Hakone in July 2025: Highlights, Events & Festivals
Hakone is a popular summer retreat destination where, even in the peak summer month of July, the average temperature is 22°C with highs around 28°C, making it relatively comfortable compared to Tokyo.
Hakone is one of Japan's premier hot spring areas, a serene town abundant with greenery and nature. It's a popular tourist destination for those seeking to escape daily hustle and bustle and spend peaceful time surrounded by nature.
In July 2025, visitors can enjoy traditional events that have been passed down for generations in Hakone. This article will introduce the highlights, basic information, dates, and access to these event venues. We'll also recommend tourist spots in Hakone worth visiting during your trip.
Hakone's July 2025 festival calendar kicks off with the Lake Ashi Summer Festival Week
The Lake Ashi Summer Festival Week is a five-day celebration held annually starting July 31, filled with various events including traditional ceremonies and fireworks. This event is a summer tradition in Hakone.
The fireworks are particularly exciting, with displays launched every day at 8:00 PM during the festival period. Coinciding with the fireworks, there are special "Fireworks Cruises" available. Why not embark on an adventure aboard a pirate ship-styled vessel to view the fireworks up close from the lake?
Below, we'll introduce the recommended festivals during the Lake Ashi Summer Festival Week, including the fireworks displays, in chronological order.
Chronological explanation of Lake Ashi Summer Festival Week events and highlights
Lake Festival
Source:Hakone Zenzan
Leading off the Hakone event & festival July 2025 calendar is the Lake Festival. This festival is dedicated to the dragon deity (a dragon worshipped as a god) that protects Lake Ashinoko. After ceremonial rituals are performed at Hakone Shrine and Lake Ashinoko, fireworks are launched over the lake.
The main attraction of this festival is undoubtedly the fireworks. Announcing the beginning of a fun week, 5,000 fireworks illuminate Hakone's night sky. Particularly noteworthy are the underwater fireworks, which bloom in semi circles underwater. They look as if flames are rising from the lake and are incredibly beautiful. The vivid reflections of fireworks on the lake surface are also a highlight.
<Information>
- Date: Typically July 31, 20:00~
- Access: From Hakone-Yumoto Station, take the Hakone Tozan Bus (H Line) for about 32 minutes and get off at "Moto-Hakone Port" bus stop (for fireworks)
- Admission: Free
- Website: https://www.hakone.or.jp/8834 (2024)
Hakone Shrine Grand Festival
Source:Hakone Geopark
The "Grand Festival" is the most important event among various festivals held at Hakone Shrine. It carries the meaning of expressing gratitude to the deities and making wishes for the future.
At Hakone Shrine, solemn religious ceremonies take place on the day of the Grand Festival. Various traditional performances are also held, including mai (traditional Japanese dance). Children from the local area perform a dance that has a tradition of over 800 years, which is said to bring happiness and longevity to those who watch it. This is an excellent opportunity to experience Japanese and Hakone traditions that have been carefully preserved.
After this festival, 2,500 fireworks will be launched starting at 8:00 PM, so please enjoy those as well if you visit. This spectacular Hakone event will be one of the highlights for tourists visiting Japan in July 2025.
<Information>
- Date: Typically August 1st
- Access: Directly accessible
- Admission: Free
- Website: https://www.hakone.or.jp/8834 (2024)
Hakone-en Summer Night Festival
Source:Hakone Zenzan
The Hakone-en Summer Night Festival is a festival where you can enjoy a fair-like atmosphere with food stalls and food trucks. The highlight of this festival is also the 2,000 fireworks display.
A notable feature of this festival is the "starmine" fireworks, which involves launching many fireworks continuously. The continuous sound of fireworks and the fireworks spreading across your entire field of vision are very impressive and will create unforgettable memories. Another nice point is that you can sit on the grass lawn in front of the lake and enjoy the fireworks at your leisure.
Hakone-en is a multi-purpose resort facility where you can enjoy various activities such as a zoo, aquarium, and ropeway. We recommend enjoying the fireworks as the finale of your day after spending a full day playing at Hakone-en. This July 2025 festival in Hakone will be a perfect summer attraction for tourists.
<Information>
- Date: Typically August 2nd and 3rd, 20:00~
- Access: Bus stop "Moto-Hakone"
Port "Moto-Hakone"
- Admission: Free
- Website: https://www.hakone.or.jp/8834 (2024)
Kojiri Dragon God Festival
Source:Hakone Zenzan
This festival is also for the dragon god of Lake Ashinoko, with ceremonies for the dragon god and a fireworks display. Since the ceremonies are not open to the public, let's fully enjoy the fireworks on this day. From 8:00 PM, about 2,500 fireworks, including underwater fireworks, will be launched.
