Hakodate is an area on the southwestern part of the island of
Hokkaido in
Japan. It contains 1
city (named Hakodate), 25
towns, and 1 village. It stretches from 41-46' North
latitude and 140-44' East
longitude.
The city of Hakodate is a bit of a strange place. It was the port that was used by the
Russians to gain a foothold in the country. This can be seen in the
architecture and many of the
buildings in the area, and the treaty that
Admiral Matthew Perry arranged with the
government at the time is on public display in the city.
Hakodate is a wonderful city if you're one of those people who really like the kind of
sightseeing that involves
old buildings. There are numerous beautiful
Christian churches there, devoted to many different sects of
Christianity. Off the top of my head, I can remember a
Greek Orthodox church and a
Russian Orthodox church as well. It's a bit strange to see these churches that would not be out of place in Europe, except for the fact that they have
genkan (the lowered place when you first walk inside where you take off your shoes). Apart from Christian churches, there are also numerous
Buddhist temples and
shrines that are also very interesting, but are relatively new by
Japanese standards (about 150 or so years old).
In addition to the
religious structures, there are also many
historical buildings as well. These include the site of
Admiral Perry's interview and old
embassies that have been renovated to become museums. There is also
Fort Goryokaku, which has been converted into a park. The view from the tower during
spring and
winter are both breathtaking. During the
spring, it's because of all the thousands of
flowers blooming beneath you. It is said that while each flower has it's own month in the rest of
Japan, in
Hokkaido they all bloom at the same time. During the winter,
Goryokaku is beautiful for an entirely different reason. The whole place is covered in snow and lights, which gives it that warm fuzzy
Christmas feeling.
Also, the night view from the top of
Hakodate mountain is not something that should be missed. It overlooks a very big part of
Hokkaido and is absolutely stunning. I would recommend taking the
cable car up there if you can, it is much more scenic than the
bus ride and not very expensive (580
yen per person, or currently about USD$5). Be careful going there during
tourist seasons, as
Hokkaido is a very popular
vacation spot for the
Japanese and the view can often be obscured by the throngs of people.
There are also many
hotels in Hakodate with the old
Japanese-style baths. The kind with the really big tubs where you can just soak for hours, if you want. Unfortunately these are all mostly indoors, which aren't quite as cool as the ones which are outdoors, but they are still quite an
experience if you've never done had a
Japanese bath before.
The food:
Hokkaido in general is a very
tasty place to live if you like seafood. But Hakodate does have a couple of
regional specialities that I don't think you should miss. There are many things from here I'd like to recommend...
One of the first is the famous
Gotouken.
Gotouken is a restaurant established in 1879 and serves absolutely delicious Japanese-style
curry. I would highly recommend their
duck curry, it is one of the things they are most well-known for. The
curry at Gotouken is popular around Japan. You can buy it for about 1000
yen (currently roughly USD$8) per can at
omiyage stores around the country.
Another Hakodate speciality is
Yamagawa milk.
Yamagawa milk comes straight from a farm in the nearby city of Nanae. Most likely it was bottled within the last two days from your time of purchase. It is a milk for people who think that
whole milk is a bit thin. Put a straw in that milk and you'll see chunks of cream stuck to the straw after you're done with the bottle (which are like the
old-fashioned glass kind, by the way). This milk is impossible to find outside of
Hokkaido, and very difficult to find outside of
Hakodate.
There is also a famous
hamburger and
curry chain restaurant called
Lucky Pierrot that exists only on the island of
Hokkaido. It has about 3 branches in the city of Hakodate, and is very delicious. This restaurant chain is often featured on shows that talk about travel in
Japan. The
Hakodate Snow Burger is recommended by me, as is the
Chinese Chicken Sandwich. They serve
Yamagawa milk here.
Since Hakodate is right next to the ocean, it is only natural that some of their best food is
seafood.
Sanma sashimi is very tasty also, and it is something that I think all
sashimi lovers should try at least once. It very quickly became my favorite type of
sushi.
Sanma is not a
Hokkaido speciality per say, some of it is shipped to other major cities in
Japan but unfortunately it is very
expensive. Might as well eat it cheaply and freshly close to the source.
If you can afford it, there is also the
Tegani. It's a big and fuzzy crab that is sold in most markets in
Hakodate. There's a lot of
good eating in one of those, one per person is probably more than enough for an
appetizer.
The
squid,
potatoes, and
corn around the Hakodate area are also very famous. If you decide to cook in Hakodate, keep these
ingredients in mind.
And for those of you who want to eat at Gotouken but don't know where it is, the
telephone number is: 0138-23-1106. I'm not sure if they speak
English but you can give it a try.