Hakodate is located at the southern tip of Hokkaido. This charming seaside city offers tasty seafood, relaxing onsen, and an amazing night view.
Last summer when I visited Japan, we took a family trip to Hokkaido (北海道), the second largest island of Japan. Since we’ve already spent quite a bit of time around Sapporo on our previous trip, this time we took a side excursion to Hakodate (函館).
Where is Hakodate?
Hakodate is Hokkaido’s 3rd largest city, located at the island’s southern tip. It actually has a much longer history than Sapporo, the current capital of Hokkaido prefecture, dating back to 1400’s.
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Hakodate was also the first Japanese city opened for foreign trade in 1854, and has a large foreign influence with many of the first consulates being built there. Since the city managed to avoid damages during World War II, quite a few of the original buildings from the 1800s still stand.
Through the years, it’s lost some of its luster compared to other Japanese cities, but it still has its charm and holds the claim of having one of the Three Great Night Views in Japan.
How to get to Hakodate?
From Sapporo, your choices are either driving by a car or taxi (about 4-4.5 hours) or taking a JR line (Hokuto or Super Hokuto about $86 one way, 3 hr 30 min).
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Or like us, book a tour package that includes the round-trip bus ride from Sapporo.
Typically tour companies in Japan provide all inclusive package plans including round trip bus ride, hotel stays, breakfasts and dinners inside hotel, and a day tour. Would I personally rank this high on a Japan travel list? Probably not. But we were already in Hokkaido and were looking for relatively affordable trip within the island (by Japanese standards), this $200 per adult ($99/child) package deal seems too good to pass up.
The four-hour bus ride was pretty comfortable. There were a few rest stops and lunch stop, and we could stretch our legs and walk around at some local souvenir shops. When we saw Mt. Komagatake along the ocean, we knew our destination was slowly approaching.
Sightseeing in Hakodate
Once you’re in Hakodate, there are few major sightseeing spots you should not miss. I’ll divide the city into a few areas.
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- Morning Market – traditional seafood market where you can get amazing seafood
- Red Brick Warehouses – An assortment of shops feature local gifts
- Motomachi District – Area settled by foreigners with foreign looking building
- Fort Goryokaku – site of the Hakodate War between the Emperor and Shogunate
- Mount Hakodate – The mountain offering the amazing view of the city
1. Morning Market (函館朝市)
When in Hokkaido, it’s time to eat! I consider Hokkaido the food heaven of Japan, the area unique surrounding and size provides all type of delicious food from fresh seafood to dairy to vegetables. Hakodate is well known for its delicious, fresh seafood!
The morning market is about 3 city blocks filled with vendors and dozens of restaurants. Vendors often offer you bits of food to try as you walk along the stalls.
The prices are simply amazing, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen seafood offered at these prices in Japan. There are many creatures which I don’t recognize but I am sure they are tasty. While walking in the market, one of the vendor even let my children hold a king crab.
For lunch, all the restaurants are competing for your business asking you go in and sit down. Look at this value price! $5 for a small bowl of seafood donburi and miso soup. The freshness and price for seafood in Hokkaido can’t be beat!
We choose a restaurant and as we tasted the food, you could taste the freshness with the seafood.
Besides eating, my children also got to fish squid and the lady at the shop cut the live squid to make sashimi for us. We dip in soy sauce with a bit of ginger to enjoy. It was a fun (and scary – look at my baby girl’s expression!) experience for them.
2. Red Brick Warehouses (金森赤レンガ倉庫)
As you finish eating your breakfast or lunch at the morning market, talk a stroll along the water towards Mt. Hakodate and you’ll end up at the Red Brick Warehouses, which were built in 1909.
The warehouses today house gift shops, a beer hall, and various other stores. Where you’re there, don’t forget to buy Royce’s Nama Chocolate!
If you fall in love with these soft chocolate, you can always make it at home using my Nama Chocoolate and Green Tea Chocolate recipes. They taste just like ROYCE’s!
3. Motomachi District (元町エリア)
When Hakodate started foreign trade in 1800’s, the foreigners settled in this area and the churches and consulates still stands there today. Besides the churches and the old public hall, there is also the Motomachi Park. From Motomachi area, there’s an amazing view of harbor from the top of the hill looking down.
