Ōwakudani Audio Guide

Ōwakudani: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Ōwakudani

   Welcome to Ōwakudani, the steaming heart of Hakone, in Kanagawa Prefecture. Its name means Great Boiling Valley, and the name is honest. Here, vents spew sulfurous steam from reddish-brown, rocky ground, and the air carries the smell of volcanic gas. Hakone is a live volcano. That is easy to forget while you admire clear Lake Ashi, wander the fields of Sengokuhara, or soak in one of the area's many hot springs. Ōwakudani is where Hakone reminds you. It is the epicenter of the volcano's activity, and the heat that keeps so many of Hakone's hot springs hot is tied to this ground. Over the next few stops, we will look at how this valley was born, how it earned and then changed its name, and why a small black egg has become its celebrated trademark. We will also look at how you actually get here, because the journey is part of the experience. Take a slow breath, and let's begin.

2. 02

   A Valley Born of Eruption

   To understand Ōwakudani, go back about 130,000 years. Eruptions in the Hakone caldera first built a cone-shaped volcano at its center. That central cone has collapsed and risen again several times over the millennia. The valley you see today took shape roughly 3,000 years ago. Another explosive breakdown of the central cone sent pyroclastic flows racing across the landscape, and they blocked the nearby Haya River. The dry valley now lies where the cone once stood. Because Ōwakudani sits so close to the very center of the huge Hakone volcano, it is a hotbed of geological activity. Steam and gases heated by underground magma are emitted constantly. Look toward the distant ridge and you will see Mount Kanmurigatake, which rises 1,409 meters. In the foreground is Ōwakusawa, an area prone to landslides and crisscrossed by containment structures built to hold the slopes in place. Today the valley is not only a sightseeing stop but also a site of extensive scientific research.

3. 03

   From Hell Valley to Great Boiling Valley

   Picture this place before it had a gentle name. Rocky, desolate ground, vents roaring with sulfurous gas, reddish earth: people long ago thought it looked like the underworld. In the Edo period, which ran from 1603 to 1867, they called it the Great Hell Hole. It was also known as Jigokudani, meaning Hell Valley. Then came an imperial visit. When Emperor Meiji came here in 1873, the word hell was judged inappropriate for a place the monarch had visited. The spot was given the more pleasant-sounding name Ōwakudani, Great Boiling Valley, and the name has stuck ever since. The Meiji era, in the late nineteenth century, also marks the time when people began to flock to Hakone for its reputed healing hot springs, and Ōwakudani became a tourist attraction. In the early twentieth century, travel became accessible to far more people. The Hakone Tozan Railway and the Hakone Ropeway then made it easy to reach this steaming landscape.

4. 04

   Black Eggs and a Promise of Longer Life

   No visit to Ōwakudani is complete without kurotamago, the famous black eggs. They are cooked in the thermal waters of the valley, and the shells turn black. Visitors come to savor their distinct flavor. There is a charming belief attached to them. Near the entrance to the nature walkway stands a small shrine, the Ōwakudani Enmei Jizōson. Offer a prayer there, then eat a kurotamago, and it is said to extend your life. Tradition adds that each egg is said to add seven years. If you want to dig deeper, the Kurotamago-kan souvenir shop sells an assortment of Hakone specialties and kurotamago-themed goods. On its first floor you will find the Hakone Geomuseum, which details the history of the Hakone volcano. It is a handy place to connect the steaming ground outside with the long geological story behind it.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Part of the pleasure of Ōwakudani is how you arrive and where you go next. It is a station on the Hakone Ropeway, between Sounzan and Togendai. Sounzan can be reached from Hakone-Yumoto by the Hakone Tozan Railway and cable car, with a transfer at Gora Station. If you feel energetic, there is an alternative route. A trail leads down toward Lake Ashi, ending at Kojiri, not far from Togendai, from where the ropeway connects you back to Ōwakudani. As you go, notice the contrast between the pale plumes of steam, the reddish ground, and the mountains behind. Ask yourself how the people of the Edo period felt when they first saw this valley, and how it feels now that you stand in the same breath of sulfur. Then keep exploring, because Hakone has plenty more to reveal, from its lake and its old checkpoint on the Tōkaidō highway to Hakone Shrine.