Hakone Open-Air Museum

No no no this wasn't a masterpiece curation at the museum....this was Miss Monkey slurping her handmade soba as quickly as she could. Time is alwiz an essence to me...needed to rush to the museum before the sky falls.

However this handmade soba was so delicious and we took longer than we should. Family run with a simple setup, the soba here was really yummy. If you are in Gora, Hakone do visit Soba Nakamura. It is walking distance away from the Open-Air Museum station.

and finally YAaayyyyy!!!! we made it in time b4 the sun sets!!!!
Hakone Open Air Museum is situated high on the mountain range that is part of the Mount Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park....so the weather up here was pretty cooler. Only 100km away from Tokyo, most locals make a beehives here towards the weekend to unwind and relax especially at all the hot spring bath house.


We've never been to an Open-Air Museum and didn't know wat to expect. Monkey looked around and saw wat she wanted to see first!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! screamed for ice cream!!!! but it's too cold for one on that day. There's elephants!!! it's Berr!!! Berr should be here but he's resting in the comfortable 10 stars Ryokan. *I'll blog bout it another day why this accommodation is 10 stars* bahahahahaha

The male and female elephants were both holding a Cherry on their trunks :)))
hehehehehe so cute!!! I wanna take them home!!!
JS -_-"
"stop touching those exhibits...can't u read? no touching."

wait!!! there's more sculptures
what animal is this??


and all of them has got cute round fat pinchable bum bums!!!!
Soon we found so many of these animal sculptures at this museum ground.

Themed as Happy Animals Party by Hung Yi, a Taiwanese artist. He used mainly steel frames to create these art pieces. Then the body were shaped according b4 being painted with designs, motifs, numbers, chinese characters on it.

A hollow heart


awwww dun cry...I know JS looks scary but he ain't gonna eat ya!!!
There's water trickling down this sculpture, from its left eye that made it even more real.

Back pain...having to squat down this tunnel to get to the other side...from the dark/black side to the white side

Rabbits sculpture!!!! I want to bring them home!!!! for my Labbit :D:D:D

Mandarin ducks???

a sculpture by the famous Martha Pan on the Koi Pond. She was born in Budapest and bcame a French nationality in her 30's. Budapest is really a beautiful place, I've recommended so many friends to visit it
*Read about our adventure of Budapest here*


a huge Timber pavilion...trust me it's so big there's a playground for kids inside. Designed by Tezuka Architects, this wood timber structure may looked so simple, but a lot of computer structural calculation were put into it bcoz it didn't incorporate a single nail...just traditional wood joints.

amazing eh?


Wat???? Nobody said there's gonna be a Picasso gallery here??? I really couldn't believe me eyes!!!!
*rub once, rub twice....and storm down the hill towards it*


a total of 300 works were on display here under humidity and temperature controlled exhibition hall. No photography was allowed inside...but if u wanna view the works of this Spanish Master, u gotta see them in person.

We've seen his works back in Spain but what I really want to visit now is Provence and Vincent Van Gogh :)))) Vincent Van Gogh!!!!

Momma Sheep Sheep carrying her lil babies :)))
this is so my hobbits's place coz I've got Berr = Elephant, Sheep Sheep = Sheep and Labbit = Rabbit


JS and Monkey below a really huge sphere....it looked small here but it was hung really really high up there. There was a bigger sphere too.

Sculpted by Arnaldo Pomodoro, this italiano work of arts are everywhere around the world. He's famous for Sfera con Sfera = sphere with sphere.


aaaahhh finaly I found this pic...see the small silver hung sphere and the bigger gold one on the slope? Yeah i was so afraid it may roll down the hill....hahahahaha


Then from within the Persimmon tree *with loads of persimmon fruits* I saw her!!!!
Miss Black Power!!!
yes that's the name of this humongous gigantic sculpture.

Created by the late Niki de Saint Phalle in 1968...I later found out that Madamme Niko married Monsieur Tinquely and I stayed opposite his Art Museum when I was working in Switzerland a few months ago. Everyday in a bus, on the way home...I would tell myself...okie okie I must make time to visit this art museum....I must I must.

and each weary day, I sat in the bus half asleep, wanted to die from exhaustion late in the evening/nite. Staring at the closed museum I told myself....I must make time. Sigh..it didn't happen then, so I must plan again next year when I go to Switzerland again. :)


her disproportion body and mis-matched wrapped dress with polka dot were clashing with each other but then this is ART


Then I saw something near Miss Black Power
what is tat on the lawn????


Oh no!!!! did she do this to u???
poor soul~~~~~

More sculptures among the lush greenery of the garden and trees by the mountain side. What a perfect setting. This was the first ope-air museum in Japan :))

see the low clouds covering the mountains?
prollie on clear day u can see Mount Fuji from here...hahahahaha

then we rushed back to our 10 stars Ryokan hahahaha, in time for a slow relaxing hot spring bath and dinner :)))))))) Since it was a 8 minutes walk....we didn't catch the tram hahahaha. Everything is so convenient here at Gora, Hakone.

For  more information, visit:
http://www.hakone-oam.or.jp/english/