Onshi Hakone Park

In 1884, German physician Erwin Balz, who taught medicine at Tokyo University, proposed the Dogashima peninsula as the site for an imperial retreat, recommending it both for its therapeutic hot springs and its natural defensibility. The palace was completed in 1886 for Emperor Meiji's sickly son. Both buildings were heavily damaged in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and eventually demolished or left in disrepair. The property was donated to Kanagawa Prefecture in 1945 and opened to the public the following year. A museum built in 1992 evokes the original Western-style building, and the original stone foundations remain visible in the front yard. From here you can look out over Lake Ashi, with Mt. Fuji visible on clear days.