(Above image by 663highland (Own work) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons)
4. Fort Goryokaku (五稜郭)
Alright, it’s time to hop on the trolley and head on over to Fort Goryokaku. It’s about a 13 min walk (1.1 km) from the nearest station. This unique star shaped fort was built based on designs from 16th century Europe, which reduced the blind spots in gun battles. This is also the site of the Hakodate War and marked the end of the Tokugawa shogunate era.
The viewing tower for the park is pretty new and you can see the old viewing tower next to it. The new tower is 107 meter allowing you to see the entire park, as well as views around Hakodate. Part of the floor in the tower is glass and you can see all the way down.
5. Mt. Hakodate (函館山)
Hakodate is best known for the spectacular views to be enjoyed from Mount Hakodate.
You can ride the cable car both ways up Mt. Hakodate. The package we purchased from the hotel had the bus bring us to the top, and then we rode the cable car down.
The view was breathtaking, and I can check one of Japan’s Three Great Night Views off my list. With the clear sky you could see miles and miles away, as the city light sparkled in the night. You could see the entire harbor and the city in it’s entirety. We spent about 30 minutes up there enjoying the scenery before taking the cable car down.
If you are not planning to visit, you can enjoy the cable car ride video below! If you do visit Hakodate, I highly recommend going up there to take in the view.
Here’s the video on Mt. Hakodate Ropeway on my YouTube Channel! Enjoy!
Accommodation with Bus Tour Package
The bus tour includes the 2 night hotel stays with the breakfasts and dinners.
Hakodate Hotel Room
The hotel room is about the typical size. Before bedtime, the hotel workers came to move the table and chair to the side of the tatami room and make Japanese style bedding futon for our family.
Meal Plans
The meals for the package is not as fancy, but it all depends on what your travel package focuses on. Some value package focuses on meals more than accommodation, while some focuses on tours, etc. The first night our dinner was a Japanese buffet style and the second night we had a private room to dine where each dish was served one after another. The breakfast was buffet style where you can choose Japanese style breakfast and/or western style.
Hot Springs (Onsen)
The hotels and ryokans (Japanese style inns) around this area has great hot springs “Onsen (温泉)” inside the hotels/inns. This area is called Yunokawa Onsen (湯の川温泉) which is a well known onsen located on the outskirts of Hakodate City. This onsen is considered to be one of the three major hot springs in Hokkaido.
If you decide to stay in a hotel or ryokan around this area, it should have a onsen inside the hotel. Since we were on a budget package, our hotel rooms were not in pristine condition and hotel itself could use some update. However the hot spring at the hotel was still very enjoyable and relaxing.
After a day of walking, time to soak and relax. My children loves soaking themselves in Onsen. They change into Yukata (summer kimono) and get ready to relax in a hot bath.
If you’re interested in our past trip to Hokkaido, you can read about food here and sight seeing spots here.
If you’re interested in my travel posts on our trips to Japan, Taiwan and local California, please click here.
Thank you so much for reading my travel post!
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Thank you for a great post about Hakodate, I enjoyed your story
The pics are so nice
and your children look cute in yukata 🙂
Thank you for reading the post and for your kind words, Yenny! 🙂
Thank you for sharing so beautiful pictures and the post is really wonderful and full of interesting points.
Have a fab weekend!
You’re very welcome Helena! Thanks so much for reading! 🙂
Nami: first of all I DO hope both your cold and Mr JOC’s flu have improved and that the children have not been affected. Thank you for the lovely ‘trip’ to Hokkaido – in spite of my many stays in Japan I have not been there: scenically beautiful and somewhat away from the throng of worldwide tourism perchance 🙂 ! So liked the fish market and could not figure out half of what was available except for that large crab your son held afloat!! And it is a great view from the mountain!!! Remembered my own many ryokan stays and evening baths and bedmaking – strange to a Westener quite a few decades ago – but we loved it and my daughters loved such much more than Western style hotels. Lovely memories for me too . . .
Thank you Eha! Really hope to recover very soon. So many things are getting behind and it’s frustrating! Hope you’re enjoying your weather before having fall/winter. 🙂 There are so many kinds of seafood in Japan, and change every season. It’s so nice your family has wonderful international experience growing up abroad. 🙂
Thank you for always sharing so much of your endeavors and travels, Nami san~ I really really really want to go to Hokkaidou now when I go to Japan this year.
Hi Christine! If you have enough time during your trip, Hokkaido is a nice detour. Great seafood and beautiful scenery… I always love visiting there. Hope you have a great trip to Japan this year! 🙂
Wow, this sounds like a great place to visit! I had been thinking that, if I ever get back to Japan, I’d like to go to Hokkaido.
