Hakone Town, Kanagawa神奈川県箱根町
Living in Hakone Town, Kanagawa
We have Summarized the livability of Hakone Town, Kanagawa.
WESTERN AREA県西地域
CONTENTS
- What kind of place is Hakone Town?
- Hakone TownPR video
- How is the traffic situation in Hakone Town?
- How are the rent and land prices in Hakone Town?
- How is childcare and education in Hakone Town?
- How about shopping in Hakone Town?
- How about jobs and recruitment in Hakone Town?
- Hakone Town’s unique subsidy/subsidy system
What kind of place is Hakone Town, Kanagawa?
Hakone Town: A town rich in nature and culture, with hot springs, leisure and sightseeing
Hakone Town is located in the southwestern part of Kanagawa Prefecture, and is a scenic, naturally rich area overlooking the sea and mountains.
It is bordered by Minamiashigara City to the north, Odawara City to the east, Yugawara Town to the south, and Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture, to the west.
It has a population of approximately 10,000 and approximately 6,000 households. (As of December 2022)
Hakone-machi is a place name that appears frequently in history and is well known to many people.
It is a strategic point on the Tokaido road, and flourished as a post town where feudal lords stayed.
It is used as a resort and tourist destination in modern times, and is also a popular cheering spot in the Kanto region.
Hakone can be divided into six areas: Hakone Yumoto, Gora, Miyanoshita, Sounzan Owakudani, Lake Ashi, and Sengokuhara.
Each area has art museums, the Forest of Open Air, Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, lakes, Hakone Shrine, and more, and all of them are areas that attract many tourists.
There are hot springs, as well as many long-established hotels and famous inns.
PR video of Hakone Town, Kanagawa
Hakone town introduction video
How is the traffic situation in Hakone Town?
Hakone-machi, the town where Hakone Yumoto is located, is easily accessible from the city center
Hakone-machi is served by the Hakone Tozan Railway and the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.
The Hakone Tozan Railway has seven stations: Hakone-Yumoto Station, Tonosawa Station, Ohiradai Station, Miyanoshita Station, Kowakudani Station, Chokoku-no-Mori Station, and Gora Station.
Hakone-Yumoto Station is a stop on the Odakyu Romance Car, and it takes 85 minutes to get to Shinjuku by direct train.
The Hakone Tozan Cable Car has six stations: Gora Station, Koen-Shita Station, Koen-Kami Station, Naka-Gora Station, Kami-Gora Station, and Sounzan Station.
There is also a ropeway, a means of transportation unique to the terrain surrounded by mountains.
The town is served by the Hakone Ropeway and the Hakone Komagatake Ropeway, with six stations: Sounzan Station, Owakudani Station, Ubako Station, Togendai Station, Hakone-en Station, and Komagatake Sancho Station.
Hakone is the inner sanctum of the Kanto region, and is a popular resort and tourist destination, so some people in the Kanto area visit Hakone several times a year.
If you are coming from Tokyo, the standard route is to depart from Shinjuku Station and take the Romancecar to Hakone-Yumoto.
The Romancecar has large, open windows, so you can enjoy the greenery and mountains around Hakone from the train window.
People coming from Osaka, Kyoto, or Nagoya can get off at Odawara Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen and arrive at Hakone-Yumoto on the Hakone Tozan Railway.
It is also recommended to go to Hakone by express bus. From Shinjuku Station, you can take the Odakyu express bus to Hakone Sengoku, and then change to a bus to Yumoto Station.
You can also get to Hakone-machi very quickly from the city center by car.
Take the Tomei Expressway from Tokyo Yoga to Atsugi Interchange.
You can also take the Odawara Atsugi Road, pass Kazamatsuri Interchange, and take National Route 1 to Yumoto Ohashi Bridge. You can easily go to hot springs, eat, and visit tourist spots on the weekend. Be careful as traffic jams are common on weekends.
There are Romancecars and express buses that run between Hakone-Yumoto Station and Shinjuku Station, making it convenient for traveling into Tokyo.
Travelling by car is an area that is inevitably congested during tourist season.
How are the rent and land prices in Hakone Town?
Hakone-machi: Land and rent prices are much cheaper than in the city center
With the shift to remote work and online classes, there is no longer any need to go to school or work.
As a result, many people are considering moving to rural areas or resort areas.
Many people are also considering moving to Hakone-machi, which is rich in nature.
What is of interest here is the average land price in Hakone-machi.
