Lake Ashi Lounge
The Lake Ashi Lounge offers a place to relax while enjoying the landscape facing the large lake that is the symbol of Hakone. Immediately outside the windows is Hana no Hiroba (“Flower Field”), where different flowers bloom in every season, including violets and Fuji cherry blossoms in spring, sansho-bara (Rosa hirtula) roses in May and June, and various kinds of thistles later in summer. There is a bird-feeding station nearby. Winged visitors include the dusky thrush (tsugumi), distinguished by its dark brown back and wings and white belly with black dots, and the Japanese grosbeak (ikaru), which is gray with a black head and a bright yellow bill.
On a clear day, Mt. Kanmuri can be seen towering over the landscape on the far left. One of the newest mountains in Hakone, it was formed some 3,000 years ago, when a massive volcanic eruption caused the collapse of neighboring Mt. Kami. Flows of lava molded a new peak with a distinctive shape. Seen from the Lounge windows, and with a little imagination, Mt. Kanmuri looks like a bear surveying its lofty surroundings. The mountain’s brush-covered slopes change appearance with the seasons, turning especially colorful in spring and summer.