Traveling in Japan: Hakodate

Hakodate is one of Hokkaido's largest cities, and it lies on the southern tip of the island. It has a lot of history from a Western perspective because it was one of three ports in Japan that Western traders could use after Japan opened up commercially a couple hundred years ago. As a result, there are still relics of the Western presence in the presence of Victorian-era houses and churches (including an Orthodox Church founded by the Russian consulate).

For me, however, the real jewel of Hakodate was Goryokaku, and it was possibly my favorite part of my trip in Hokkaido. Before I went to Hokkaido, I read a "cherry-blossom report" which shows when cherry blossom trees are expected to bloom around Japan. I saw that not only were the cherry blossoms expected to be in bloom while I was in Hokkaido, but Hakodate is one of the best places to see the cherry blossom trees. This is because Hakodate has a park called Goryokaku ("pentagonal" in Japanese) which has 1,600 cherry blossom trees. Goryokaku was built as a strategically-designed fortress to repel attacks. As a star-shape, the cannons had fewer blind spots and attackers could be counterattacked from two sides.

Despite the chilly weather, there were tons of tourists and locals alike strolling around the park, taking pictures, and enjoying hanami (the Japanese word for cherry blossom tree "viewing", which basically means having an alcohol-fueled picnic under the cherry blossom trees). It was a beautiful and incredible sight to see. I've mentioned elsewhere in this blog the way that cherry blossoms and similarly transient things are thought of: with a sort of yearning wistfulness that nothing beautiful lasts - a common trope in Japanese art and literature. However, it's something to celebrate and enjoy with others, but again - not without a sense of wistfulness.

After I left Goryokaku, I wandered around the town and planned on either hiking or taking a cable car to the top of the mountain on the southern side of the city. Unfortunately, the weather turned sour and the visibility from the top of the mountain was practically zero. So, I decided to go to a LEGO exhibit that showed World Heritage Organization sites as LEGO replicas. Having been a huge LEGO fan as a child, it was very cool seeing many places I had visited represented as LEGO structures. After that, I went to an early dinner at the Hakodate Brewery Beer Hall and then get some gelato at a Hakodate chain called Milkissimo. I'm not lying when I say that it was possibly the best gelato I've ever had. They use milk produced from around Hakodate to make their gelato. It was INCREDIBLE.

The next morning, while it still raining, I left my hostel and put my big traveler's backpack in a coin locker at the station. Then I walked the 100 or so meters to the touristy fish market (the big, wholesale market was further away) to get a seafood breakfast. At 7:30 a.m., the market's restaurants were already starting to flood with tourists. Luckily, being a solo traveler has its benefits in these types of situations, and I was seated rather quickly. I got a nice big tray of food with sample sizes of scallops, oysters, and grilled salmon, as well as rice and miso soup. It was definitely what I was after and it tasted great.

After that, the rain prevented me from doing much else than just waiting for my train in the train station. I was ready for Sapporo!


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