Hakodate: live squid at the morning market, the church slopes, the star-shaped fort and the night view
The first port city opened to the West, at the southern tip of Hokkaido: a market where you fish a squid out of the tank and eat it, a district of churches on a slope with a view of the sea, a star fort from the 19th century, and by ropeway, one of Japan's three great night views.
A day in Hakodate, the first port city opened to the West, at the southern tip of Hokkaido. You start the morning at the market next to the station, ride the tram to the star-shaped fort, and stay on the same line to its end, to the foot bath in Yunokawa. From there the tram takes you back to the bay area for lunch, the brick warehouses and the slopes of Motomachi. In the afternoon a break at the hotel, and in the evening a ropeway up Mount Hakodate, whose station is at the foot of Motomachi, and a meal in the alley next to the station. All rides are on the tram, ¥250 to ¥300 a ride: the one-day pass, ¥800, pays off from the third ride.
The day on a map
8 stops, in order
- Stops
- 8
- Walking minutes
- 22
- Hakodate Morning Market, then Train 35 min
- Goryokaku, then Train 25 min
- Yunokawa Onsen, then Train 42 min
- Lunch break in the bay area, then Walk 3 min
- Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses on the harbor, then Walk 10 min
- Motomachi, then Walk 9 min
- Mount Hakodate Ropeway, then Train 20 min
- Dinner near the station
The same stops with the same numbers, and the way from stop to stop. On a phone it opens in the app, and that is what you navigate with in Japan. Pin names on the map are in Hebrew.
On Shabbat: Motomachi and the slopes, the churches from outside, the brick warehouses and the harbor: all free and within walking distance of the hotels near the station. The morning market, the fort and the ropeway cost money and need the tram, save them for another day.
Getting there: From Tokyo: the Hokkaido Shinkansen to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto (4 hours) and a 20-minute train into the city. From Sapporo: the Hokuto limited express, 3.5 hours. You start at the morning market, right next to JR Hakodate Station. In the city: the tram, ¥250 to ¥300 a ride depending on distance, and a one-day pass for ¥800 covers everything. Buy it on the tram or at the information center in the station.
Stop 1MarketMust
Hakodate Morning Market: fish a squid out of the tank and eat it as sashimi
You start at a market with 250 stalls, next to the station. It opens at 05:00 from May to December, and at 06:00 from January to April. The attraction is a tank of live squid at Ekini Market: you catch one with a small rod, at a daily price starting at ¥600, and the chef cuts it into translucent sashimi within a minute. The tank is open 07:00 to 14:00, until the squid run out, and closed on days with no fishing. There are also rice bowls with ikura and uni. By 10:00 some of the stalls are already closing. King crab to buy: expensive, and not allowed on the way back to Israel.
Ride to Goryokaku
Stop 2FortRecommended
Goryokaku: the star-shaped fort and the observation tower
A five-pointed star-shaped fort from 1864, in European style, where the last battle of the samurai was fought in 1869. The shape can be seen only from above: from Goryokaku Tower (¥1,200), with models of the battle. The tower is open 09:00 to 18:00. The park is free, and in early May 1,600 cherry trees bloom there.
On to Yunokawa
Stop 3OnsenIf there is time
Yunokawa Onsen: an onsen by the sea, or monkeys in an onsen
An onsen district at the end of the tram line, by the sea: a free foot bath across from the tram stop, open 09:00 to 21:00, public baths for ¥500, and in the botanical garden (¥300) macaques that sit in an onsen in winter, from 1 December until the May holidays, a small version of Nagano. The garden is open 09:30 to 18:00 from April to October, and until 16:30 from November to March. About an hour here, then ride the tram back west, to lunch by the bay. If you are short on time, skip it and ride from Goryokaku straight to Jujigai.
Back to the bay for lunch
Stop 4LunchRecommended
Lunch break in the bay area
The bay area, next to the brick warehouses, is the place for two local foods: the Lucky Pierrot burger and Hakodate salt ramen. The options:
On to the brick warehouses
Stop 5HarborIf there is time
Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses on the harbor
Port warehouses from 1909, on the water, turned into shops and restaurants. Less impressive than Yokohama, but it has Snaffle's, Hakodate's cheesecake shop, a shop with 10,000 music boxes, and Hakodate milk ice cream from a window. From there you climb up to the slopes.
Up to Hachiman-zaka
Stop 6Historic districtMust
Motomachi: Hachiman-zaka Slope, the churches and the Public Hall
Straight slopes that run down to the sea. Hachiman-zaka is the familiar photo, with the harbor at the end. On the way: the Russian Orthodox church with its onion domes, the Catholic church, the Western-style Buddhist temple, and the Old Public Hall in yellow and blue (¥300). All on foot and uphill, and there is coffee in the old merchant houses.
Break
A rest at the hotel, if you are staying in Motomachi or near the station
The day starts at 07:00 and ends at 20:45, and after the slopes there is a gap until the ropeway. If you are staying in Motomachi, walk to the hotel, and the ropeway is a few minutes' walk away. If you are staying near the station, walk about 7 minutes to the Jujigai tram stop and ride to Hakodate-ekimae, 3 stops, 5 minutes, ¥250. At 17:00 leave again on the same tram to Jujigai and walk up to the ropeway, about 7 minutes, to arrive before sunset. That leaves about an hour at the hotel. If you are not going back to the hotel, stay in Motomachi, in one of the cafes in the old merchant houses.
Walk to the ropeway
Stop 7ViewpointMust
Mount Hakodate Ropeway: the night view over the strip between two seas
The city sits on a narrow strip of sand between two bays, and from the summit (334 meters) it looks like a lit-up hourglass. ¥1,800 round trip, 3 minutes. Arrive 30 minutes before sunset: at sunset itself the line is an hour long, plus tour groups. The last ride up is at 21:30 from 20 April to the end of September, and at 20:30 the rest of the year. From 20 October to 8 November 2026 the ropeway is closed for its periodic inspection. In winter it is windy, so bring a coat. Alternative: a bus to the summit (seasonal).
Down to the station for dinner
Stop 8DinnerRecommended
Dinner near the station
You finish near the station, and from there you walk back to the hotel, or take the tram to Jujigai, 5 minutes, ¥250, if you are staying in Motomachi. Eat shio ramen, a clear salt broth, because it is the city's ramen, the third of the Hokkaido trio (miso in Sapporo, soy in Asahikawa). The options:
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Written as a draft and verified by hand against official sources. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go.