View from the summit
Hakodate is famous for its night view, which contrasts beautifully with the city lights and the jet-black sea.
In spring, the view is often shrouded in a sea of clouds, and in summer, it is often foggy.
In autumn, the air is clearer on many clear days, so you can often see far into the distance.
In winter, you can see snow and illumination competing with each other.
During the day, on clear days, you can see not only the city of Hakodate below, but also the Shimokita Peninsula across the Tsugaru Straits in the distance.
Mountaintop Observatory
The three-story summit observatory, which includes a ropeway stop, has an observation lounge with a great view, an indoor lounge where visitors can take a break, a restaurant, an event hall, and a store.
Mount Hakodate
Mount Hakodate, also known as "Gagyuzan" (literally "lying cow mountain"), is made up of a chain of 12 mountains that look like a cow lying down.
It was originally a large island formed by undersea volcanic ejecta.
Approximately 5,000 years ago, a sandbar was formed by the accumulation of sediments that had been scoured and washed away by ocean currents and wind and rain, and the island was connected to the Watashima Peninsula by a land bridge.
The central city of Hakodate is located on this sandbar.
From 1898, the island was used as a military fortress and was off limits to civilians.
It was dismantled after the end of World War II in 1945, but traces of the war still remain, including gun batteries, a power station, and an observation post, and some of the remaining facilities can be visited.
Since the area has been off-limits for so long, nature has been preserved, and Mt. Hakodate is a treasure trove of nature, home to approximately 600 species of plants and 150 species of wild birds.
It is also famous as a resting place for migratory birds.