Hakone

views updated

Hakone (hä´kō´nā), resort region, Kanagawa prefecture, central Honshu, Japan. Famous for its mountains, lakes, and hot springs, it is included in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, of which the central feature is Mt. Fuji. The Hakone Shrine (built 757), a major shrine of central Japan, is one of the many religious monuments that dot the area. The Hakone region is volcanic, dominated by Mt. Hakone, a massive stratovolcano that has two overlapping calderas that resulted from major explosive prehistoric eruptions. Within the calderas are several lava domes, a stratovolcano (Mt. Kami), and Lake Ashi. The last eruption of Mt. Hakone was c. AD 1170.