Hakodate is the largest city in the southern Hokkaido area. With the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen, Hakodate is easily accessible from the Kanto and Tohoku regions, making it easy to enjoy the Hakodate morning market and the night view of Mount Hakodate. Fresh seafood is a must-have souvenir!
Recommended local information on Hakodate. Hakodate is home to tourist attractions such as Goryokaku, Mount Hakodate, and Yunokawa Onsen, tourist events such as the Hakodate Port Festival, Ezashi Oiwake National Convention, and Matsumae Sakura Festival, and local delicacies such as ramen, Genghis Khan, and tomato soup.
As a route connecting Hokkaido and Honshu, the Seikan Liaison Ship used to operate through the Tsugaru Straits between Aomori Prefecture on Honshu and Hokkaido. Today, it has been replaced by the 53.85-km long Seikan Tunnel, which runs about 100 m under the sea. The gateway to Hokkaido is the city of Hakodate, located in the southeastern part of the Watari-jima Peninsula. Hakodate is surrounded by the Tsugaru Straits of the Sea of Japan to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west, and has a thriving fishing industry.
Hakodate enjoys a relatively mild climate for Hokkaido due to the warm currents of the Tsushima Current. The best sightseeing in Hakodate is the night view from Mount Hakodate, one of the three most beautiful night views in Japan and one of the three most beautiful night views in the world. Other tourist attractions in Hakodate include the Motomachi and Suehirocho Important Preservation Districts for Traditional Buildings, the Hakodate Port area, Goryokaku, famous for its fresh fish, Yunokawa Hot Springs, and the Catholic Trappistine Monastery.
A visit to Goryokaku and Shiryokaku, where the monument to the last Shinsengumi member Toshizo Hijikata is located, and a visit to the Trappistine Monastery are the most popular sightseeing spots in Hakodate. It is said that the city of Hakodate smells of squid, and it is even said that no sightseeing tour of Hokkaido would be complete without trying squid somen (squid somen).
Located near Hakodate in the southernmost part of Hokkaido, Matsumae is the warmest town in Hokkaido and is known for its Matsumae pickles. Besides Matsumae pickles, Matsumae Town has other worthwhile sights to see, including Matsumae Castle and the Matsumae Clan Residence of the former Matsumae Clan, as well as the Matsumae Town Museum. In addition to these, Matsumae Park is home to nearly 10,000 cherry trees of 250 varieties, which are in full bloom from April to May.
Similarly, Esashi is located at the southern tip of Hokkaido, facing the Sea of Japan, and one of the most famous sightseeing spots in Esashi is the offshore Kamome-jima Island. Kamome-jima was once called Benten-jima, and the island, blessed with a good natural harbor, is famous throughout Japan for its herring fishing, which was the subject of a folk song, "Ezashi Oiwake.
Thus, it can be said that a sightseeing tour of Hokkaido begins at the southernmost point of Hokkaido, which from the perspective of Honshu is exactly where Hakodate, Matsumae, and Ezashi are located.
Mount Hakodate commands a panoramic view of the city of Hakodate.The observatory at the summit of the 334-meter-high mountain is a popular spot to enjoy the magnificent panorama and beautiful night view. Together with Mt. Maya Sukuseidai in Kobe and Mt. Inasa in Nagasaki, it is one of the "Three Gr...»
Along with the night view from Mt. Hakodate, this slope is often introduced as one of Hakodate's most popular viewing spots.The road continues in a straight line from the top of the hill to the sea, with the ruins of the pier and the former Hakodate ferry Mashu-maru visible directly in front of the ...»
Goryokaku is one of the few Western-style castles built by the Tokugawa Shogunate at the end of the Edo period for the purpose of defending the Ezo region (present-day Hokkaido). It consists of a star-shaped structure surrounded by a water moat and one half-moon fort, inside of which buildings such...»
Mount Hakodate Ropeway connects the foot of Mount Hakodate with its summit.The ropeway can accommodate 125 passengers and reaches the summit, which is 334 meters above sea level, in about 3 minutes. The observatory at the summit is a popular spot where visitors can enjoy a magnificent panorama and ...»
The Kanamori Red Brick Warehouses flourished during the Meiji Era (1868-1912) as the volume of shipping cargo increased. For a time, the existence of these warehouses was threatened due to changes in transportation patterns, but in the late Showa period (1926-1989), they once again came into the lim...»
