Hokkaido, Japan · City, Sea / Beach
A historic port city famous for its night views from Mount Hakodate and its morning seafood market.
Train — Shinkansen to Hakodate from Honshu, or a direct flight
The 107-metre tower is the only place from which the star plan of the 1864 fortress reads properly, scene of the 1868 battle of Hakodate, the last episode of the Boshin War and of the short-lived Republic of Ezo. Inside the grounds you can visit the magistrate's hall, rebuilt with traditional techniques and completed in 2010.
Hakodate is the birthplace of salt ramen, against Sapporo's miso and Asahikawa's shoyu: a clear pork and chicken broth with thin, straight noodles. It is the city's cheapest and most accessible speciality.
One of the three most famous night views in Japan, cable car included.
An alley of some twenty-six stalls of eight or ten seats beside the station, rebuilt in 2005: yakitori, ramen and seafood. It is much smaller and more intimate than its Sapporo equivalents.
From August 1 to 5, fixed dates. It opens with fireworks over the harbour and continues with the squid dance parades, where anyone can join the choreography: it is one of the few Japanese matsuri explicitly open to visitors.
A burger chain founded in 1987 with seventeen outlets, all in Hakodate and its surroundings, each with a different themed decor. Its Chinese chicken burger was voted the best local burger in Japan and does not exist outside the area.
Freshly caught sea urchin, crab, and salmon, for breakfast.
In Motomachi, inside the former Bank of Japan branch, with a collection on the Ainu, Nivkh, Uilta and other peoples of the northern Pacific. It is the best cultural counterweight to a visit focused on the Westernised port, and it is worth remembering that these are living peoples, not extinct folklore.
It is in the town of Nanae, half an hour by train, not in Hakodate. The cycling circuit of about fourteen kilometres rings the lake with the Komagatake volcano behind, and the trails between the islets take under an hour on foot. In winter there is ice fishing and snowshoeing.
Two lines in service since 1913 connecting Yunokawa, the station, Daimon and the warehouse district. There are one- and two-day passes that pay for themselves in three rides.
A cliff south of Mount Hakodate with open views over the Pacific, free and almost without tourists, the exact opposite of the crush at the ropeway.
A five-pointed, star-shaped fortress with an observation tower and cherry blossoms in spring.
A microbrewery with the tanks in view and local cooking beside the harbour: a good evening refuge near the warehouses.
Through December until Christmas, a giant tree floating on the water of the bay, an annual gift from the twin city of Halifax, with a daily lighting and a Christmas market.
A cluster of 19th-century port warehouses by the bay, converted into shops, a craft brewery, and live music venues.
Yunokawa is one of the three great onsen of Hokkaido and lies within the city, half an hour by streetcar. Beside the stop there is a free public foot bath for anyone not staying the night.
Active shrines on the slope of Mount Hakodate, quiet and with stairways and views. They complement the Motomachi churches in explaining the syncretism of a port open to foreigners.
A former brick post office from 1911 converted into an arcade of shops selling glass, music boxes and teddy bears. The building is handsome and the contents very commercial: worth knowing in advance.
A church with Byzantine domes founded in 1859 by Russian clergy, Japan's first Orthodox church and a symbol of the Motomachi district.
The summer meeting is held between June and July. Warning: these are horse races with betting, in case you would rather not take part in events involving animals.
Sloping streets lined with Western-style architecture from the Meiji era.
Next to Goryokaku, with a collection strong in calligraphy and in the art of southern Hokkaido.
From December to early May, some ninety Japanese macaques bathe in undiluted thermal water. An honest warning: this is an enclosed display, not a wild population like the one at Jigokudani, and the bath is opened during the hours the park sets. If animal welfare matters to you, it is worth knowing before going.
Lakes dotted with small islands beside Mount Komagatake, a short train ride from Hakodate.
A seaside hot spring district with more than 400 years of history, with free hot-water foot baths overlooking Hakodate Bay.
Japan's first Catholic convent for women, founded in 1898 by French Trappistine nuns, known for its garden and its handmade dairy products and butter.
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