Hi Matt! If you enjoy really great quality seafood and food in general, Hokkaido is an amazing place. The land is vast and so much to see! 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful story about your trip to Hokkaido! My husband is from Sapporo and we visit there as much as we can. Your pictures bring it all alive so well, I felt like we were there with you. Beautiful! Did you try age-imo (deep fried potato on a stick) while you were there? That is our favorite road-side snack when we travel there, Hokkaido potatoes are so delicious! Thank you again, for your great posts. I hope everyone in your home is feeling much better!
Hi Belinda! So nice that your husband’s home is Sapporo! You always have a reason to visit Hokkaido. 🙂
YES!!! We had those at the rest stop! My mom’s friend (who lives in Sapporo) was with us, and she dragged me to go get one. It was my first time eating it. I took a picture of it but didn’t come out good so I couldn’t share… It was delicious. I love potatoes so I enjoyed it a lot! 🙂
Thank you for your well wishes… we really need to get well soon!
Hi Nami,
I hope you and Mr. JOC are feeling better.
Thanks for posting the pictures. I think I told you a long time ago that I was lucky enough to spend three years in Hokkaido. Loved every day of it. Your pictures bring back a lot of fond memories. Thanks again.
Thanks so much David! We’re trying to get well…
I do remember you told me. 🙂 I always wished that I lived in Hokkaido when I was still living in Japan. Back then, no humidity was one of very attractive reasons to live in Hokkaido too. 😀
Love the pictures, particularly the one of your kids with the crab. That’s a huge crab! Fun post — thanks.
Great to learn about Hakodate, Nami! The seafood looks amazing and your kids had quite the experience (fishing for squid!). The little ones are so cute! : ) I can’t wait to take my son to Japan one day…we were talking about it. It may be a couple of years out but I’ll be sure to study all your travel posts when the time comes.
What a gorgeous place! You’ve added Hokkaido to my must-see list for Japan, and all those pictures are making me crave real Japanese food… can’t afford plane fares right now, so I guess I’ll just have to get cooking 😉
PS do your kids adore parfaits as much as mine? I had promised we would have some we went to Tokyo a few years ago, and they were not disappointed!!
Hi Kate! Oh yes, they love parfaits in Japan. My dad always love taking them to eat them… As a child I was never been a big fan of whipped cream but I loved Japanese style one with green tea, red bean, and mochi, etc (if those are available). 🙂 I guess that hasn’t changed. 🙂
Beautiful scenery ending with the cutest picture of all. Your little ones.
Wonderful place and fabulous food.
Cheers,
Rosa
I love this travel review about Hakodate.Your kids are so cute! And I love Royce chocolates, first tried them in Singapore and I was hooked. Will be sure to look for them in Japan. This is another must-go tour when we travel. Thanks for putting this together — great reference, Nami. Hope you’re feeling ok by now!
Your reviews and recommendations for Japan always make me want to visit one day soon. =) Your children are so beautiful and precious, just like their mommy!
Your travel posts are always a blast to read with the gorgeous photos and helpful tips! I especially love the one of your children and the king crab—what a fun experience that must have been for them. Thanks for bringing us readers along. Also, I hope you and Mr. JOC are getting over the flu; it sure is rough around this time of the year.
Thank you Kimmi! My kids were so excited that they were allowed to hold a crab! What a great experience! I wanted to hold too… 😀
Thank you for your kind words. We got hit pretty big time. We are hoping we can completely recover this week…
Nami,I love your travel posts about Japan,they are informative and make me want to go back visiting Japan as soon as I can!I didn’t know much about Hokkaido and these beautiful pictures of Hakodate let me wonder why I didn’t visit it already! Thank you for always being so inspiring! 🙂
Thank you so much, Barbara! Unless you have extra travel days, it’s kind of hard to plan a trip to Hokkaido as it’s a bit far. I hope you get to visit there some day. I can just keep traveling in Hokkaido as there are so many things to see and eat! 🙂
Another wonderful travel log! Thank you! Great pics!
I love when you share your travel guides :)Hakodate looks beautiful and the seafood looks amazing! Your little ones are so so cute: ) I can’t wait to visit someday when the kids are older and will definitely refer to all of your guides 🙂
Hi,
Ive been following your blog for a while. love your easy recipes and enjoying your posts about trip to japan.
This september I plan to visit japan and was thinking of visiting both Sapporo and hakodate. Was wondering how many days I should stay in these cities also including a day trip from sapporo to otaru. I have about a week for these places will that be enough?
thankyou for your time.
