This city is a hidden gem located on the Southern tip of Hokkaido, Japan’s Northern island. Up until recent years, main form of transport to the city for tourists were through a 3.5 hour train ride from Sapporo or an overnight ferry ride from Aomori. In recent years, the local government has been investing in bringing more tourists to the city. There has been a new Shinkansen bullet train service connecting Hakodate to Tokyo, and Hakodate airport has been opened up to some international flights from Asia, making the city more easily accessible. I highly recommend visiting this city as it gives you an insight into local lifestyle in Japan and is not as full of tourists as more popular cities.
Living in the city for six months on student exchange, I still think of this city as my third home. Being the hardworking person I am, I barely studied and spent most of my time doing exploration trips on bike by myself or with other students. It’s a tiny city but there are sooo many beautiful places to explore there! The city also has a unique history evident in it’s interesting mix of Western and Japanese architecture.
In this guide:
Must see attractions
Must eat foods
Fun things to do
Get to know the locals
Seasons to visit
Accommodation
Must see
For those who have only 1 or 2 days in the city, it is possible to do everything listed in this section within one full day. Though for people who are fond of the small town atmosphere, I’d recommend you spend 3-5 days to take your time to explore and meet locals. Hakodate is one of the most laid-back cities in Japan and would be a great place to relax in.
Goryoukaku Gardens 五稜郭公園
This beautiful star shaped park is quite a sight from a bird’s eye point of view at the Goryokaku Tower that stands just above the park. If you’re planning to see Japan’s famed cherry blossoms but can’t make it in the beginning of April, fret not the cherry blossoms bloom a lot later in Hokkaido due to the cold weather. Around late April and early May, the gardens hosts views to some of the most beautiful cherry blossoms of the country.
The garden is fortified by a canal, and during the warmer months you can rent a boat and row all around it. In the centre of the park is a replica of the former magistrate office and there’s a small museum in there that tells you about the history of how it was used as a fort during the Boshin war.
To get to the gardens, it is best to go to the Goryokaku Kouen Mae tram stop, then walk 10 minutes from there to the park.
Goryokaku Tower address: 43-9 Goryokakucho, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0001
Akarenga Red brick Warehouse 赤レンガ
Back in the 19th century, it was a warehouse for trade, and is pretty significant as one of Japan’s first ports to open up to international trade after a period of Isolationist foreign policy enforced by the Tokugawa shogunate. The facade of the building has been preserved while the inside has been renovated into a hipster mall selling sweets, souvenirs and soft toys.
The Akarenga warehouse is just along the water with views of Hokuto situated on the other side of the bay and is a nice place to stroll around. You can easily walk to Akarenga from the Asaichi fish markets if you stop there for breakfast first. (I will tell you more about the fish markets below.)
The walk will take roughly 20 minutes, or you can also take the tram to Jujigai tram stop and have a shorter 5 minute walk from there.
Address: 13-9 Suehirocho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0053
Motomachi 元町
This is where your interesting mix of architectures are all centred. Right in front of Motomachi park, you’ll find the colonial style Old Public Hall where important guests like the Japanese royalty have stayed at. Not to far from this building is the Hakodate Orthodox Church, a symbol of the Russian cultural influence on the city. Further uphill from these two Western buildings, you’ll find the smalll Funatama shrine to remind you that you’re still in Japan.
For those that like to explore: If you want to see a beautiful Japanese shrine while in Hakodate, head further South from Motomachi and you’ll find Hachimangu Shrine. It is roughly a 30 minute walk from Motomachi, and quite idyllic as you pass through Hakodate Park as well. Alternatively, you can catch the tram to the Yachigashira station and walk 10 minutes from there.
Motomachi is a 10-15 minute walk from Akarenga Warehouse, or a 7 minute walk from the Suehiro-cho tram stop. The walk to Motomachi does go slightly uphill, and hence you’ll be rewarded with lovely views of the bay area when you get to the top.
