An inspirational new attraction is coming to Hakone, the highland resort in Kanagawa Prefecture renowned as a stomping ground for the rich and famous. In addition to its luxury hotels and ryokan, the curative powers of its spa water and astoundingly beautiful scenery, Hakone will soon offer another attraction -- a new museum housing Japan's most extensive collection of Rene Lalique, the legend of jewelry and glass design.
Situated in the unspoiled Sengokuhara Heights area, the Lalique Museum, Hakone, which opens March 19, covers the entire oeuvre of the French artist, from jewelry and glassworks to interior decoration.
Lalique occupies a unique position in the history of art, having bridged the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was also greatly influenced by the aesthetic cult of Japonisme, which had a great impact on European design at the end of the 19th century.