Three Days in Hakodate, the Southern Pearl of Hokkaido

I will be honest from the start: a single day is enough to see Hakodate. But I needed to slow down and breathe, and this port town in southern Hokkaido was the perfect place at the perfect moment.

It is about three and a half hours by train from Sapporo, a harbour city with a mischievous shape: an hourglass pinched between high hills, the port and the Tsugaru Strait, so that as you wander happily aimless it is easy to lose yourself and wash up on the wrong waterfront.

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With its long uphill streets, its vintage tram, its pretty painted wooden houses, its relaxed air and the sea breeze, Hakodate reminded me instantly of San Francisco, heavy snowfall and all.

I stayed three nights in one of those houses in the Motomachi district, on the hillside: a traditional room with a low table on the tatami, cushions, futons laid out at night, and a big window screened with rice-paper panels. Zen and cosy at once. My host, Masahiro, kept a couple of other bunk rooms hostel-style, but during my stay I had the place to myself.

What to see in Hakodate

Hakodate was one of the first Japanese ports opened to the Western world in the mid-nineteenth century, and in Motomachi you can feel it. The district is dotted with churches of every denomination and style, and old government buildings in colonial dress. There is even a foreigners’ cemetery, its stones telling of Russian, British and French sailors.

Among the churches on the hill I loved the Orthodox one, just behind “my” house, its swirling copper domes perfect against the snow, with a fine view over the bay from its courtyard. The Gokoku shrine near the ropeway is peaceful and beautifully designed, and worth the stop.

Of the grand buildings, I liked the Old Public Hall, painted in yellow and blue, with its sumptuous porch and a sea-facing terrace to dream on, and the former British Consulate, with its royal memorabilia and a lovely English tea room. But my favourite was the Museum of Northern Peoples, devoted to the culture of the Ainu, Hokkaido’s indigenous people, and well worth your time. (Entry fees to these are modest; check current prices, and note some sites keep shorter winter hours.)

What I loved most, though, was the morning fish market by the station. As in Sapporo, you buy the fresh catch and eat it on the spot, and the grilled crab is a joy.

If the sky is clear, ride the ropeway up Mount Hakodate for what is rightly counted one of Japan’s three greatest night views, the twinkling hourglass of the city strung between two dark seas. Heavy snow meant I had to wait until my last evening, and it was worth every day of waiting. (If you dislike cable cars, Masahiro told me a tourist bus climbs up from the station instead.)

The other landmark is Goryokaku, Japan’s great star-shaped Western-style fort, best seen from the tower beside it that reveals its five perfect points. It was the site of the last battle of the Boshin War in 1869 and the brief, doomed Republic of Ezo. Under snow the moated park is a little stark, honestly not quite worth the tram ride, but it is planted with cherry trees, and in mid-April it must be a fairytale.

Where to eat

Beyond the morning market (which winds down around 1.30pm), the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses on the seafront, once maritime trade stores, now a smart shopping and dining complex, are full of restaurants.

Hakodate is ramen country, and I loved the curry-noodle soup at one well-known spot and the bowls at another near the warehouses; ask locally for the current favourites, as places change, but you will not struggle to eat well. For quick, good-value sushi, the conveyor-belt places are reliable and fast. And if you like to cook, the market sells every ingredient of traditional Japanese cuisine.

Around Hakodate, and an honest word

I took the bus out to Yunokawa Onsen for a soak, and then visited the seaside botanical garden nearby. The garden itself is lush and beautifully kept, and on my visit an elderly man was playing the grand piano, beautifully, for the visitors.

But I have to be honest, because it matters to me and to how I travel. The garden’s main “attraction” is a troop of macaques kept in a small pool built for them, with visitors dropping food to them from a platform above. Too many monkeys in too small a space, performing for snacks. It made me feel genuinely sick, and I walked away in tears. I would not go back, and I would gently steer you away from it too. You can, I know, take striking photographs there, but some pictures are not worth the way the place is run. There is far better in Hakodate to give your time to.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

• Getting here and around: Sapporo, the heart of Hokkaido
• Onward to the samurai north: Kakunodate, the little Kyoto of Tohoku
• What to wear for all of it: my cold-weather packing list for the north
• The reward at the end of the day: the Japanese onsen