Old Public Hall address: 11-13 Motomachi, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0054
Orthodox Church address: 3-13 Motomachi, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0054
Hachimangu Shrine address: 2-5 Yachigashiracho, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0046
Mt Hakodate Night Views 函館山夜景
The locals say the night views from Mt Hakodate are worth a million dollars. Well I wouldn’t really put a price tag on it, but it sure is pretty. You can do a short 1 hour hike up the mountain from the Motomachi area, or alternatively you can go up the mountain via the ropeway. Though I always feel the view is so much more breathtaking when you do the hike up. (Half because you are actually out of breath, and half because you feel like you’ve achieved so much more.)
Ropeway address: 19- 17 Motomachi, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0054
Directions for hike:
From Mt Hakodate Ropeway, continue straight up the hill on Nanbu Zakka Street
Make an immediate left turn at Higurashi Dori
On the next street in front of Saranotsuki restaurant, make a right turn
Continue along the road until you see greenery and signs for Hakodate Gezan Michi road.
From here you will be able to start your hike to the top of Mt Hakodate.
Must eat
Asaichi Fish Markets 朝市
This morning fish market brings you some of the freshest seafood sashimi you’ll ever taste! You can get a bowl of seafood for breakfast as cheap as 500 yen from Nibankan Shokudo. But if you’re willing to splurge a bit more, I’d recommend you try out some squid sashimi.
Squid, is the mascot for Hakodate, and there’s even an entire song and dance made around squids. (Ask a friendly local if they’d dance it for you!) At the Asaichi markets, you can even try catching your own squid in a pond and get them to prepare it fresh for you. If you’re feeling brave, try the dancing squid bowl; you can pour soya sauce over freshly prepared squid sashimi which will seemingly bring the squid back to life as it waltz around in your bowl.
The market opens daily from 7am but closes at 3pm, so make sure you get there before 1pm if you plan to go for lunch. Eating raw seafood for breakfast might seem a little weird if you come from the Western world, but go ahead try something new, the freshness of the seafood just might change your mind!
The Asaichi Market is right next to the Hakodate train station and should be easy to get to in the morning if you’re staying at one of the many nearby hotels. If you plan to stay in the Yunokawa resort spa area, you can get there via a 10-15 minute taxi ride or get on the tram to Hakodate Eki Mae station.
Nibankan Shokudo address: 9-10 Wakamatsucho, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0063
Sabou Kikuizumi 茶房菊泉
Hakodate is full of many chic hidden cafes. Stroll around or rent a bike and ride around the city and see if you can spot them! Out of all the different cafes I’ve been to though, I’ve got to say this is my favourite one. The traditional sweets they offer have just the right amount of sweetness. Plus, they’re just in between the Old Public Hall and the Hakodate Orthodox Church. It’s a nice place to take a break at if you’re exploring the Motomachi area.
Address: 14-5 Motomachi, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0054
Lucky Pierro ラッキーピエロ
This is a burger franchise that only exists in Hakodate. It’s basically American fast food with a Japanese twist to it. But unlike McDonald’s, you’re eating real meat and real veggies. Their most popular burger is the Chinese Chicken Burger- not that the chicken is cooked in a Chinese style, it’s chicken deep fried and covered teriyaki sauce. They also have some shakes, my favourite being their Sesame shake.
If you’re more keen on trying more Japanese style kind of food though, try an Omurice (Omlette wrapped around fried rice) or the curry dishes. Sushi is probably the first thing that pops into your head when you think of Japanese food, but these would be more everyday type of food a typical Japanese person might eat.
There’s Lucky Pierros all over the city, there’s one next to Goryokaku Gardens, close to where the Goryokaku Tower is. There’s another one just along the water with beautiful views of the bay at Akarenga. This is a good place to stop for a snack or budget lunch.
Goryokaku Gardens branch: 30- 1 4 Goryokakucho, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0001
Akarenga branch: 14-17 Suehirocho, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0053
Milk from the Supermarket
You can walk into any supermarket or convenience store and get the world’s best milk. I know there a lot of asian patisseries that like to advertise the fact they use “Hokkaido milk”, and I certainly see why they do that now. Forget every other milk you’ve tasted up to date, you’ll never be able to go back to normal milk once you’ve tried Hokkaido milk. It is very creamy, but more than anything, the flavour of milk is so much stronger than any other milk I’ve tried. Try it and you’ll know what I mean.