Hi Annie! Thanks so much for following my blog! 1 week is definitely enough to visit these 3 cities, of course it all depends on what you do there, but in general you have good amount of time. I never stayed in Otaru and visited as a day trip. Hope you will have a wonderful trip there! And eat lots of good food!!! 🙂
I love your recipes, but your travel posts are incredible! Thank you for putting this guide together. I can’t wait to read more.
I enjoyed your story about Hakodate. I last visited Sapporo in 1981 (OMG…34 years ago!), but never was able to visit Hakodate. I can see how much I missed; I enjoyed reading about the various places you visited. Yes, your children are so sweet in their yukata!
Hi Sumi! Thank you so much for reading my post. 🙂 It takes a bit of time to travel to Hakodate from Sapporo, so this trip was my second trip, and it took me almost 20 years since my first visit! Thank you for your kind words about my kids. 🙂
Great pictures! That night view is beautiful! I need to make it to Hokkaido before I leave Japan. It’s one of my top 3 places I still need to visit. Did you book the tour while you were in Japan? That sounds like a great deal for a hotel, transportation, and food!
Hi Mallory! Yes you need to make it to Hokkaido, at least visit Sapporo and eat fresh seafood there. You can’t compare the price and freshness from the mainland of Japan. I did book the Japanese tour. I think it was 野口観光 (Noguchi Tourism) and there was a special going on that time. I’d say hotel and food was so so, but considering it was all inclusive, I think it was a great deal! 🙂
Gorgeous photos, Nami! The view is breathtaking…thank you for the sightseeing spot suggestions, the Red Brick Warehouses look pretty impressive! I love visiting old architeture and buildings…I would love to visit Hakodate, thank you for sharing this! Your kids are so adorable by the way!
I have never heard of this city, but since I hope to go to Sapporo where my friend has moved, I’ll be very happy to use your guide post and visit Hakodate. I am so impatient to taste this super delicious seafood!
Japan’s official tourist agency should hire you… you did an excellent job giving us all the details of Hakodate, Japan! Bookmarking this with all the other tour guide info you given about Japan for my “someday” file. 🙂
planing to go hokkaido in June 2015. Read your trip & love it. Can you pls tell me than name of the tour company pls. thank you
Hi Karen! How exciting! I wasn’t sure if I could find the same package, but I just found the same one (price might be slightly different).
http://www.takubokutei.com/plan/4466?back=on&scr_date=
Currently the date is up to May. Not sure if they will continue this package in June. Please note that the link above may not work if they end this package deal. Please go to their website at http://www.takubokutei.com/.
I’d say, the hotel room and food at the hotel is just okay (for Japanese person’s standard), but I think it’s a good deal considering dinner/breakfast for 2 days are included.
Hope that helps! Have a safe and fun trip, and please let us know about your trip when you’re back. 🙂
Thank you very much. How to switch to English. Couldn’t read Japanese.
If you use Google chrome, the page will translate into English. Not perfect English, but it’s helpful. 🙂
Hello Nami! I was reading your trip to Hakodate and it looks really promising. I was checking out the link you have sent but I do not see any information of the tour. Could have it been already stopped? Do you have any other references to such tour from Sapporo to Hakodate? Thanks!
Hi Steve! I spent some time researching in Japanese and found this:
http://www.jalan.net/yad329988/plan/plan01928126/
You have to use Google chrome and translate into English to read. It includes a bus ride from Sapporo to Hakodate (22,000 yen)
Here’s also this bus ride only where it stops a few “sightseeing” spot on the way from Sapporo to Hakodate:
http://www.hakonavi.ne.jp/howto/bustour/
There’s also a train ride too. 🙂
Hi Nami
I happened to encounter your blog when search for information about the Japan alpine route last evening.
Information in your blog is very useful, especially the part describing the meals. It is probably because you are hosting a “cooking” web site and is written by a Japanese with good English (that is rare!).
The photos are pretty (including the people in there)! The links are also very useful. The blog is well thought and arranged.
It would be most helpful if could you also put address of the restaurants you recommended (or not recommended).
Thank you for maintaining the blog and please keep up.
Best regards
Yeung
Hi Yeung! Welcome to my blog! I’m happy to hear you find my blog useful, and thanks so much for your kind words.
On my recent post, I usually link restaurant name with their website (if available). Sorry if I didn’t add information in my older posts. I appreciate your feedback! 🙂
Hi Nami, your article is very informative and makes a trip to Hakodate a must.
