Owakudani

This area was originally called the "Valley of Hell" (地獄谷), but was renamed "Owakudani" (大湧谷, literally "Great Boiling Valley") after Emperor Meiji visited. It’s a volcanic landscape with continuous volcanic gas emissions that fill the air with a strong sulfur smell. Give the local specialty, the black eggs, a try, although they taste just like regular boiled eggs.

Beautiful views of views of Mt. Fuji and Hakone's mountains. In case you did not read it or planning to visit note: * If the concentrations of volcanic gas exceed specified level, or occur eruptions suddenly, please take refuge to the following evacuation shelters, listening out for instructions and announcements. As of the day we visited on March 21st and 22nd ,2025 there are about 7 shelters and you will see the map there or here in my photos. Owakudani is a special location where plumes of volcanic gas are still coming out and it is possible to observe volcanic activity up close. This area is known as Owakudani Garden and is designated as a special location in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. IF VOLCANO BECOMES MORE ACTIVE ... This is a hazard map of Hakone volcano(the map is there or in my photo here), which summarizes precautions taken against present-day volcanic activity and possible disasters during periods of volcanic unrest. Volcanic gasses are emitted from the volcano in the areas of Owakudani, Sounzan, and Yunohanazawa. Earthquake swarms also occur as a result of volcanic activity. Sometimes the earthquakes occur at shallow depths beneath the younger central cones, but they are harmless. You can reach here by bus,car or ropeway. And there’s food stand or restaurant where to buy food apart from the black eggs. What’s written on the black egg standing is “Big Drop Valley”. Free stamp for those who want can be found in somewhere in the ropeway station.

There are a few attractions here which are interesting. There is a clear view of the sulphur mines on the volcano and the smell is pretty strong. We managed to get a view of Mount Fuji from here. The famous food here is black egg which is cooked in volcanic ash. The egg doesn't taste any different and is white inside. The souvenir shop here has lots of variety of items and also food. From here, there was a massive queue to take the cable car to Lake Ashi.

Lot of volcanic activity can be seen, from the view point. Main attraction here is the black egg which should give you 7 years of life. Inside of the egg is completely normal, even the taste is close to normal. The souvenir shop accept credit card, but the counter with black eggs which is inside of the shop takes only cash, quite lack of logic.

Although the clouds obscured Japan's iconic peak during our visit, we did get to experience the famous black eggs from Owakudani's hot spring pools, which have naturally blackened shells. Getting there was convenient thanks to the scenic ropeway, but it was super packed. Keep in mind, beyond a small museum and souvenir browsing, the main draw is the volcano tour which will require advanced booking. Friendly heads-up: those black eggs are best enjoyed on-site; their aroma is... potent! 😉

Owakudani was a nice stop with a unique atmosphere—very foggy when we arrived, which made the weather feel special. We tried the black eggs and explored a bit of the area. On the way back, the view cleared up and we saw more. Overall, a cool and memorable experience.

Perfect half day trip if you are staying in gora or hakone. Views of mountains Fuji is breathtaking, especially if you are taking the ropeway. The center itself has an interesting museum and a huge store when you can buy lots of souvenirs, delicious foods and try their famous black egg. Highly recommend to go in the morning for better view and less crowds. Loved everything about it! Highly recommend.

Ōwakudani was one of the most unique and memorable places I visited during my time in Hakone. Known as the "Great Boiling Valley," it's an active volcanic zone formed during the last eruption of Mount Hakone over 3,000 years ago—and it truly feels like stepping onto another planet. Getting there via the Hakone Ropeway was part of the fun. The ride offers incredible aerial views of the steaming valley below, the surrounding mountains, and even Mount Fuji on clear days. As the ropeway descends into Ōwakudani, the landscape transforms into a dramatic, steaming, sulfuric terrain—it’s eerie, beautiful, and awe-inspiring all at once. Once at the station, you can walk around designated paths that take you close to the sulfur vents. The smell of sulfur is strong, so if you’re sensitive, bring a mask or scarf to cover your nose. But the view is worth it—seeing steam pour out of the earth and the rocky terrain up close was unlike anything I’ve experienced before. A must-try here is the famous black eggs (kuro tamago), boiled in the sulfuric hot springs. They’re said to add seven years to your life! The taste is just like a regular egg, but the novelty makes it a fun souvenir or snack. There are also some shops and a café with great views, as well as clean facilities and helpful signage in English. Ōwakudani combines natural wonder, cultural quirkiness, and stunning vistas. It’s a can’t-miss spot in Hakone, especially for nature lovers or anyone curious about Japan’s volcanic landscape.

