Hakone Koi Pond Renovation Project
Hakoneʻs historic pond is a breathtaking expression of Japanese landscape, with a unique construction designed to perfectly reflect the full autumn moon across the water’s surface, offering guests a tranquil moment of harmony between sky and earth from the Moon Viewing Upper House residence veranda (engawa 縁側). Inspired by Japan’s Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, garden features such as the cascading waterfalls, lanterns, and bridges were composed not simply for visual beauty, but to guide guests into a meditative relationship with nature and the shifting seasons.
A Hill-and-Pond Garden (chisen kanshō teien) is a classical Japanese garden style characterized by a central pond surrounded by artificial hills, carefully arranged stones, and plantings that evoke natural landscapes in miniature. Unlike Western pond gardens, which often emphasize symmetry, open vistas, or ornamental displays, Japanese Hill-and-Pond Gardens are asymmetrical and deeply symbolic—designed to be experienced as a journey through nature. While some Japanese gardens are meant to be viewed from a single vantage point, such as from a veranda, the Hill-and-Pond Garden is closely related to the strolling garden (kaiyū-shiki-teien), encouraging visitors to walk its winding paths and encounter evolving scenes. The emphasis is not on spectacle, but on intimate engagement, seasonal change, and the subtle interplay between human presence and natural form.
Fostering Nature Engagement Through Design
At the heart of Japanese garden philosophy is the belief that gardens offer more than visual beauty: they are crafted environments that engage all our senses and renew our sense of being. Garden design is not applied; it is lived—created to awaken sight, sound, scent, touch, memory, and even ambient temperature. This sensory and cognitive richness emerges from centuries of wisdom that honors nature’s forms and invites intentional human participation.
Kurisu’s philosophy underscores the garden’s restorative potential: immersion in nature becomes a form of deeply embodied healing that addresses the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of well‑being. Through subtle material choices—weathered stones, mossy banks, rustling foliage, running water—the garden cultivates an environment that calms anxiety, awakens curiosity, and fosters gentle engagement with the natural world.
Inspired by this philosophy, Hakone’s pond and surrounding garden are composed to lead visitors on a quietly unfolding journey: stepping stones that slow the pace, winding sightlines that reveal hidden views, and asymmetric layouts that mimic the spontaneity of nature. Every element—rock, water, plant, light, shadow—is placed with purpose: to guide attention, evoke presence, and invite discovery.
As guests follow the paths around the pond, they are encouraged to observe the koi gliding beneath floating leaves, hear the ripple of water over stone, feel the dappled light through bamboo and maple, and sense the shifting scent of moss and earth across seasons. This immersive choreography of sensory experience transforms a stroll into a moment of healing alignment—with nature, with heritage, and with oneself.
The Pond as a Living Bridge
For decades, the koi pond has served as more than decoration—it’s a living focal point that draws visitors of all ages into stillness and wonder. Families reminisce of children delighting in feeding koi; visitors have paused, camera in hand, to capture the shimmering shapes beneath stone lanterns and overhanging foliage. In this way, the pond becomes a space of shared experience—where interaction with living creatures and natural elements nurtures calm, curiosity, and renewal.
Historic Roots of Healing Through Landscape
Gardens designed by firms like Kurisu International highlight the restorative power of Japanese garden design—not merely aesthetic beauty, but places for healing, regeneration, and reconnection with self and nature. Though Hakone was established earlier, this same tradition infuses its design: the hill‑and‑pond layout—complete with winding pathways, stone elements, water features, and teahouses—embodies the form of a sanctuary where visitors are gently encouraged to slow down and inhabit the space contemplatively.
Why the Renovation Matters
Over time, the aging pond has developed leaks, is too shallow to support koi safely, and suffers from overheating in summer and debris runoff during winter rains. A full refurbishment is essential not only to preserve this historic garden, but to restore the pond as a vibrant centerpiece where visitors can reconnect with living nature—a place that bridges landscape design and human delight.
By deepening the pond, installing improved shading and filtration, and strengthening the structure, the renovation will help ensure koi thrive—enhancing the vitality and lifelike quality that invites engagement. The upgrades also include ADA‑accessible pathways, so visitors using wheelchairs or walkers may access the pond with ease—but these practical enhancements serve the broader aim of welcoming all visitors into nature’s embrace.
Beyond the infrastructure and koi welfare needs, this renovation is about preserving and renewing a landscape that cultivates mindful attention, restorative presence, and deeper engagement with nature—all while honoring Hakone’s historic significance and its rootedness in Japanese hill‑and‑pond garden tradition. Your support will ensure this living legacy continues to inspire reflection and renewal for generations to come.