4 Days in Hakodate: What to Do and See in Hakodate

Day 1 | Morning

Goryokaku Tower

Opening Hours: Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Ticket Price: 900 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-1 Hours

Location: 43-9 Goryokaku-cho, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido

Goryokaku Tower is located near the entrance to the southwest of Goryokaku Park. Climbing to the 90-meter-high observation deck, you can overlook the star-shaped city panorama of Goryokaku Park, as well as Hakodate Mountain and Tsugaru Strait in the distance. Wait for the scenery. The tower also houses an exhibition hall introducing the history of Goryokaku, a gift shop and a restaurant. Goryokaku Tower is not only an excellent place to view Goryokaku Park, but also to see different scenery throughout the year. There are cherry blossoms in spring, green trees in summer, red leaves in autumn, and silver-covered in winter, which is very spectacular.

Reviews from Real Guests:

Trip.com User: Spring has cherry blossoms sea, summer trees shade, autumn full of red leaves, winter is a silver-covered, very spectacular. Wuling Guo Pagoda is located near the entrance of the southwest side of Wuling Guo Park. It is 90 meters high and overlooks the star-shaped city of Wuling Guo Park.

Day 1 | Afternoon

Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden (Hot-Tubbing Monkeys) nearby is the top choice before you leave Goryokaku Tower and hit the road.

Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden (Hot-Tubbing Monkeys)

Opening Hours: Open from 9:30am-4:30pm

Ticket Price: 300 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-2 Hours

Location: 3-1-15, Yunokawacho, Hakodate 042-0932, Hokkaido

In the Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden, you can see a wide variety of tropical plants such as strange cacti, but it is the monkeys who come to the hot springs every winter and spring to attract tourists. There is a hot spring monkey mountain in the botanical garden. From December to May of the following year, a group of Japanese macaques raised in the garden will come to the hot spring pool to take a bath, often for a whole day, watching these monkeys look happy and comfortable , is really the envy of tourists.

Day 1 | Evening

If you want to explore other popular attractions later, Bourou NOGUCHI Hakodate is a suitable place for you to stay and refresh.

Bourou NOGUCHI Hakodate

In the stellar location of Hokkaido’s prestigious Hakodate Yunokawa Onsen with a history of 350 years, Bourou NOGUCHI Hakodate welcomes you with the sleekly appointed suites, Japan’s foremost Onsen, the luscious Hakodate delicacies, and the intoxicating atmospheres of good old days in the city. Stylish but classic, modern but traditional - Those right blends of 180-degrees offer a dramatic luxury stay and extraordinary experience for you. Take this opportunity to get to know an authentic Japanese luxury for you to unwind and fascinate.Kaiseki style cuisine using only the freshest local ingredients, based on a concept of “Earthearth, beauty, and wisdom.” The menu features food from many different locales around theHokkaido southern Donan region, creating a sense of traveling through each dish. Enjoy delicate and unique dishes interwoven by our Japanese cuisine head chef and Western cuisine chef in four totally different atmospheres.Experience a supreme relaxation of bathing in our open-air bath on the top floor of the property with an unobstructed view of Hakodate city lights and enliven airport. Whereas in your guestroom, the private Onsen bath with a view will invite you to the world of sheer bliss - musing, reminiscing, and dreaming. Enjoy whatever you desire.

Day 2 | Morning

Russian Orthodox Church

Opening Hours: Open on Sun,1:00pm-4:00pm;Open on Mon-Sat,10:00am-4:00pm

Ticket Price: 200 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-1 Hours

Location: 3-13 Motomachi, Hakodate 040-0054, Hokkaido

The Haristos Orthodox Church is an Orthodox Church of Christ and Jesus that was introduced to Japan in the form of Greek Orthodox, and has special historical significance. The exterior of this church is designed in a typical Russian Byzantine art style, with a very beautiful shape. From the front of the Haristos Orthodox Church, you can also overlook the streetscape of Hakodate City, and from the back of the church you can overlook the vast sea, which is picturesque.

Day 2 | Afternoon

Now we come to another great highlight in the city: Former British Consulate Of Hakodate.

Former British Consulate Of Hakodate

Opening Hours: Open from 1/1-3/31,9:00am-5:00pm;Open from 4/1-10/31,9:00am-7:00pm;Open from 11/1-12/31,9:00am-5:00pm

Ticket Price: 300 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-2 Hours

Location: 33-14 Motomachi, Hakodate 040-0054, Hokkaido

The old British Consulate in Hakodate City was built in 1859, and was the seat of the British Consulate from the day Hakodate opened to 1934. The simple and elegant museum exhibits historical materials and related cultural relics of the opening of Hakodate, as well as a beautiful Western-style garden rose garden, British imported grocery stores, and visitors can also taste unique British-style refreshments in a coffee shop. Today, it is used as a memorial hall for the opening of the port, and the furniture and decorations of the time are displayed, and the appearance of the opening of the port is maintained, so that people can understand the life of foreigners in Hakodate at that time. In the three-dimensional video projection room set up earlier in Hokkaido, the images of the period when Hakodate was opened as a foreign trade port were played, allowing tourists to have a deeper understanding of Hakodate.

Day 2 | Evening

For convenient access to more popular attractions, Four Points by Sheraton Hakodate is the best places.

