Hakodate: Hokkaido’s answer to Cape Town (5 Reasons to Visit Hakodate)

After several business trips to Hakodate we finally took time to visit the City as a tourist.  Once a Native Ainu Fishing Village; the Port City located in the Center of the Kameda Peninsula of Southern Hokkaido now hosts a population near 300,000. Here are five reasons to spend a day in a Beautiful Japanese City.

-1-Mountain Cable Car Ride to the Top of Mount Hakodate:  We timed our trip up Mount Hakodate by Cable Car to enjoy Sun Set and the Hakodate “Million Dollar View”.  This event was reminiscent of our Cable Ride to the Top of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.  The view of Hakodate at Night when the City Lights Up is truly spectacular.  (Real impact on the “WoW” Scale.)

Hakodate Ropeway                      http://www.334.co.jp/eng/

-2-Squid Tourism:  The local fish markets have Tanks full of live “Ika” to catch followed by a professional fillet  for a quick snack.  This was fun for our 8 Year Old Daughter and an Excellent Photo Opportunity.  The Squid Sashima was Not Good.  The poor creatures are stressed and the Sashimi was unusually chewy and sour.  A Self Respecting  “Izakaya” would not serve them to customers.  The Many Open Fish Market Stalls displaying and selling iced Sea Urchin, Crab and Local Catches of Fish makes for an interesting morning walk.

Hakodate Asaichi (Morning Market)    http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5353.html

-3-Visiting OBaasan:  My wife’s Grandmother is 92 Years Old.  We visited her at her Suburban Retirement Home.  I signed in and introduced myself as “Sean Connery”.  It didn’t make the impact I hoped but OBaasan did give me some advice on how best to look after her “youngest granddaughter”. (Watching the reunion with her Great Granddaughter was priceless.)

-4-Teddy Bear Museum:  Hundreds of Japanese Celebrities donated Teddy Bears to the Museum in an effort to raise funds and awareness for “Land Mine Clearance”.  The displays take up 4 floors and were unexpectedly entertaining.  The Museum is located within walking distance of the “Akarenga” or Red Warehouse District that everyone enjoys. (Boutiques, Restaurants, Cafes, Gift Shops.)

Hakodate Nishihatoba Museum　（Japanese Only）

http://www.hakodate-factory.com/museum/access/default.htm

-5-Hakodate Half Marathon September 25th:  We’re signed up for this Event and expect it to be a Terrific Run.  Time to get back to training as there will be relatives waiting to see me finish under the maximum race time allowance.