The Hill and Pond Garden was created for strolling. The pond is set on the slope from which a waterfall can drop into the lake below. This is the classical setting for a Chisen Kaiyu Shiki, or hill and pond style garden. This style reached great popularity by the 17th century. This garden was completed in 1918 and is the heart of Hakone. As you stroll the twisting paths surrounding the pond, you will discover the power of aesthetic form underlying the enchanting views. The ike, or pond, is meant to represent the sea, lake, pond or river in nature. As in Japanese Gardens throughout Japan, the natural shapes are celebrated for their simple elegance and stone-arranged beauty along the banks and waterfalls. An early form of the pond and stone arranged gardens are from the Kamakura period (1185-1336) and were the products of the sekiritsu, or stone arranging priests, who belonged to the Shingon sect of Buddhism.

The stroll garden became popular during the Tokugawa feudal system instituted at the beginning of the 17th century. The shogunal family was dominant at the peak of this late feudal society, and below them resided the daimyo, or feudal lords, subordinate to them were the samurai, less wealthy and powerful. This period in Japanese history, the Edo Period (1603-1867), is embodied in Hakone's garden design and architecture.

When viewing Hakone's hill, ponds and waterfalls from a distance, one observes the sublime beauty of replicating natural scenery using the technique of shakkei, or borrowed scenery, which employs the art of "borrowing" distant landscapes as an integral part of garden design.

The natural stone borders and the reassuring sounds of the running water are broken by the fanciful stones standing in midstream near the waterfall. These stones are set to simulate a stream coursing down a valley. To make the stone group appealing, the bare exposure of the cascade is avoided with clumps of vegetation embedded under the waterfalls.