Four Points by Sheraton Hakodate

Featuring modern Western-style rooms with free Wi-Fi, Four Points by Sheraton Hakodate is a short walk from JR Hakodate Train Station. It features a buffet restaurant with a show kitchen and massage services. Four Points by Sheraton Hakodate is a convenient 10-minute walk from the historic Hakodate Meijikan, Orthodox Church and Kanamori Art Museum. It is a 20-minute drive from Hakodate Airport.Featuring classic interiors and scenic mountain views, the air-conditioned rooms have satellite TV, a fridge and an electric kettle. The private bathrooms have a bathtub and a hairdryer.Japanese shabu-shabu (hot pot) with premium Hokkaido beef is available at Kirari restaurant. Other dining highlights include panoramic night views at the sky bar and sweets at Marble Lounge.Guests can explore Hakodate on a bike or enjoy a beauty treatment at the salon. Added conveniences include laundry service and vending machines.

Day 3 | Morning

Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward

Opening Hours: Closed from 1/1-1/3;Open from 1/4-3/31,9:00am-5:00pm;Open from 4/1-10/31,9:00am-7:00pm;Open from 11/1-12/30,9:00am-5:00pm;Closed from 12/31-12/31

Ticket Price: 300 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 0.5-1 Hours

Location: 11-13 Motomachi, Hakodate 040-0054, Hokkaido

The Old Hakodate Public Hall is a representative building in the Motomachi Historic District. It was built in 1910. It is an all-wood building and belongs to a relatively classic Renaissance style. harmonious.

Day 3 | Afternoon

Now we come to another great highlight in the city: Hakodate Magistrate's Office.

Hakodate Magistrate's Office

Opening Hours: Open from 9:00am-5:00pm

Ticket Price: 500 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-1 Hours

Location: 44-3 Goryokakucho, Hakodate 040-0001, Hokkaido

The Hakodate Institute is located in the center of Goryokaku Park. It was the yamen of the Edo Shogunate set up due to the opening of the Hakodate (now called Hakodate) port at the end of the Shogunate. Most of the buildings, including the place where the practice is located, were demolished and restored in 2010. The museum is divided into four areas: reproduction area, historical exploration area, film and television theater and architectural restoration area. Among them, the reproduction area faithfully reproduces the Hakodate Institute at the end of the Shogunate, including 72 large rooms as large as tatami mats, showing the skills of ancient Japanese architecture; the history exploration area introduces the history of the Hakodate Institute, including the end of the Shogunate. Introduction to the relevant figures of the Hakodate War; the video theater mainly broadcasts documentaries of the restoration project; and the building restoration area introduces the progress of the restoration project carried out by Hakodate.

Day 3 | Evening

If you want to explore other popular attractions later, Ryokan Ichinomatsu is a suitable place for you to stay and refresh.

Ryokan Ichinomatsu

Stop at Ryokan Ichinomatsu to discover the wonders of Hakodate. The hotel offers a high standard of service and amenities to suit the individual needs of all travelers. To be found at the hotel are free Wi-Fi in all rooms, luggage storage, Wi-Fi in public areas, car park, meeting facilities. Each guestroom is elegantly furnished and equipped with handy amenities. Take a break from a long day and make use of hot spring bath, massage, karaoke. Ryokan Ichinomatsu combines warm hospitality with a lovely ambiance to make your stay in Hakodate unforgettable.

Day 4 | Morning

Hakodate Museum of Art, Hokkaido

Opening Hours: Open on Tue-Sun,9:30am-5:00pm

Ticket Price: 260 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-2 Hours

Location: 37-6, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido, Goryokakucho 040-0001

The Hokkaido Ritsu Hakodate Museum of Art is located next to Goryokaku Park. It mainly displays works related to southern Hokkaido art, oriental art, calligraphy and modern art, and often has special exhibitions including famous Western paintings. Inside and outside the museum building, there are many modern Western sculptures by famous artists such as Rodin, Boudelle and Renoir. The museum collects works of painters related to southern Hokkaido, such as Yokoyama Matsuzaburo and Tanabe Mie Matsu, and displays them as permanent works. In addition, a special exhibition room "Gujeong Memorial Room" was set up for the famous calligrapher Kaneko Gujeong from Hakodate. In addition to introducing Kaneko Gujeong's own calligraphy works, there are also two "Ishikawa Woodpecker Songs" written by him. ” and some private collections donated by Gujeong himself, including Western paintings, calligraphy works, ceramics, etc.

Day 4 | Afternoon

Hakodate Museum of Northern Peoples nearby is the top choice before you leave Hakodate Museum of Art, Hokkaido and hit the road.

Hakodate Museum of Northern Peoples

Opening Hours: Open from 9:00am-5:00pm

Ticket Price: 300 JPY

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-2 Hours

Location: 21-7, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido, Suehirocho 040-0053

The Hakodate City Northern Ethnic Museum is a museum that displays the culture of northern ethnic groups headed by the Ainu. The museum adopts physical display and concise explanatory panels, etc., and provides visitors with information films of the Ainu people, including where they live and different costumes, which are very vivid. In addition to seeing the rich display materials, visitors can also experience the traditional paper-cutting art of the Ainu people, and make and play their traditional musical instruments. About the Ainu The Ainu people once occupied all of Japan, and were later expelled to Ezo (now called Hokkaido) to retreat, and then lived here, and are considered to be the indigenous peoples of Japan. Later, they were excluded by the Japanese and became a minority. During the Meiji period, they were assimilated and institutionalized by the government. Today, there are very few Ainu people in Japan.

* All reviews in the blog are machine-translated.