The characteristic of this day's fireworks is that they are launched in a narrow bay surrounded by mountains. The sound echoes off the surrounding mountains, allowing you to enjoy fireworks with several times the usual impact. Also, listening to the different sounds makes you feel strangely sacred and solemn. I felt that although invisible, the dragon god might be right beside us.
Why not experience the dragon god faith while enjoying the collaboration of nature and fireworks? The Hakone event schedule for July 2025 includes this amazing festival that tourists should not miss.
<Information>
- Date: Typically August 4th
- Access: A short walk from the bus stop "Kojiri"
- Admission: Free
- Website: https://www.hakone.or.jp/8834 (2024)
Torii Burning Festival
Source:Hakone Zenzan
The Torii Burning Festival is an event held on the final day of the Lake Ashinoko Summer Festival Week. It is a traditional event said to be held to calm the dragon god's anger toward those who polluted Lake Ashinoko.
The main attraction of this festival is the torii gate set on fire. The torii gate burns bright red and floats in the darkness of the night. Both the burning torii gate and the flames reflected on the lake surface evoke beauty and fear simultaneously. Also, a torii gate illuminated by flames is something you can rarely see even if you travel all over Japan, so it is sure to be a precious experience.
At the same time, Hakone's night is brightly lit by lanterns (traditional Japanese lamps) floating on the lake and 3,500 fireworks. Please enjoy the finale of the festival with this lively event. This will be a highlight of the July 2025 Hakone festival season that tourists from around the world won't want to miss.
<Information>
- Date: Typically August 5th
- Access: A short walk from "Moto-Hakone Port"
- Admission: Free
- Website: https://www.hakone.or.jp/8834 (2024)
If You Want to Tour Hakone Stress-Free, a Local Tour with Transportation from Tokyo is Recommended
I'd like to recommend a 10-hour private tour with transportation from Tokyo, the "Hakone Day Trip Tour from Tokyo with a Private Car & Guide." Hakone is a town where you can enjoy various attractions including tradition, art, and nature.
On this tour, you'll experience the different aspects of Hakone while visiting sites such as Hakone shrine, art museums, and taking the ropeway at Owakudani.
This tour is recommended for those who want to fully enjoy Hakone in one day. While Hakone's transportation is less convenient compared to Tokyo, with this tour that includes a car, you can enjoy it stress-free. It also includes pick-up and drop-off in Tokyo, making it ideal for those who want to visit Hakone for just one day during their Tokyo trip.
Tour Details:
- Meeting point: Hotel pickup (Please check the official website for covered areas)
- Tour area: Hakone
- Start time: 8:00
When Visiting Hakone in July 2025, Participate in the "Miyagino Yutate Shishimai" Festival
Source:Hakone Navi
Shishimai (lion dance) is a traditional dance found throughout Japan, characterized by dancers wearing lion masks. While lion dances can be seen across the country, the Miyagino lion dance is very unique - performers raise a plant called Kumazasa that has been dipped in a pot of hot water, then sprinkle the hot water from the plant onto spectators.
This is an extremely rare custom, so please experience it when you visit Hakone. There is also a belief that those who are splashed with this water will not get sick for a year.
The sight of the lion dancing wildly and the rising steam creates an atmosphere that seems otherworldly. Why not enjoy this event that has continued since 1776 while reflecting on the traditions that have been passed down through generations? This special hakone event & festival in July 2025 will be a highlight for any international tourist seeking authentic cultural experiences.
<Information>
- Date: July 15 every year
- Access: About 6 minutes walk from "Miyagino" bus stop on the Hakone Tozan Bus
- Website: http://www.hakone-shishimai.com/
Three Recommended Tourist Spots for Those Visiting Hakone in July
Although July in Hakone is cooler than Tokyo, it still experiences harsh heat. Here are three recommended facilities where you can fully enjoy yourself even in the hot summer.
It's recommended to play at these locations during the day and visit the festival I introduced earlier during the cooler evening hours. The hakone event & festival July 2025 calendar will feature numerous activities throughout the month, making it an ideal time for tourists to experience both traditional culture and modern attractions.
Hakone Kowakien Yunessun
Source:Official website
Hakone Kowakien Yunessun is a comprehensive facility that has everything, recommended for both those who want to be active and those who want to relax.