Goryokaku Tower is a 107-meter-high observation tower adjacent to Goryokaku, a special historic site.The new tower, completed in 2006, has a star-shaped tower body and a pentagonal observation deck in reference to the ridge. The 90-meter observation deck offers a panoramic view of the star-shaped r...»
Matsumae Castle was built in 1606 as Fukuyama Castle by Matsumae Keihiro, the first lord of the Matsumae domain. Although his descendants became the lords of the castle from generation to generation, the castle was under the direct control of the shogunate for 14 years from the 4th year of Bunka (18...»
The Hakodate Magistrate's Office was a government office of the Edo Shogunate established as a base for defending the northern frontier of Japan.Initially located at the foot of Mt. Hakodate, it was relocated in 1864 after the construction of Goryokaku, a five-pointed star-shaped fort surrounded by ...»
Built in 1908, this is a representative Western-style building and a National Important Cultural Property. The interior has the splendor of the Renaissance style and the modernity of the Meiji era. ...»
Motomachi Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church built in 1924. The present building was constructed in 1924. ...»
The elegant hull of this museum ship was once known as the "Queen of the Straits.The ship sailed until 1988, when the Seikan Tunnel was opened to traffic. The ship's wheelhouse and other facilities are open to the public, and the ship's logbook and other valuable documents are on display....»
The oldest Greek Orthodox church in Japan, rebuilt in 1916....»
Founded in 1898 as Japan's first convent for women. Also called Angel Garden.The impressive cathedral, with its brick exterior and semicircular arched windows, is a mixture of Gothic and Romanesque design, and was reconstructed in 1927. The nuns still live a self-sufficient communal life under stri...»
Hakodate St. John's Church is a church with four white walls decorated with a cross and a brown cross-shaped roof. In 1874, an English priest landed in Hakodate and began missionary work.Successive pastors have established schools, hospitals, and other facilities in the city, and have made great ac...»
This botanical garden is located in Hakodate's Yunokawa Hot Springs. Approximately 300 species of tropical plants are planted in the garden. In addition to the greenhouse, there are also facilities such as a playground, footbath, water plaza, and monkey mountain....»
Conveniently located 5 minutes by car (3 km) from Hakodate Airport, and just a short walk from the Hakodate City Tram "Yunokawa Onsen", Yunokawa Onsen is one of Hokkaido's most enjoyable hot springs with a long history. The hot spring resort town is lined with inns and hotels located along the coas...»
Kokkeizan Koryuji Temple is the oldest temple in Hakodate and is located at the foot of Mount Hakodate. Hakodate. With its imposing gate, main hall and other beautiful structures, the temple has an overwhelming presence that overwhelms visitors. Ten of the buildings at Koryuji Temple are registere...»
Ika Meshi rice-stuffed squid is a traditional meal made in Hakodate area. With the tentacles and all innards cut off and taken out, the squid is stuffed with rice and closed with a toothpick to keep the rice from spilling out, before being cooked in a soy sauce-based sauce. Common stuffing ingredien...»
Ika Somen refers to the sashimi of squid cut into thin strips that resemble thin somen wheat flour noodles. In Hokkaido, fresh Japanese flying squid landed at Hakodate Port, with beautifully transparent flesh, is used to make Ika Somen, for its distinctively chewy texture. While it is very popular t...»
Ika Shumai is steamed squid dumplings made with the paste of squid from Hakodate mixed with ground pork filling, and covered with strips of thin shumai flour wrapper. The wrapper strips add an airy, fluffy texture to the dumplings, and hold the soy sauce-based dipping sauce very well. As the squid p...»
Kasu Ika refers to pickled squid in sake lees, a traditional delicacy of winter in Hokkaido, where very fresh squid is available. The plump squid, filled with the tentacles, are pickled in quality sake lees to enhance its taste and flavour. Cut it into rounds and have them as they are, or garnish th...»
Try the sashimi to understand the authentic taste of squid – is what people say in Hokkaido, where fresh squid is available in abundance. Every bite of the fresh raw squid is accompanied by the crunchy, chewy texture, and the natural sweetness of the beautifully transparent flesh. Spear squid and Ja...»
Nishin (pacific herring) is a specialty of Esa village in Hokkaido. Migaki Nishin (dried pacific herring) is cooked in sugar and soy sauce and is added on the top of the Soba. Nishin has been caught a lot in Esa village and been sent to Honshu (Japan’s main island) from the time of edo period (1603-...»