Shinrin Yoku / Forest Bathing at Hakone Lakeshore (Lake Ashi)

Overview

Available languages

English

3 hours

Mobile ticket

While many visitors race across Lake Ashi on a pirate ship or rush between ropeway stations, our shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) session invites you to do something radically different: STOP. We don't just walk through the forest; we immerse in it. Our sessions are held in secluded pockets of the lakeshore that most tourists don't see. Here, the only sounds are the gentle lapping of the water and the rustle of the trees. This isn't a hike; it's a chance to finally hear the silence that Hakone is famous for.

What sets our tour apart is the intention behind every step. This isn't a guided nature walk where you're learning names of trees. It is a sensory re-calibration. I will guide you through a series of gentle, open-ended invitations that help you connect with the forest on a deeper level—feeling the texture of moss softened by the lake’s mist and noticing the patterns of light on the path. You leave not with facts and figures, but with a feeling of profound peace and clarity.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

What To Expect

Join us for a 3-hour Shinrin-Yoku (forest bathing) experience led by a certified facilitator. We will meet in Moto-Hakone before being transported by car to the trailhead, leaving the bustle behind as we approach a forest protected for centuries alongside a legendary Shinto shrine by Lake Ashi. After a gentle half-hour walk through the quiet woodland, we will arrive at a peaceful corner surrounded by towering cedars and sacred stillness. Here, your certified guide will help you awaken your five senses. Feel the textures of moss and ancient bark, listen to the breeze and the soft rustle of unseen life, and breathe deeply the rich, calming scent of the trees. Through simple invitations to slow down and observe, you will be guided to let go of distractions and immerse yourself in a rhythm of time that has flowed silently for hundreds of years. By the end, you will carry more than deep relaxation. You will have touched a living piece of Japan's spiritual landscape, sensing why forests have been woven into Japanese culture for generations. You will leave with a genuine understanding of what Shinrin-Yoku truly means in the land where it was born. The experience ends in Moto-Hakone.

What‘s Included

Entrance fee

Professional Shinrin-yoku facilitator

Mattress

Options