Thoughts on Hakodate: 3rd time in Hokkaido over last 3 summers
This is just for anyone interested in traveling Hokkaido and specifically Hakodate.
At the Hakodate Airport after 3 nights here solo and I want to capture my thoughts for anyone interested in coming here or even just going to Hokkaido.
I was just here last summer and did a solo road trip and the summer before that I did Sapporo solo. Search my posts if you want to know more on those as I wrote long entries for those too.
I had always wanted to come to Hakodate for no particular reason other than it sounded cool and looked nice from pictures. I ended up having a chance to scratch that itch this summer. So my expectations for whatever reason, were kind of high. Just looked like a chill place with nice views and good seafood.
One problem I ran into was I couldn't easily find a decent inexpensive place to stay. All of the hotels near the busier areas of Hakodate like near the station were really expensive, like more than $100 a night if I recall. I ended up getting a hostel called Tasogare Hostel more on the outskirts near the massive arena. I didn't know at the time but there is the Hakodate Marathon happening as I type this and that seems to have put quite a strain on the local accommodations and likely driven up the price.
Night 1: I arrived late enough so that when i checked into the hostel it was already dark. I hadn't figured out the tram system yet and I wanted to accomplish something so i did Lucky Pierrot that night. It was 30 min by walking and i hadn't got much exercise that day so I walked. By 8 PM it was like walking through a ghost town in that area. Kind of cool in some ways but really empty super dark. I had the Lucky Pierrot chicken burger with cheese and an egg and it was pretty good! Only like 680 yen. Nothing to make the trip for but it was good
Day 2/Night 2: This day ended up being really grey and then very rainy. I had a kaisendon for about 4000 yen at the morning market, a little expensive and a bit of a letdown. I had a really good kaisendon two summers ago in Sapporo and nothing has lived up to that. Walked all the way to Goryokaku Fort. Went to the top of the tower. Took the tram to the Red Brick Warehouse area and had some Petit Merveille. By then it was starting to really rain. Had soup curry, did the Northern Peoples museum. Eventually took a 3000 yen taxi ride back to the hostel as it was really starting to come down and be quite cold. By this point I was feeling disappointed by Hakodate.
Day 3/Night 3: The weather was much better and what a difference it made! Had a kaisendon at the morning market again, different place, still nothing that blew me away. Went to Onuma Quasi national park, nothing amazing but still calm and pretty. Had some nice potatoes at the Jagaimo Factory. Had Petit Merveille and some shio ramen at the morning market/station area. Went to the red brick warehouse area again and wow, when the sun is out and the breeze is cool and the sky is blue, it's a HUGE difference (obviously). It was really great. I toured some churches, stopped off at the bathhouse in the area (i love onsen) and and then did the Ropeway around 7:00 PM. The sky was clear and it was a great view but i can't overemphasize how many tourists are there. You're being squeezed for a good spot similar to the Battle of the Bastards in GoT. Made my way back to the hostel and was exhausted.
Thoughts:
I do think two nights max is all that's needed for Hakodate and just pray that when you're there the weather is beautiful as it makes all the difference. I know it goes without saying but it is a very small, not busy, spread out place. If you can stay closer to the station as i was just in too remote of an area. Also, the place ended up being great but I do think there's nothing here you can't get the same or better of in Sapporo. Kaisendons, night views, nature, all of that is easily accessible in Sapporo with in my opinion better food options and far more entertainment options. But there's more people so there's a trade off.
My thoughts after coming to Hokkaido for the last 3 summers:
My favorite experiences were spending several days in Sapporo and visiting Otaru (and the LeTao cheese soft serve was my favorite dairy product i've had in Japan) and taking a road trip through Central and East Hokkaido to see Furano and Biei and stopping in at little places to see flowers and visiting Asahidake and the Meakan trail which was a great hike.
Shiretoko, as interesting as it was to plan was for me a little underwhelming. Lake Akan was itself the same. Asahikawa was a non-factor for me. And Hakodate rates just a little higher than Asahikawa.
I would be interested in hitting up the remote Northern parts, Kusshiro and maybe Lake Toya in the future, and camping at Lake Kussharo looks fantastic with its clear water
Thanks for reading! If anyone has any questions on anything I would be happy to share any resources or answer any questions. Just respond or message me!