Page 143 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2025 THAILAND

mosphere featuring outdoor baths sur-
rounded by nature.

Open-Air Museum

Hakone is steeped in history and cul-
ture, with numerous temples, shrines, and
museums scattered throughout the area.
The Hakone Open-Air Museum, with its im-
pressive collection of sculptures and art-
works set against the backdrop of
Hakone's natural beauty, provides a cul-
tural feast for the senses. It made the top
ten of any outdoor museum we’ve visited
anywhere in the world. It focuses on 19th
and 20th century Japanese and Western
Sculpture works. Artists featured include
Bourdelle, Despiau, Rodin, and Moore.
Contemporary sculptures glisten against
the backdrop of the Hakone mountains.
Curving paths led us around the garden
and modern sculptures. Interactive ex-
hibits and picnic areas make it enjoyable
for all ages.
Staying in a traditional ryokan (Japa-
nese inn) should be part of the Japanese
experience. Most make adjustments for
Westerners, elevating the beds so we
don’t have to scoot completely down to
floor level. This would have been fine a
few decades ago, but the creaking joints
of today and accompanying groans would
likely have disturbed the neighbors.
We enjoyed Gora Kadan, which has
been rebuilt in an authentic Japanese
style. The low-key design blended harmo-
niously with the landscape, woods, and
mountain valleys. We shed our kimonos,
padded across our patio, and slipped into
a secluded hot spring pool outside our
room. We relaxed and contemplated the
lush landscaping all around before a brief
rain shower added another touch of na-
ture. It reminded me of surfing in the rain
and having amazed people in shelters by
the beach, asking how we could do that
(we were already wet!).

WINEDINEANDTRAVEL.COM 143