List of Seven Must-Visit Spots in Hakodate

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Written by GOOD LUCK TRIP

As one of the most attractive cities in Japan, Hakodate boasts seemingly countless places of interest. The Hokkaido Shinkansen opened in 2016 has enabled easier access to Hakodate: it takes only 4.5 hours to get to Hakodate from Tokyo and only 2 hours from Aomori. Seven must-visit places of interest in Hakodate are recommended to you. We wish you a pleasant tour of Hakodate!

Contents

1. Enjoy Charming Night View from Mount Hakodate♡

At an altitude of 334 m, Mount Hakodate is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hakodate. In fine days, the Mountain commands a view of the Tsugaru Strait, and the specially-shaped area encircled by Hakodate Bay and the Tsugaru Strait, which is called “tail of a whale”.

Mount Hakodate in daytime
Mount Hakodate in daytime

Night View from Mount Hakodate, One of the Three Best Night Views in the World ♡

Ranked as one of the three finest night views in the world (the other two are Hong Kong and that of Naples), the night view from the summit of Mount Hakodate is also awarded with the highest rating of 3 stars in Michelin Green Guide: Japan and tourists from around the world flock to Mount Hakodate throughout the year.

Highlights of the night view of Hakodate change with the season. In spring and fall, clear air allows for wider field of vision and even Shimokita Peninsula in Aomori Prefecture might be visible from here. Often blurred by mist, hazy summer night scenes are also picturesque. Hakodate in winter days is enveloped in silvery white; when night falls, numerous street lights are reflected on thick snow covering the ground and fair-tale romance is in the air...

Night views of Hakodate in spring and fall
Night views of Hakodate in spring and fall
Night view of Hakodate in summer
Night view of Hakodate in summer
Night view of Hakodate in winter
Night view of Hakodate in winter

Video on the Night View of Mount Hakodate (Aerial Photography)

Access

Cable car

The cable cars, which leave their station at 10-minutes intervals, can take you from Mountain Foot Station (Sanroku) to Mountaintop Station (Sancho) in only 3 minutes, and thus are chosen by the majority of sightseers. As most of them head there to see night scenes, the cable cars can be crowded around sunset. The operation of the ropeway will be cancelled in case of strong wind. The service will also be suspended for maintenance for about 2 weeks in fall. A round-trip ticket is priced at 1,280 yen (※ Children go half-price).

Mount Hakodate Ropeway
Mount Hakodate Ropeway

Basic information on the Mount Hakodate Ropeway

Pick-up
19-7, Motomachi, Hakodate, Hokkaido
Time of a ride
3 minutes
Hours
[4/25-10/15]10:00-21:50 (※ Last departure from the mountaintop, 22:00 ) /[10/16-4/24]10:00-20:50 (※ Last departure from the mountaintop, 21:00 )
Fares
Round trip: 1,280 yen / one way: 780 yen (※ Children go half-price).
Time for enjoying night view
30 minutes after sunset
Official website (in traditional Chinese)
http://334.co.jp/cht/

Mountain Bus or Tour Bus

Mountain buses for Mount Hakodate leave Bus Stop No. 4 in front of JR Hakodate Station at 1-hour intervals and ascend the Mountain through the Bay Area. If no transfer is made and there is no traffic jam, the summit can be reached in only 30 minutes. But, the ascent is normally closed from November to next March of the next year.

Basic information on Mountain Buses for Mount Hakodate

Time of the line
Running at 1 hour intervals between 13:30 and 20:30 from April 1 to October 31
One-way fare
Adult: 400 yen / child: 200 yen
Official website (in Japanese)
http://www.hakobus.co.jp/

The tour buses running on the “route for the romantic night view of Hakodate” are another option for tourists, who can enjoy the scenery along the route and the night view from Mount Hakodate, the terminal. Apart from the route, the bus tickets cover the services by the tour guides provided for this route and the admissions for the scenic spots along the route, so this is a cheaper way (by appointment only), which is a round trip between Yunokawa Onsen Hotel in front of JR Hakodate Station and the terminal. A bus departing from Hakodate Station will arrive at the terminal in about 1 hour 30 minutes; a bus departing from Yunokawa will arrive at the terminal in about 2 hour 15 minutes.

Tour bus
Tour bus

Basic information on Tour Buses for the Route for the Romantic Night View of Hakodate

Trip by bus and cable car
1,700 yen for an adult and 950 yen for a child between August 2 and October 15
Trip by bus
1,700 yen for an adult and 950 yen for a child between October 16 and October 31
Appointment
0138-57-4000
Official website (in Japanese)
http://hokuto-hk.jp/yakei_roman2017

Taxi or One’s Own Car

If you take a taxi to get to the summit, you can ask the taxi driver to wait there for around 30 minutes, while you can enjoy the night scene before taking the taxi to descend the mountain. Such a trip by a taxi outside Hakodate Station costs about 12,000 yen (subject to road traffic), and this is not expensive for 3 to 4 people taking the same car. Similar to a bus trip, the mountain trail will be closed in winter (November through March) for the sake of safety.

By rental car, you can go around at your own pace, but there are traffic restraints when the road might get congested (from 5 pm to 10 pm between April and September, and from 4 pm to 9 pm between October and November). In addition, the access is unavailable in winter (November through March), when the ascent is closed. Generally, a car for 4 to 5 persons costs about 8,000 yen a day.

Hike

A special pedestrian path is established between the mountain foot and the mountaintop for hikers. If you set off from the Mount Hakodate Information Center, you can reach the summit about 1 hour later. Unlike bus trip and road trip, hike is not subject to traffic restraints. But such anti-skid warm shoes as snow-boots are recommended for hiking the mountain.

Basic information on the Mount Hakodate Information Center

Name in Japanese
Mount Hakodate Fureai Senta
Address
6-12, Aoyagi-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido
Phone
0138-22-6799
Official website (Japanese)
http://www.hakodate-jts-kosya.jp/park/p_mt_hakodate.html

Normally, night views can be enjoyed 30 minutes after sunset; you can visit nearby stores if you arrive too early. There are gift stores at the mountain foot and on the mountaintop, which provide duty-free shopping services. On the second floor there is Genova, a restaurant, and Legato, a café, both offering beautiful view outside.