Kon’nichiwa!
The only place to buy the iconic black eggs of Hakone is by going to the Owakudani volcano valley! This is where you’ll find a black egg shop that sells 4 black eggs for 500 yen (US$4). Cash only.
In Japanese, black eggs are called “kuro tamago.” This literally translates to “black egg.”
Black eggs are unique to Owakudani. They are boiled in Owakudani’s volcanic onsen (hot spring) water, which has properties that naturally make the egg shells turn black. It is Owakudani’s specific type of water that causes this to happen.
You’ll find “onsen eggs” in onsen towns across Japan, where they boil eggs in onsen water. But the eggs don’t turn black since the water they are cooked in lacks the volcanic minerals that create the black color. Also unlike typical onsen eggs in Japan (which are not fully cooked), the black eggs of Hakone are fully cooked on the inside.
When I first heard about these eggs boiled in onsen water, I figured that they wouldn’t be fully cooked. I like my eggs fully cooked so I didn’t think I’d be trying them. So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that they were fully cooked eggs. This meant that I could eat them… and have my life extended by 7 years! 😆
That’s what they say will happen if you eat Hakone’s black eggs: “Your life span will be prolonged for 7 years.”
Below I will show you how you can do some black egg things in Hakone!
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PLAN YOUR HAKONE TRIP > Hakone Loop map | Odawara Station map
The best way to get to the black egg shop is by taking the Hakone Ropeway to Owakudani so you’ll get iconic views on your way there!
One of the popular ways to do the ropeway is through the 2-day or 3-day Hakone pass (if you want to do the full Hakone loop, with transportation included from Tokyo) or the Owakudani pass (if you only want to go to Owakudani, with transportation included from Tokyo or Odawara.)
The route from Gora to Owakudani that’s included in both passes is a cable car from Gora to Sounzan, and then the ropeway from Sounzan to Owakudani. Sounzan Station is a spot that you can do a free foot onsen in Hakone!
So once you arrive at Owakudani, it’s not that big of an area, so it won’t take long to find the black egg shop. You will see signs.
👆 But first you’ll probably see the massive black egg statue. You really can’t miss it. There are 2 big black egg statues that I saw. Off in the distance here, it seems that you would be able to see Mount Fuji if it’s a clear day. Since it wasn’t a clear day for me, no Mount Fuji to be seen here, though!
👆 The black eggs in Hakone cost 500 yen (US$4) for a set of 4 eggs. You can only buy the eggs as a set. You can’t buy them individually.
👆 There’s a sign with how the black eggs are made: The eggs are boiled carefully for about 60 minutes at about 80C (176F) in an onsen hot spring pond.
👆 This is one way to get to the black egg shop. The spot to buy the black eggs is a separate register in the souvenir shop. There’s a big sign. If you see a long line for the eggs, it’s okay. The line moves quickly. I hate standing in line so when I saw the long line I was like ugh. But it was pretty fast. Have your 500 yen ready to go!
👆 You can only pay for the black eggs in cash, and eat the eggs within a day.
👆 Once you’ve bought your special volcanic black eggs, you can head outside to eat them. There are benches, and there are even little seats that look like black eggs.
👆 Don’t miss seeing the Hello Kitty black egg! It’s at one of the shop entrances.
👆 You can buy black egg themed souvenirs and gifts at the Owakudani Kurotamago-kan shop.
👆 There are cute little black egg souvenirs you can buy too.
👆 You can get more information about the famous Owakudani black eggs aka kuro tamago.
JAPAN TRAVEL > HAKONE TRAVEL TIPS