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Island, prefecture, and region of Japan
Photo: Kazu777 hokkaido, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
By train
The JR Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet train line from Tokyo (4 hours, ¥26,490) terminates at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto station, 16 min from Hakodate station.
By plane
Hakodate Airport (HKD) has flights to major Japanese cities and a few regional destinations like Seoul and Taipei. Flights can be faster and cheaper than the train if booked well in advance.
By ferry
Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry has services from Aomori and Oma at the tip of the Shimokita Peninsula to Hakodate. The ferries are utilitarian but useful particularly if you have a car.
South Hokkaido Railways operates the Dōnan Isaribi Line (formerly JR Esashi Line) between Hakodate and Kikonai. The extension to Esashi closed in 2014.
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Hakodate · International · HKD
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domestic tourists come in droves for the food, culture and history
adjacent to Hakodate, terminus of the Hokkaido Shinkansen's first phase; it is a bedroom community for Hakodate
the former base of the Matsumae clan, it has the only traditional-style castle in Hokkaido, and an Edo village
known for Kanimeshi bento (crabmeat on rice)
remote island famous for its seafood and clear blue waters
placid lakes and a steaming volcano
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