Before we left Japan, this was our last private Charter tour (car rental for a 10-hour day trip with a driver to Hakone). We customized our day trip routes and we chose to go to Hakone Owakudani, Hakone cable car, Hakone pirate ship, and Hakone Shrine). I last visited Hakone many years ago. Our driver picked us up from our hotel at 8 a.m. and then we started the journey. It was Sunday that day but we couldn't believe there was terrible traffic. It took us 4 hours to arrive at the top of the Hakone Owakudani Station (we stayed in Ueno and we should told the driver to park at the cable car area first instead of driving up to the top) When we arrived there, it was close to noon time. Our driver told us that he would pick us up after we took the cable car and pirate ship and meet us at the port of Motohakone-Ko. We first walked around the Hakone Owakudani station. We saw the volcanic hot spring from afar and saw the sulfur. The smell was strong but we got used to it after a while. We checked out the store and bought the famous black hot spring eggs. According to local myth in Hakone, Japan, eating black eggs, cooked in the hot springs of Owakudani can add five to seven years to your life. Four pieces of Black eggs cost only 500 Japanese yen (less than $4 USD). I bought some souvenirs at the gift shop and then we checked out the Hakone Geomuseum. It was a small Geomuseum so the admission was only 100 yen per person. (less than $1 USD per person). We liked the Geomuseum. It was small but informative. It shows all the Hakone Hot Spring photos, and lava stones, and explains what volcanic gas and sulfur are. It is a good spot for local school field trips. My girls did some coloring activity there, and then we bought our cable car tickets there. It was worth visiting Hakone Owakudani and we also took some nice photos there. Btw, we also tried the delicious eggs and vanilla soft-serve ice-cream besides the Black eggs!

I can't believe we almost missed Owakudani on our trip to Hakone. We were only in Hakone for 2 nights and were planning on spending the entire time soaking in an Onsen but thought we should at least stop at one attraction while we were there. Owakudani was easy to get to. Our hotel shuttle took my husband and I to the Gora station, where we jumped on the cable car that took us to Soun Station. From Soun Station, we hopped on the Owakudani Ropeway to get to Owakudani . The long cable car ride to Owakudani was filled with scenic views of the surrounding mountains. The smell of sulfur creeped into the cable car as we got closer to the volcanic valley. You can see the steam rise from the sulfur vents. On a day with clear skies, you can see Mt. Fuji from Owakudani. Unfortunately, when we were there, it was super cloudy. My husband and I were still happy we checked out Owakudani, though. We made sure we ate a couple of the black eggs while we were there. The black eggs boiled in Owakudani's hot springs are said to add 7 years to your life for every one egg you eat. And it's all part of the fun. The eggs might have a slight sulfuric odor to it but otherwise tasted like a regular hard-boiled egg. There are other food shops and souvenir shops up here as well. Owakudani is definitely worth a stop.

We accidentally drove to the top, instead of parking at the cable cart area first and taking it up. At the top, there were gift shops, snack shops, restaurants, and even a little geo museum. It was so interesting to see the volcanic hot spring from afar. The sulfur smell was super strong, so it smelled like rotten eggs everywhere though. We also bought the hot spring eggs. It did come with a little salt packet, but it's just an egg. Smelled a bit bad, but tastes normal. Cool for photos though, since it's black and you can pose with the black egg statue too. They actually had 2 egg statues, so if one line is super long, maybe take a look at the second one. Our friend was waiting for it for a while, and when we walked to the gem museum, we saw the second one had no line. We also checked out the geo museum. A few parts are interactive, which my toddler loved. The rest you just looked at some rocks. It's a short exhibit, but was only 100 yen.

