Hakone is one of the famous Japanese resorts located between the Mount Fuji and Izu Peninsula to the south of Tokyo. Its main natural sights are the Mt. Fuji, five famous lakes surrounded by hills with pines and fir-trees, onsen hot springs and igneous islands with tropical vegetation. Hakone belongs to the natural park Fuji-Hakone-Izu and is famous for its hot springs. It is a small town of numerous museums with the population of 14 thousand people. It has Open Air Museum exhibiting various sculptures — the whole park where citizens spend their weekends, Museum of Natural History tracing back the history of the prefecture, and Mori-no Fureikan Museum displaying the world of fantastic forests. Not too far is located the ancient castle built in the 17 century. To get inside, the tourists will have to overcome many irregular-shaped stairs of different height, built long time ago to repulse the enemies. In the feudal era Hakone was one of the most important outposts of the Edo defense. Hakone’s picturesque gardens resemble the landscapes of traditional Japanese etchings — since ancient times it’s been one of the most beautiful places of Japan.