Anime location
Owakudani & Lake Ashi
The caldera and lake that Evangelion places its fortress city in — real landmarks, unchanged.
Evangelion sets its city on Hakone, and the correspondence is literal: Lake Ashi and the Owakudani valley appear in the series under their real shapes. Reaching them is an ordinary tourist route — the Hakone Tozan railway and ropeway from Hakone-Yumoto — which means the pilgrimage doubles as a normal day in a hot spring region.
Why it is worth it
You can stand in the caldera and be in an onsen the same afternoon. Few pilgrimages combine that well with an ordinary trip.
When to go
Busiest in autumn foliage season. The ropeway suspends in high wind or elevated volcanic gas, so check operating status the morning you go.
Good to know
Buy the Hakone Free Pass rather than individual tickets — it covers the train, ropeway and boat. Evangelion collaborations with local transport and shops run on and off; check what is on for your dates.
Evangelion
Lake Ashi and the Owakudani valley appear in the series under their real shapes.