Visit Hakodate, Hokkaido

Overlooked by the famous Mt Hakodate, the port city of Hakodate straddles a small peninsula on the southern tip of Hokkaido Island, looking out across the Tsugaru Straits to Aomori Prefecture in northern Honshu.

Russian Orthodox Church, Hakodate

Converted warehouses, HakodateFresh squid, Hakodate morning marketHakodate by nightHakodate Wisteria, HokkaidoTsugaru Straights, HakodateView of Hakodate from Hakodate YamaRussian Orthodox Church, HakodateChurch, HakodateFish, Hakodate MarketHakodate Morning Fish MarketHakodate Fish MarketHakodate harbour

• View Gallery
• Add ToTravel Planner

Overlooked by the famous Mt Hakodate, the port city of Hakodate straddles a small peninsula on the southern tip of Hokkaido Island, looking out across the Tsugaru Straits to Aomori Prefecture in northern Honshu.

This has long been an important fishing and trading centre, and was one of the first ports opened to foreigners following the relaxing of the isolationist policy in the mid-Nineteenth century.

Foreign influence 

The legacy of the foreign settlements remains in the western Motomachi district, with the interesting mix of western and Japanese architecture making it an enjoyable area for a stroll. The lingering foreign influence gives the town a cosmopolitan atmosphere, similar to that of its southern cousin Nagasaki with which it shares a common history as an open trading port during the early Meiji era.

The rest of town is a little strung-out, squeezed as it is by the mountains and the sea, but many of the hotels are close by the station in the central district giving easy access by tram to the various attractions in town.

Other places within Hokkaido

Akan-ko National Park

View place

• {6DA8DC09-39E8-44B1-9970-4A7EAD92960F}
• Located on the shore of scenic Lake Akan, the Akan Kohan Hotspring Resort is a good base from which to explore the Akan National Park.
• 43.4489310558777
• 144.099426269531

Asahidake

View place

• {5C4C9185-5649-4DBB-A62A-F0DE4EE19C31}
• The small town of Asahikdake Onsen sits at the foot of Daisetsuzan's highest peak, Mt Asahidake, and is the ideal location to base yourself while exploring this beautiful part of Japan.
• 43.6619110572607
• 142.852478027344

Kushiro

View place

• {3813321B-AE7F-49C3-A4BD-97AB05FFB32C}
• The port city of Kushiro is located in the Doto region of eastern Hokkaido and with regular flights south to Tokyo can act as a convenient entry and exit point for visits to...
• 42.9805395475164
• 144.38232421875

Sapporo

View place

• {AE4AFDDC-A939-484E-BB94-B1989C551A3D}
• Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo, dates back only 120 years, and this bright, cosmopolitan city, well-endowed with gardens and parks, makes the perfect base from which to head out and explore the island.
• 43.0547222
• 141.3538889

Shiretoko National Park

View place

• {20AF37D5-C973-4253-9327-A2C58B44908D}
• The Shiretoko Peninsula is the dramatic, windswept, easterly tip of Hokkaido, with only Cape Nosappu to the south being further east.
• 44.0244215196593
• 145.01953125

Sounkyo

View place

• {0F451A21-BC7B-47A8-B283-5EB78E69002D}
• The small collection of hot spring resort hotels and restaurants that make up the Sounkyo Resort offer excellent access into Japan's largest national park, the magnificent Daisetsuzan region.
• 43.726452188547
• 142.945861816406

Utoro

View place

• {FE528094-BBA3-42F9-B8CA-03169246BD65}
• Utoro is a small working fishing port which also doubles as a tourist resort and principle access point for the beautiful Shiretoko Peninsula National Park.
• 44.0597222
• 145.0005556

Hakodate

View place

• {8547FADB-7A1C-4938-8EDC-E8CD5C80F5DB}
• Overlooked by the famous Mt Hakodate, the port city of Hakodate straddles a small peninsula on the southern tip of Hokkaido Island, looking out across the Tsugaru Straits to Aomori Prefecture in northern Honshu.
• 41.7758333
• 140.7366667

Other countries in North Asia & Russia:
ChinaKyrgyzstanMongoliaRussiaTaiwanTibetUkraineUzbekistan