The Beauty of Hakone's Shojin Pond

What was once considered a hell spot is now pure heaven

Larry Knipfing May 12, 2013 - 1 min read

I wanted to stay here and look at this lake for hours

One example of the statuary near the lake

An example of statuary built into the rock- almost 1000 years old

This small temple is built right up against a cave in the rock, and houses ornaments and statues for worship

Statues near the temple bulding, across the street from the pond

Another view of this beautiful pond-this is mainly reflection

Except for Owakudani, you probably won't have an image of Hakone as being wild and hellish. But hundreds of years ago, before the area was developed, it was considered to be quite hellish, particularly the Ashinoyu area. Nowadays, it's a nice place to take a hike, stay at a tradtional inn (Matsuzaka-ya), see some interesting statuary, and enjoy one of the most mirror-like pond surfaces I have ever seen - Shojin Ike Pond. The grave of the famous Soga Brothers (with their very own bus stop named after them) is half way between the inn and the pond.

Larry Knipfing @larry.knipfing

Born on Long Island, New York in 1958, I have spent the last 30 years of my life living in Japan, and enjoying every minute of it! I especially love photography, and Japan is definitely one of the most beautiful places in the world to photograph! My other love is fiction writing and I have pub...