The average assessed value in Hakone-machi is around 1.1 million yen for 100 square meters.
The average rent is naturally low, with the average rent being around 50,000 yen for a 1LDK and around 70,000 yen for a family-type 2LDK.
How is childcare and education in Hakone Town?
全国的にもまれな非常に子育て支援が充実している街『箱根町』
In Hakone Town, there are 2 daycare centers, 4 kindergartens, 5 elementary schools, 2 junior high schools, and 1 high school. There are no junior colleges or universities. Child Medical Expense Subsidy covers both outpatient and inpatient care for children under the age of 18 (until March 31 after they turn 18), and it is fully subsidized.
As for the Child Allowance, it provides ¥15,000 for children under 3 years old; ¥10,000 for the first and second child over 3 years old until they enter elementary school, and ¥15,000 for the third child onward; and ¥10,000 for junior high school students.
Hakone Town is known for having some of the best child-rearing support services in Kanagawa Prefecture, and these services are so well-established that many people from outside the prefecture move to this town for its excellent child-rearing environment.
The town has set up Childcare Support Centers and Childcare Salons, providing strong support such as after-school care, assistance during commutes to and from school, nutritional education, and financial aid, creating a worry-free environment for raising children.
There are also school buses and after-school care programs, ensuring that even parents who both work can comfortably send their children to school.
In the Childcare Salons, parents can consult with professional advisors as well.
Hakone Town: A town with ample educational support from the government
Hakone Town also has a very good government support for education.
The Hakone Town Educational Counseling Center is set up, and they will answer any questions you have about education.
Not only parents, but also children themselves can come to the center for advice, and they are sure to be of help.
They will answer detailed questions about bullying, developmental disorders, career paths, and friendships.
There is also the Hakone Town Educational Support Center Nijiro, which has been set up to promote children’s mental recovery and development. It is a refuge for children who have lost their place in the world due to bullying.
You can raise your children in a relaxed environment surrounded by nature.
There are only girls’ high schools and few cram schools, so students have to commute outside the town to continue their education.
How about shopping in Hakone Town?
Hakone Town is a town filled with places where you can find fresh vegetables and fish.
Hakone-machi does not have many large shopping areas, as they spoil the scenery of the hot spring town and obstruct the natural scenery.
However, that does not mean that shopping is inconvenient. If you have your own car, you can go to the neighboring city of Odawara to buy fresh local fish and vegetables, so you can get much tastier seasonal foods than you can get in the city.
At the fishing port station TOTOCO Odawara, you can buy fresh horse mackerel and flying fish sashimi, which are essential for freshness. There is also Suzuhiro Kamaboko no Sato, where you can buy freshly made, flavorful kamaboko.
Until now, there have not been many large shopping malls in the Hakone-machi area.
However, Minaka Odawara and other places have been built, and you can purchase everything from daily necessities to apparel.
Oshare Yokocho and Harune Odawara have also become date spots for young people.
With the increase in tourists and immigrants in anticipation of the post-COVID era, it is expected that more and more commercial facilities will be built in the future.
There are drug stores and convenience stores along National Route 138, so if you have a car you can get most of your daily necessities.
There are no large shopping complexes in Hakone, so if you want to do any major shopping you have to go to neighboring Odawara.
How about jobs and recruitment in Hakone Town?
Hakone Town: A town with fewer job openings than the city center
Compared to job openings in central Tokyo, Hakone-machi has fewer job openings.
The absolute number of non-regular jobs, such as part-time and casual jobs, is greater than that of regular employment.
In particular, there are many job openings in customer service at inns, hotels, and tourist spots, and in cleaning at restaurants, hotels, and inns.
There are also job openings for light work in local industries, souvenirs, and marquetry factories, and assembly line work at dried fish and bottling factories.
The reality is that it is quite difficult to find regular employment in Hakone-machi.
Hakone Town, Kanagawa’s unique subsidy/subsidy system
Hakone Town, Kanagawa’s unique relocation assistance and relocation subsidy system
| Trial Stay |
Hakone Town, Kanagawa’s unique housing assistance and subsidy system
Hakone Town, Kanagawa’s unique childcare support system
| Hakonekko Birthday Gift Subsidy for childbirth and childcare expenses Childbirth and child-rearing support benefits Children’s home delivery service business |
Hakone Town, Kanagawa’s unique system for further education and tuition assistance/subsidies
| School support Scholarships |