Hakone Kowakien Yunessun is divided into four areas. The area I recommend most is called Yunessun. This is an area where you can play in swimwear, enjoying fun pools with water slides and lazy rivers, hot springs, and saunas. There are also hot springs you can enter while wearing a swimsuit, so those who are hesitant about public bath culture might want to try the hot springs here.
There are also areas where you can enjoy Hakone's natural hot springs in both outdoor and indoor baths (this area is enjoyed naked), an area for camping, and an area for shops and amusements.
This is a place where you can enjoy various activities and won't have enough time even if you spend a whole day here.
<Detailed Information>
- Address: 1297 Ninotaira, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture
- Operating hours: Reception Weekdays 10:00-19:00, Holidays 9:00-19:00
(Operating hours vary by facility, so please check the official website for details)
- Closed: Irregular holidays
- Phone number: 0460-82-4126
- Access: Immediately across the road from Kowakien bus stop
- Official website: https://www.yunessun.com/
The Hakone Open-Air Museum
The Hakone Open-Air Museum is characterized by sculpture works displayed outdoors, allowing visitors to enjoy a collaboration between nature and art. It's a place with a strong emphasis on "experiencing," and walking around the grounds to encounter new sculpture works feels like going on an adventure.
Additionally, in this place where you can view artistic works while breathing the clean air of nature-rich Hakone, I was able to engage with art in the most flexible and sensitive state I've ever experienced. If you're planning to visit during July 2025, you'll be delighted to know that the museum will host a special summer festival featuring international sculptors creating works in real-time - a perfect highlight of the Hakone event season.
I also love the Picasso exhibition hall. Here, works beyond Cubism (Picasso's most famous style) are displayed, allowing visitors to reflect on Picasso's life journey as an artist. The exhibition space will be featuring extended hours during the July 2025 Hakone festival period.
<Details>
- Address: 1121 Ninotaira, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture
- Hours: 9:00-17:00
- Closed: Open year-round
- Phone: 0460-82-1161
- Access: 2-minute walk from "Chokoku-no-Mori" Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway
- Official website: https://www.hakone-oam.or.jp/
Hakone Venetian Glass Museum (Glass Forest)
Source:Official website
The Hakone Venetian Glass Museum is a museum where you can enjoy both contemporary and historical Venetian glass. Works that captivated European nobility during the Renaissance period are also displayed. I found myself captivated by pieces from long ago, feeling the wonder of works that are loved by people across time and eras.
During the July 2025 Hakone event season, the museum will feature special night illuminations as part of the summer festival celebrations.
My favorite part of the Hakone Venetian Glass Museum is the wisteria flowers made of crystal glass displayed outdoors. The way each flower shines when sunlight hits it is so beautiful that I could watch it for hours. These installations will be highlighted during the July 2025 Hakone festival with special lighting effects.
Furthermore, another attractive point of this museum is its rich experience offerings. You can experience various glass-making techniques and paint Venetian carnival masks. Special workshops will be added to the regular schedule during the July 2025 festival in Hakone.
<Details>
- Address: 940-48 Sengokuhara, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture
- Hours: 10:00-17:00 (last admission at 17:00)
- Closed: Irregular holidays
- Access: "Hakone Glass no Mori" stop on Hakone Tozan Bus or Odakyu Express Bus
- Phone: 0460-86-3111
- Official website: https://www.hakone-garasunomori.jp/
For those interested in Hakone, we also recommend a tour to enjoy "Mt. Fuji," the symbol of Japan
For those interested in Hakone, we also recommend tours of the Fuji area, where you can enjoy nature and relaxed time similar to Hakone. On this tour, you can experience the beautiful scenery with views of Mt. Fuji, shrines within Mt. Fuji, and hidden waterfalls while listening to interesting commentary from guides.
This allows you to enjoy both the natural beauty of Mt. Fuji and the culture nurtured in the surrounding area. The tour schedule is designed to complement the Hakone events and festivals happening in July 2025.
This tour is recommended for people who want to see the real Mt. Fuji. If you visit Mt. Fuji after experiencing the surrounding nature, culture, and knowledge, your memories will become even more special. The tour routes have been specially coordinated with the Hakone July 2025 festival events to allow visitors to experience both destinations.
This tour also includes hotel pickup in Tokyo, making it convenient for those who want to enjoy the Mt. Fuji area while sightseeing in Tokyo. This provides excellent flexibility for visitors attending the Hakone festival in July 2025.
<Tour Details>
- Meeting point: Hotel pickup
(Please check the official website for the covered area)
- Tour area: Mt. Fuji area
- Start time: 8:00
