Introduction to today's journey
Hakodate, nestled on Hokkaido's southern coast, carries a captivating samurai history that echoes Japan's feudal past amidst its modern charm. During the Edo period, Hakodate served as a strategic outpost for the Matsumae clan, tasked with governing Hokkaido and protecting Japan's northern frontier. The clan's samurai warriors played a crucial role in defending against Ainu and Russian incursions, shaping Hakodate into a fortified settlement. The influence of samurai culture is evident in sites such as the now famous star-shaped Goryokaku Fort, blending traditional Japanese fortification techniques with Western innovations. Today, Hakodate's historic district preserves this legacy through museums, festivals, and architectural landmarks, offering visitors a glimpse into its samurai past amidst the city's picturesque coastal backdrop.
Today's journey takes me around the city of Hakodate, exploring the fish markets and local cultural sites in the morning, a Samurai settlement in the afternoon, and taking the gondola up Mount Hakodate to watch the spectacular sunset in the evening.
Today's Journey
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I explore the nearby port looking up to Mount Hakodate in the early morning. |
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Returning from the port, I explore the fish markets beside the port in the early morning. The quality of the produce here is amazing. |
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Heading to the eastern side of Mount Hakodate, we explore the Hekketsu-hi Monument set in a forested garden. About 80 warriors of the Shinsengumi people were buried here following the Boshin War in 1868. |
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Heading up to the nearby Hakodate Hachiman-gu, a Shinto shrine built in 1445. |
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Several temple artefacts are on display. |
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The novelty moo moo taxi with a definite cow theme. Heading back around the mountain we reach the city again, taking one of the trams towards the other side of the mountain. We explore the Hakodate Cemetery on the hill, and the Hakodate Foreign Cemetery further down across the road. |
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From there we take a tram across the city to its other side at a large moat around the remains of the Goryokaku Samurai Fort from the 1860s. |
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Crossing under the pagoda with lots of vegetation providing shade. |
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We head up the nearby Goryokaku Tower to have a better look over the star shaped moat and fort grounds. A new fort is being built in the middle of the gardens. |
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We head back across the city and up the gondola to the top of Mount Hakodate to watch the sunset. The city itself sits on a large sandbar between this mountain and the rest of Hokkaido. |
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View across the entrance to Hakodate Harbour as the sun sets. A ship heads across the strait towards Honshu. On the other side is the railway soon to descend into the 57 kilometre long Hokkaido Shinkansen tunnel heading across to Honshu. |
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The city at night viewed from the top of the mountain. |
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