The Hakone Open-Air Museum, first opened in 1969, allows for a nice walk and has a very comfortable hot foot bath. One of the main highlights is supposed to be the Picasso Pavilion, but my favourite part of this attraction was the foot bath. The museum is open from 9 AM to 5 PM daily. Adult tickets are JP¥2000 (~US$13.51 in 2023) each.
As I already mentioned, my favorite part of the visit was sitting with my feet in a hot foot bath while gazing out at the enjoyable scenery of grass and sculptures. You sit on a wooden bench and relax with your feet in hot water against some rounded stones.
The vending machine nearby sells small towels for 100 yen each. There is only one design, but there are multiple colours with which to dry your feet.
It is important to observe that there are some dangers inherent to any shared bath, including the possibility of catching some illness. It is believed that the temperature and acidity of the water is sufficient to reduce risk. This foot bath is outdoors and you can see the water moving (it is a naturally fed onsen), so I think the risk is low unless someone in the bath happens to have a horrible foot fungus that survives long enough despite the temperature and gets to your foot.
This museum owns a large Picasso collection, housed in the aptly named Picasso Pavilion. The museum owns a total of 319 works and put a little over one third of the collection on display at any time. I had not realized this was at the museum before I arrived.
The museum reminded me of Grounds for Sculpture in NJ, United States. Visitors get a nice walk outside, some things to see inside, and opportunities to get up close to the art.
If you like modern art, Picasso, or simply want to enjoy a foot bath, I recommend visiting this museum. For a nice ending, the gift shop’s large food section carries Fujisan langue de chat and Grande Rivière Hakone Rusk.
There is also a much more leafy area with some small sculptures and animals scattered about:
