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A Rainy Day in Hakone: Pola Museum or the Open-Air Museum?

For steady rain, the Pola Museum of Art offers a day centred on indoor galleries. If you would enjoy walking a garden between light showers, consider the Hakone Open-Air Museum. A museum in Hakone does not necessarily mean an entirely indoor day.

The entrance to the Pola Museum of Art in autumn

Rather than squeezing in two museums in bad weather, leave room for one museum, lunch and the journey back to your accommodation. That also means less time waiting for another bus in wet clothes.

Choose by the weather and the art you want to see

Museum Best suited to Adult admission
Pola Museum of Art Indoor paintings and temporary exhibitions ¥2,200 standard / ¥2,000 advance
Hakone Open-Air Museum Outdoor sculptures with indoor exhibitions ¥2,000 at the counter / ¥1,800 online

Pola advance tickets are available from outlets listed in its official guide, including Hakone-Yumoto and Gora stations. Do not assume a station advance ticket and an online ticket are the same product; use the price shown for the ticket you are buying. The Open-Air Museum’s ¥1,800 online adult ticket saves ¥200 against the counter price. Follow the conditions for your chosen ticket rather than assuming discounts can be combined.

At Pola, plan the return bus as well

Pola opens from 9am to 5pm, with last admission at 4:30pm. Ordinary individual visits do not require a reservation. The free shuttle from Gora Station takes around eight minutes. Its current timetable lists the final museum-to-Gora departure at 4:50pm, so decide how to return before staying until closing.

The shuttle does not run at the same frequency all day, and there are gaps around midday. Match your arrival at Gora to the official timetable. The former TP bus route directly from Hakone-Yumoto has ended; older travel articles may still describe it.

The museum lists full closures on December 1, 2026, and April 8–26, 2027. Exhibition Room 3 is scheduled to close on December 2 and 3. If those dates overlap your trip, read the opening notice before settling on a museum day.

The Open-Air Museum still involves outdoor walking

Sculptures in the gardens of the Hakone Open-Air Museum

There are indoor exhibitions, but walking among the garden sculptures is a large part of the visit. In driving rain, choosing it as an indoor refuge can leave you spending more time under an umbrella than expected. Wear shoes with grip and bring a bag for wet outer layers.

Opening hours are 9am to 5pm, with last admission at 4:30pm, year-round. The amount of text involved varies by exhibition, and companions who prefer looking to reading can spend time with the works themselves.

A half-day with room to linger

Travel to the museum in the morning, see the exhibitions, have lunch, then return to your accommodation or spend a little time around Gora. This is a suggested half-day shape, not a fixed viewing time. An unhurried stop in front of a favourite work is part of the reason to come.

With a large suitcase, do not rely on finding a museum locker that fits. Consider leaving it at your hotel first. A morning arrival at Hakone-Yumoto also gives you the option of the same-day hotel luggage service. Once the return journey is settled, start with the exhibition you most want to see rather than watching the clock.

Information checked: October 5, 2026.

Official information
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