All of Japan
Hakodate
Japan / Hokkaido / Hakodate

Hakodate

Night View from Mount Hakodate and a Star-Shaped Fort

Plan this trip
2 daysIdeal stay₹5,450From / night₹2,120Food / day₹1,090Entry

Hokkaido's southern port, one of the first opened to foreign ships in 1859, at the end of the Hokkaido Shinkansen: about four hours from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, then a 15-minute shuttle train. The night view from Mount Hakodate over the city on its narrow neck of land is one of Japan's most famous; the morning market sells crab, squid and sea-urchin bowls; Goryokaku is a star-shaped Western-style fort with a tower to see it from; and the Motomachi slopes keep Russian Orthodox, Catholic and Anglican churches and old consulates. Yunokawa Onsen is on the tram line. Sapporo is about four hours away by the Hokuto express, so many trips stop here between Tokyo and Sapporo.

Highlights

  • Night view from Mount Hakodate
  • Seafood bowls at the morning market
  • Goryokaku's star-shaped fort from the tower
  • Motomachi's churches and Hachiman-zaka slope
  • Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses
  • Shio (salt) ramen
  • Yunokawa Onsen
  • Onuma Park's lakes under Mount Komagatake
  • Cherry blossom at Goryokaku in early May

Things to do

  • Hakodate Morning Market seafood breakfastMorning · 1h 30m
  • Goryokaku fort & Goryokaku TowerMorning · 2h
  • Motomachi churches, old consulates & Hachiman-zakaAfternoon · 2h
  • Hakodate shio ramen lunchAfternoon · 1h
  • Mount Hakodate night viewEvening · 2h
  • Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses on the bayEvening · 1h 30m
  • Onuma Park lakes under Mount KomagatakeMorning · 4h
  • Yunokawa Onsen hot-spring bathEvening · 1h 30m

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Hakodatevia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Hakodatevia Klook

Tourisma may earn a small commission if you book — it never changes your price.

When to go

Best time: June – October, December – February (snow)

Heads up

Golden Week Crowds (29 April – 5 May)

Golden Week is a run of national holidays from 29 April to 5 May: shinkansen and domestic flights sell out, hotels raise prices, and sights are packed. Book transport and rooms early, or plan around those dates.

Heads up

Obon Holiday Rush (mid-August)

Around 13–16 August Japan travels home for Obon: trains and flights are full (Nozomi trains ran reserved seats only at Obon 2026), and resort hotels charge peak rates. Reserve seats for every long journey that week.

Heads up

Hokkaido Snow and Cold

December to March is snowy and -5 to -15 °C in Hokkaido. Flights from New Chitose and trains are delayed or cancelled in storms a few times each winter, so keep a spare half-day before a flight home. Pack a warm coat, gloves and shoes with grip; drive only with winter experience.

Heads up

Mount Hakodate Ropeway Inspection

The ropeway stops for its statutory inspection for a few weeks most autumns (in 2026 from 20 October to 8 November), and for shorter spells in winter and in high wind. The summit is then reached by taxi or, in season, the Mount Hakodate bus. Check the ropeway's site before planning the night view.

  • Golden Week — Four public holidays in a week, when much of Japan travels: shinkansen and domestic flights sell out, hotel prices rise, and sights are packed. Avoid travelling between cities on the first and last days.
  • Obon — The festival of the ancestors, around 13-16 August: families travel home, shinkansen and flights sell out (Nozomi trains ran reserved seats only at Obon 2026), and there are Bon dances and lantern floats in towns across Japan.
  • New Year (Shogatsu) · 31 Dec — Japan's biggest holiday: temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight on 31 December and millions make the first shrine visit (hatsumode), Meiji Jingu and Fushimi Inari above all. Many museums, restaurants and offices close from about 29 December to 3 January; trains run, but are full around the start and end.