Neon Genesis Evangelion: Hakone as Tokyo-3

In the story, Tokyo-3 is a fortress city whose construction was meant to start in 2006, aiming for 2015, as Japan's future capital. It stands on the north shore of Lake Ashi near Sengokuhara and houses the headquarters of NERV. The new town is laid out as a grid around Sengokuhara, ringed by an old town, and the series turns the district into a city of tall buildings. The real Sengokuhara is a district of about 22 km2 in the northern part of the Hakone caldera.

Location precision: Tokyo-3 exists only in the story; the pin marks Sengokuhara, which the series places it near.

The wide view of the city in episode 2 is taken from Mount Kintoki, and the Rebuild DVD credits it as the 'Shin-Kintokiyama lookout'. The mountain is the northernmost peak of the Hakone caldera. From the Hakone side the walk from the Sengoku bus stop takes about 90 minutes, so this is the one stop on the route that asks for a hike.

Visitor guidance: From the Hakone side it is about a 90-minute walk from the Sengoku bus stop.

A Hakone Tozan train standing at Hakone-Yumoto is destroyed in a bombardment, in both the original series and the Rebuild films. The real Hakone-Yumoto is where every Hakone Tozan Line train starts, and Odakyu Romancecar limited expresses run here straight from Shinjuku, so it is also the usual gateway for anyone coming to Hakone from Tokyo.

Visitor guidance: Odakyu Romancecar limited expresses run here from Shinjuku.

Tōgendai Central Station is the land gateway to Tokyo-3 and also a staff entrance to NERV, with inclines and cable cars to the Geofront leaving from its underground platform. Its real namesake is Tōgendai Station, the Hakone Ropeway terminal where the Lake Ashi cruise boats call. From 10 January 2020, for a limited period, the station carried the sub-name 'Tokyo-3 Station'.

Location precision: The anime's station is fictional; the pin marks the real Tōgendai Station of the same name.

Visitor guidance: Tōgendai is the Hakone Ropeway terminal; Lake Ashi cruise boats call here.

In episode 23, Rei's Unit-00 self-destructs and Tokyo-3 is ruined; the city floods and joins Lake Ashi. UN warships are also shown anchored on the lake, and the Moto-Hakone children's park holds a battery of ship turrets. The real Lake Ashi is a crater lake in the caldera of Mount Hakone, where pleasure boats and ferries styled after sailing warships operate.

Visitor guidance: Pleasure boats and ferries operate on the lake; several are styled after sailing warships.