If the legends are true, I'll be living 21 years longer than I would have previous to my visit to Owakudani, since each of the three black eggs (kurotamago), boiled in nearby volcanic pools, that I ate, added seven years to my life. The giftshop here, at the apex of the Hakone Ropeway, has your usual selection of souvenirs, tchotchkes, pottery, gifts and other kitsch, but the real treasure of Owakudani, besides the gorgeous views and the pungent aroma of sulphur, is the experience of standing atop a living volcano, and taking in the rather charmingly absurd culture that has sprung up around it. I mean, come on, charcoal soft serve ice cream? What will they think of next? (It's awesome, by the way!) I also scored some hot, freshly baked sweet potato action from a local's hibachi truck driving around nearby, which happened to be driving around a few blocks away, so I ended up fat, happy, and slightly more immortal!

If you can't take the smell of sulfur, avoid here. Smell is definitely there. They were closed for a while during active volcano, but it is open now when I visited. This area is known for black eggs. Cooking egg with sulfur water makes the egg shell black and eating this black egg extends your life by 7 years, so they said.... Hiking train is supposedly available near here but I couldn't find them. Unlike green downtown Hakone area, elevation is higher and weather is definitely different. It was a bit windy too.

The appeal of this place confuses me. You take a ropeway (similar to a ski gondola) up to a few souvenir shops and a canyon resembling a construction site. That's it. We were told that there used to be hiking trails to hot springs but they have been closed for a while. It smells like sulfur. There were loads and loads and loads of tourists elbowing each other though the gift shop and waiting in a long queue to purchase black hard boiled eggs. Legend has it that each black egg consumed adds 7 years to your life. My main takeaway from this excursion is that if you open your own business, claim that your food causes longevity.

Very impressive scenic spot of the Hakone onsen valley. Lets just get the cons out of the way. Be prepare to be stuck with A LOT OF tourists and vistiors! Other than that everything was amazing! The ropeway onto this spot was amazing, what a ride! The scenery is good all 360*. There are a few gift shops that sell the black egg, I didnt get it. It looked more like food coloring than natural black dye to me. Lots of vending machines, toilet, food vendors. Yeah there is sulfer smell, come on, it's on a volcano.

Owakudani is an active volcanic valley and a popular travel destination when visiting Hakone. The view is very nice taking the rope way up. I would take a advantage to come here since it's part of the Hakone free pass. Looks wise there isn't much to see besides literally the volcanic valley. A thing I disliked was nope of the shops sold one of the sulfur egg you would have to buy 5. Since we were in the area we had to try it since the myth is eating an egg extends your life by 7 years.

Really cool in spot in Hakone that you can not miss! It's a volcanic valley and is on the way when you use Hakone Ropeway to get between Gora and Lake Ashi sight seeing cruise spot. It's just a very unique spot to check out and you get an awesome view of Mount Fuji on a clear day! They have the legendary owakudani black eggs that supposedly gives you an extra 7 years on your lifespan if you eat one. Unfortuantely, they only sell 5 eggs at a time for 500 yen. It's not expensive, but as a solo traveler, how am I going to eat all 5 eggs.... you can try and find another tourist to split with you, but it was a little awkward to for me so I just bought the bag for the fun of it lol. It was not too crowded when I went, but then again, I went at around 10AM in order to complete the Hakone Loop basically. You will get a waft of sulfur scent but it doesn't get too bad in my opinion. For some reason, I smelled it more when I was in the cable car on the way up than when I actually got to the site. Anyways, definitely worth checking out when you're in Hakone!

This is one of the stops on the Hakone Ropeway. You can check out the visitor center, eat black eggs, take pics of the valley, and hop on/off the ropeway. I don't believe there is too much to do so you might need 30 minutes to 1 hour here. I recommend a stop here if you're already on the ropeway or heading to the open air museum.

Valley of Hell, otherwise known as Owakudani. When you're on the ropeway, you can see the volcanic activity and steam pummeling up towards the ropeway. If you haven't seen this before, stop at Owakudani so you can get a closer look. They're also famous for their black eggs which add 7 years to your life (common in many other asian cuisines). Skip it - tastes like an egg and is rather expensive for what's essentially a boiled egg. Pro tip, walk to the right of valley, towards the parking lot until the security guard stops you or you see the majestic Mt. Fuji. We walked the area, saw this and quickly realized that no one knew this view existed. We got a ton of amazing shots of the Mt. Fuji and selfies galore.

Very impressive view from the ropeway. The mountain is still smoking from the volcanic activity. The smell of sulphur is quite strong up here.