Make sure you buy a carton of milk that has the characters「 函館 」written on it because that would be the fresh local produce. The best tasting milk would have to be the ones in the glass bottles however. You better hurry if you want to buy one though! They tend to be sold out pretty quickly. Additionally, the milk sold in these glass bottles are so fresh that if you don’t finish it on the day, the flavour actually tastes different the next day. What I mean by that is the strong milky flavour diminishes slighlty.
Fun things to do!
The Milk Farm 函館牛乳あいす１１８
If you really like your milk and are one of those people who’d actually order milk at a bar, then you absolutely have to check out the milk farm nearby Hakodate airport. You’re not allowed to wander around the farm, but there is an outlet store where you can purchase a freshly made soft serve and milk nomihoudai, which in other words is an all you can drink milk deal that lasts for two hours.
This one is slightly harder to get to than most attractions on this page. It’s about 10 minutes by car from the airport or 25 minutes if you’re coming from the city centre. The best way to get here would be via taxi. Though the people of Hakodate are very friendly, so if you a befriend a local or two at the bar, I won’t be surprised if one of them offers you a lift. Alternatively, if you’re up for the exercise, you can rent a bike and cycle out an hour from the city centre like I did, it’s a little tough with quite a bit of a hill to go up as you’re reaching the farm.
Address: 118 Nakanocho, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 042-0912
Yunokawa Hot Springs 湯の川温泉
Yunokawa hot springs gives you the best of both worlds- a steaming mineral bath while looking out to the cold sea! You can choose to stay overnight here for this unique experience, if not some hotels allow the option of paying just for the hot spring experience without staying for the night. Have a walk around and look for the monkey pool where these adorable critters are also enjoying a hot bath.
If you’ve made a trip to the milk farm, especially if you did so on bike, I’d suggest you stop by the Yunokawa hot springs on your way back. You can relax in the public baths and let the mineral waters run over your exhausted muscles. If you’re on a student budget like I was and don’t think you can afford to go into the hot springs, you can dip your feet into this public foot bath instead. Be warned, the water is pretty hot!
If you’re getting there via public transport, you can catch the tram to Yunokawa Onsen station.
Hiking & Cycling
From Hakodate, you can access much of the unspoilt nature of Hokkaido. Exploring the city and surrounding areas on bike is definitely better than taking public transport around. I’ve got a list of accommodations below that provides free bikes/ has bike for rent. Alternatively, you can also rent bikes at the Akarenga warehouse.
For hiking in nature, one of the more famous national parks around Hakodate would be Onuma. From the park you can see the volcano, Mt Komagatake in all it’s glory. You can choose to come here on a day trip, or you can camp around the park as well.
To get to Onuma, renting a car would be the most hassle free way of getting there (or you could hitchhike too!) Otherwise, there is a JR train from Hakodate Station to Onuma Koen Station. It’s only a 45 minute ride on the limited express train or 1 hours if you take the local train.
Get to know the Locals!
The Hakodate locals are super friendly and very laid back compared the hustling stressed Tokyo-siders. You’d probably run into lots of lovely people as you explore the town, but if you want some tips on getting to know locals real well, here’s some places you can visit.
Night Life at Gossip Lounge
This is as close to a club as you’d find in this small town, but everyone in the bar are always incredibly friendly. Most bars in Japan are enclosed in a square box so rather than socialising with strangers, you go there to have good times with friends or colleagues.
Gossip Lounge is perhaps one of the places where the layout is more open with bar stools and sofas that invite strangers to chat. There is a space for some dancing, but often not much dancing happens since most Japanese people are a little more shy. However if you take to the floor and bust out some moves, somebody is sure to join you. Everyone from the staff to the customers are very welcoming and you’d be sure to make a couple of friends, if not becoming friends with the entire bar.
The main bar is 2 minutes away from the Goryokaku Kouen Mae tram stop. From street level there will be a Donburi restaurant, to get to the bar, you’ll need to go up to Level 3 for the entrance. Alternatively, if you just want food, they have also opened up a restaurant at the Asaichi fish markets. It’ll also be the only thing open if you decide to go to the fish markets for dinner.