We are 4 adults and wonder whether you can recommend the travel agent where we can take the round trip from Sapporo. We intend to go there in April 2016.
Thank you
Hi Richard! Thank you for your kind words! I don’t have a travel agent. We use a bus tour package below:
http://www.takubokutei.com/plan/4466?back=on&scr_date=
You might need to check the site next year as this plan is available up to November.
Hi Nami,
The city look so nice. Is the visiting area you stated all walkable, or by the tour? Is it a an English tour?
Hi Jess! I was on a bus tour from Sapporo (in Japanese) – some of the areas are walkable, but it depends on the location of the hotel. I’m sure there are lots of English tours available. 🙂
Hi Nami,
May I know which tour company you booked your Hakodate tour? Would you mind sharing the information?
Thanks,
Lie
Hi Lie! My mom’s friend booked the roundtrip (bus + hotel) tickets from a catalog or something, but same/similar trips are on this hotel website (in Japanese).
http://www.takubokutei.com/
Maybe google chrome can translate to English. Hope it helps!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful post.
I am planning to Hokkaido this summer, your post gives me better understanding of Hakodate and Sapporo..
Hi Alist! I’m happy to hear that you liked this post. Hope you have a wonderful trip to Hokkaido this summer. Summer in Hokkaido is so nice without humidity! 🙂
Pls.tell me how to book accommodation with bus tour packace , on 24-26 sept 2016 2 person
Unfortunately they don’t have the same package at this time. They seem to do this travel plan once in a while.
https://asp.hotel-story.ne.jp/ver3d/planlist.asp?hcod1=73170&hcod2=001&mode=seek&clrmode=true&reffrom=
Do you recommend the tour company? If yes, can I have the contact?
Hi Angie! It’s not the best but pretty budget friendly and convenient. It looks like they don’t offer the exact bus tour at this time. I saw the tour once in a while, but they seem to do it seasonal….
Hi Nami
I was wondering which site did you book your bus tour on from Sapporo? Also do you have any recommendations what to do and eat in Sapporo?
I was also wondering where I can go in Japan for good kitche supplies
Thanks Micky
Thanks -Micky
Hi Micky! We didn’t book through a website. It was my mom’s friend who lives in Sapporo who booked tickets for us. When I published this post, I could see the same deal online so I lined it, but I think it’s a seasonal deal so I haven’t seen the same deal whenever a reader asked me the same question and I went online to check. Sorry. 🙁
I have a Sapporo post here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/fun-activities-in-sapporo-hokkaido/
And for kitchen stuff, go to Kappabashi (kitchen town) in Tokyo. If you don’t have time, Tokyu Hands and LOFT have a lot of kitchen stuff that you can browse around. 🙂
Hi, thanks for sharing. I happened to read your post. I am planning to visit Hokkaido in Jun 17, may i know which tour agent you booked for these 2 days Hakodate. Thank you !
Hi Ling! I’m so sorry but I can’t find the same tour. Originally when I posted this travel post, there was a tour that I could put link, but I think it’s a seasonal and the link becomes dead every time. 🙁 I wish I could help…. Have a safe trip to Hakodate!
Thks for sharing your experience to Hakodate.
I’m thinking of booking a local tour in Sapporo to Hakodate as well for this Oct.
Does the tour you booked includes the cable car ride, Ryokan stay as well?
Do you have the contacts or website for this tour agency
Many thks in advance
Hi Eddie! The tour include bus ride between Sapporo and Hakodate and Ryokan stay. No tours or cable car ride prices are included. Unfortunately the company’s web pages kept changing and I can’t no longer share the same deal as they only promote the same tour sometimes. We booked through friends, and not internet that time (but when I came back, I could find the same tour). Sorry I can’t share the link any longer.
Hi,
Do you still remember the name of the bus tour company?
Hi Annie! It was 野口観光 (Noguchi Tourism). I looked up for the tour, but I can’t find the same one…
Can I just say, your English is absolutely amazing! I used to teach English in Kyushu and I’ve never met anyone as good as you.
Anyways, thanks for the post!
こんにちはエリック！ Haha thank you! I have editors who edit my posts after I write – so that everyone can read it smoothly. Even though I live in the US for 20 years, my English is not as good… my writing skill is slightly stronger than speaking (if you have seen me talking in English on YouTube). Still struggling every single day. Thanks so much for reading my post!