Fort Goryōkaku

From the 90-meter viewing platform you can get a striking view of the star-shaped fort. Neat dioramas tell the story of the Enomoto and Ezo Republic (see sidebox), and the role of the fort in Hakodate's history; an English pamphlet is available. The views from Goryōkaku Tower is different on each season. In spring, you can enjoy seeing 1,600 cherry blossoms and the view from the tower is a best place to see them. However, it takes at least 3 hours to go up the tower in cherry blossom season because of the crowds. In summer, you can enjoy full green trees, and in fall you can enjoy the changing leaves. In winter, Goryōkaku is covered with snow and is illuminated at night.

A free foot bath with multi-lingual information signs about the history of the place. The water temperature is pretty hot, it takes a little time to get used to it. Bring a towel to dry off your feet after the bath, or just let them air-cool otherwise.

An English pamphlet is available, but most plant labels are in Japanese only. All plants are located in a greenhouse; various banana palms, coffee, hibiscus (lovely flower in autumn) and cacti grow here amongst many others. Even though this is a botanical garden, they have monkeys with a hot tub, parakeets, beetles and turtles. Especially the monkeys seem to attract a lot of Japanese fans, though their cage looks a bit dull. It's possible to buy monkey food pellets for ¥100. Additionally, there's a playground, small track with bumper cars and a shallow pool for kids in the back. And as if that's not enough already, a foot bath is located on the right side just after the entry gate.

Museum telling the history of the Aomori-Hakodate ferry, on an old ferry itself. Signs are only partially translated to English, but some parts of the exhibition are surprisingly interactive. Go up to the bridge and feel like a captain!

These warehouses built at the end of the Meiji era now house a variety of commercial facilities, as well as restaurants serving seafood. There is also the first concrete electricity pole of Japan located near there, which seems to attract the interest of Japanese tourists. A night view of Hakodate can be seen from The Blue Moon bay cruise, located at the vicinity of the red brick warehouses. The area is especially nice for a night time walk as the buildings are lit up and the area is very atmospheric, especially in winter.

Worth a look to gain an understanding of the Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan. Ainu culture is rich and fascinating but has historically been forgotten in Japan. A fair number of signs and labels are translated to English and an English pamphlet is available.