō 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 ...

, 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, af ...

(

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 the ...

), 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 a ...

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. On 1 April 2024, operati ...

/ Kojiri, the Izuhakone Bus (Ōwakudani Bus Stop). There is a road to a visitor 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 is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

(on clear days) and the sulphur vents just below the visitor 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.

In popular culture

Ōwakudani is featured in the anime ''

Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and Tatsunoko Production, and directed by Hideaki Anno. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo and its affiliates from October 1995 to March 1 ...

'' and its manga adaptation. In the anime, the protagonist Shinji ends up near Ōwakudani after running from Misato's apartment.

References

External links

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