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Hakodate

Hakodate

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.

Plan a trip to Hakodate From Aomori

It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 households, and a population density of 354 inhabitants per square kilometre (920/sq mi). The total area is 677.86 square kilometres (261.72 sq mi). The city is the third largest in Hokkaido after Sapporo and Asahikawa.

Get in

Getting to Hakodate

  1. 01
    Hakodate Airport
See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Mount Hakodate
  2. 02
    Fort Goryōkaku
  3. 03
    Goryōkaku Tower
  4. 04
    Motomachi
  5. 05
    Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses
  6. 06
    Hakodate Museum of Northern Peoples
Do

Things to do

Port Festival (函館港まつり Hakodate Minato Matsuri). annually from August 1st to 5th. This is Hakodate's biggest carnival and known for very unique Hakodate Squid Dance (函館いか踊り Hakodate Ika-odori) in its parade Wassyoi Hakodate (ワッショイはこだて Wasshoi Hakodate). The parade is normally in the 2nd and 3rd day (2nd day: Jujigai to Matsukaze-cho, 3rd day: Horikawa-cho to Goryokaku). Also there are a fireworks event in 1st day.

  1. 01
    Yachigashira Hot Springs
  2. 02
    Yunokawa Onsen Footbath
Eat

Where to eat

Hakodate's signature fish is squid and its signature dish is Hakodate shio rāmen (noodle with salty soup. not to be confused with shoyu ramen), a version of the ubiquitous noodle dish prepared with — you guessed it — squid stock instead of the usual pork. Nearby Mori-machi is also reputed to have Japan's finest ika-meshi, rice-stuffed squid.

  1. 01
    Hakodate Beer Hall
  2. 02
    Teuchi Soba Kitawase

    A small but very charming soba restaurant hidden along the main tram line running east.

  3. 03
    Tea Shop Yūhi
  4. 04
    Hokkai Ramen

    No English menu, but a bit of Ramen lingo gets you far.

How locals move

Getting around Hakodate the local way

  • Get inFerry Area (Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry Terminal): ¥4,000-5,000.
  • Get inHakodate's main ferry terminal is roughly halfway between Hakodate Station and Goryokaku Station, and a 20-minute walk from Nanae-hama Station on the Isaribi line.
  • Get inLine 16 and 16A buses connect it to Goryokaku Park, while shuttle buses timed to match ferry arrivals connect it directly to Hakodate Station.
  • Get inNational Route 227 follows the west coast connecting it to Hakodate Station, while taxis around the ferry terminal are best booked in advance for cheaper set prices.
  • Get inSeikan Ferry and Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry operate ferry services from Hakodate to Aomori with multiple departures daily.
  • Get inVehicles can be brought to these ferries for ¥12,000-30,000.

From Wikivoyage: Hakodate, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Alexander Klink (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.