Gossip Lounge Address: KH Building 3F, 30-17 Honcho, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0011
Gossip Restaurant Address: 11-16 Wakamatsucho, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0063
Cafe Kitchen Ohana カフェキッチンオハナ
If you wanted to do a homestay, but haven’t got the chance to, coming to this cafe will come pretty close to that! Entering this restaurant, you’ll see it’s been decorated to be something out of Hawaii, and the food reflects this too. Hitomi, the owner of the restaurant, whom has been nicknamed Ohana Mama by international students, is one of the sweetest ladies you’ll ever meet.
Upon entering, you’d feel right at home, she’s always up for good conversation and prepares her food with so much care. Food prepared with love tastes so much better than whatever you can get at a 5 star 3 hats Michelin restaurant, and you’ll know that for sure when you visit Ohana. (If you’ve never watched Lilo & Stitch before, Ohana means family.)
Ohana is a 15 minute walk away from Goryokaku Gardens, and about 7 minutes away from the Goryokaku Kouen Mae tram stop. If you continue down the street where the tramway runs, it shouldn’t be too hard to find.
Address: 33 Honcho, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido 040-0011
Seasons to visit
Hakodate is a beautiful place to visit in all seasons. Mid April to late October would probably be the best times to visit for those who would like to avoid the cold.
Spring in Hakodate brings you some of the most beautiful cherry blossom views with slightly smaller touristic crowds in comparison to major cities. Due to the cold weather in the North, Cherry blossoms bloom a little later than the rest of Japan around the end of April and beginning of May. Gorykaku Gardens as mentioned at the top of the page is a must visit during this time. If you want to see even more or these beautiful flowers, from there you can head to Hakodate Park which will have more. There are often pop up stores set up selling street food around this time as well.
During summer, all across Japan, there are many festivals, and Hakodate is no exception. During summer, there are lots of firework shows displayed over the water in the bay area and can be seen from Akarenga or close to Hakodate station. My favourite festival has to be the World Dance and Music Festival (Kokusai Minzoku Geijutsusai), where they invite performers and food vendors from all over the world to put on a show .
Another advantage of being in Hokkaido in summer is that it avoids “tsuyu”, summer rains that plagues the country hence there is a lot less humidity than the rest of Japan.
In autumn, you will see the city covered in beautiful red, orange, yellow leaves. These autumn leaves will pop up around Hokkaido a lot earlier than the rest of Japan as it is colder than the rest of the country. Leaves start yellowing around mid or late September. However, the best time to see the trees in these bright colours would be in October. Autumn is perhaps one of the best times to go hiking around Hakodate as the weather is cooler and the scenery is spectacular.
If you want to see snow, Hokkaido is definitely the place to be in winter! Most visitors will often go skiing or to Sapporo for the Snow festival. Hakodate serves as a good place to stop in between if you plan on getting on a bullet train from Hokkaido to Tokyo. You will also be able to escape the tourist crowds here and enjoy the snowy landscapes in peace. In December, there will be christmas illuminations around the bay area which looks pretty close to the Christmas market setting in Europe. If you’re here in winter time, I’ll also recommend making a trip to Yunokawa hot springs to warm up.
Accommodation
House Cocoa
This Guest House is run by one of the sweetest guys ever, Chan-chan as nicknamed by the international student group. Chan-chan is from Korea but has been living in Hakodate for a couple of years after falling in love with the city during his exchange program. (Yeah, we were actually classmates.) He’ll definitely make your stay in Hakodate feel very warm and homey if you do decide to stay at one of the rental guest houses he manages now.
Yunokawa Rental House Cocoa
This rental house is located in the Yunokawa hot springs area and is a good place to wind down after a day of exploring Hakodate. You can go out to one of the public baths (ask Chan-chan which ones best) and sit by the seaside to relax.
Goryokaku Guest House Cocoa
This one is a lot closer to the city centre and not far away from the Goryokaku gardens. Definitely stay here if you’re in Hakodate during the cherry blossom season (late April to start of May) so you’ll be the first one into the gardens if you rise nice and early. And on the plus side, you’ll be an easy walk away from GOSSIP lounge where you can mingle with some locals!