Hakodate
函館41°46′ N 140°44′ ECityPop. 232,760South
Hakodate grew up as a treaty port on a narrow isthmus below its mountain, and it eats better than almost anywhere in Hokkaido.
Volcanic alert
Hokkaido Komagatake is at volcanic alert level 2
Hokkaido Komagatake near Hakodate went to level 2 on 2 October 2026, with a 4 km warning zone around the crater. Hakodate Nanae Snow Park sits about 10 km away, outside the zone.
Checked 2026-10 · jma.go.jp
Photo by Natasha Jenny on Unsplash and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay in Hakodate for one or two nights of food and history on the way on or off the island by train. It works for riders who want a day at Hakodate Nanae and a city break in the same trip.
The name
us-kes
ウスケシ（ウショロケシ）The end of the bay
ainu
Hakodate itself is a Japanese name. The fishing village at the foot of Mt. Hakodate was called Usukeshi, from the Ainu us-kes or usor-kes, 'the end of the bay'. In 1454 the Tsugaru warlord Kōno Masamichi built a fortified residence there, and because it looked like a box (箱) the place became Hakodate, 箱館. The characters changed to 函館 in 1869, when Ezo became Hokkaido.
SourceEat · 食べる
bryan... / Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0 Kikuyo Shokudo Hontenきくよ食堂 本店sushi¥¥
This morning-market diner is famous for its original tomoe-don, which tops one bowl with three kinds of seafood. Opens at 6:00; winter last orders are at 13:10.
Hakodate Menchubo Ajisai Honten函館麺厨房あじさい 本店ramen¥
Ajisai serves the classic clear Hakodate shio ramen by Goryokaku. Open daily 11:00–20:25 except the fourth Wednesday of the month.
Jiyoken滋養軒ramen¥
This small, old-school shio ramen counter near the station has a loyal local following. Closed Tuesday to Thursday.
Asari Honten阿佐利 本店fine¥¥¥
A butcher with a sukiyaki restaurant upstairs in Horai-cho. Weekday lunch sets are the cheap way in; the butcher counter downstairs sells croquettes from 10:00.
Ganso Indian Curry Koike元祖インドカレー 小いけcurry¥
A long-running curry house in Horai-cho serving Japanese-style curry and katsu-don. Open 11:00–15:30; closed Tuesdays.
Nidaime Saheiji二代目佐平次izakaya¥¥
A popular izakaya by Goryokaku for seasonal fish and local sake. Open from 18:00; closed Mondays. Book.
Kanesue / Flickr · CC BY 2.0 Uni Murakami Hontenうにむらかみ 函館本店sushi¥¥¥
A Hakodate uni processor serves its additive-free sea urchin in bowls by the morning market. Closed Wednesdays.
掬茶 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Lucky Pierrotラッキーピエロcafe¥
Hakodate's own burger chain runs themed dining rooms around town, and the Chinese chicken burger is the signature.
Drink · 飲む
掬茶 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Hakodate Beerbrewery
A brewpub by the bay in Ōte-machi pouring its own beers with European food. Closed Wednesdays.
掬茶 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Hakodate Beer Hallbrewery
This beer hall in the Kanemori red-brick warehouses on the waterfront is a short walk from the ropeway.
Do · 遊ぶ
洞内定晴 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 Mt. Hakodate night viewsight
Ride the ropeway to the 334 m summit for the view over the lit isthmus. The deck gets very busy for an hour or two after sunset. The ropeway is closed for inspection from 20 October to 8 November 2026.
bryan... / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 Hakodate Morning Marketmarket
Hundreds of stalls by the station sell crab and squid, and diners serve seafood bowls from 6:00.
掬茶 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Motomachiwalk
The old foreign quarter climbs the slopes below the mountain past churches and the 1910 Old Public Hall. Pretty under fresh snow.
Goryokaku-Tower / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 Goryokakusight
This star-shaped Western-style fort was finished in 1864. See it from the tower next to it, where the star shows up white under snow.
OraMAAG / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 Yunokawa Onsenactivity
Hakodate's onsen district lies on the coast near the airport, a short tram ride from the centre.
Hakodate is the oldest of Hokkaido's big towns and it still looks outward. It was one of the first ports opened to foreign ships in 1859, and the Motomachi slopes below Mt. Hakodate are lined with Orthodox and Catholic churches and wooden merchant houses painted in pale colours. The streetcars still run. The city gets far less snow than the mountains to the north, and on a clear winter evening the view from the summit shows it pinched into an hourglass between two bays with every street lit.
It is a long way from the big powder resorts, and nobody comes here for a week of riding. Hakodate Nanae is about forty minutes north and makes a good day on the hill, and the city is the natural first or last stop for anyone arriving on the Shinkansen from Honshu. Stay a night or two for the food.
Breakfast is the morning market by the station, where Kikuyo Shokudo has served seafood bowls from 6:00 for decades. Hakodate ramen means shio in a clear, light broth, and the bowl at Ajisai in Goryokaku is the benchmark. For a bigger meal, Asari has sold beef and served sukiyaki in Horai-cho for generations. Koike calls itself the originator of Hakodate's 'Indian curry' and serves Japanese curry and katsu-don at lunch. Locals will also send you to Lucky Pierrot for a Chinese chicken burger and to the Hasegawa Store convenience chain for a yakitori bento cooked at the counter.
In the evening go up the mountain for the night view, then come down to the bay for a beer. The ropeway closes for inspection each autumn, so check dates if you arrive in early November.
Quick answers about Hakodateよくある質問
What does the name Hakodate mean?
Hakodate comes from the local name us-kes, meaning the end of the bay. Hakodate itself is a Japanese name. The fishing village at the foot of Mt. Hakodate was called Usukeshi, from the Ainu us-kes or usor-kes, 'the end of the bay'. In 1454 the Tsugaru warlord Kōno Masamichi built a fortified residence there, and because it looked like a box (箱) the place became Hakodate, 箱館. The characters changed to 函館 in 1869, when Ezo became Hokkaido.
Is Hakodate a good place to stay?
Stay in Hakodate for one or two nights of food and history on the way on or off the island by train. It works for riders who want a day at Hakodate Nanae and a city break in the same trip.
How do you get to Hakodate?
Hokkaido Shinkansen trains from Honshu stop at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, linked to Hakodate Station by the Hakodate Liner. Limited express trains run to Sapporo in about three and a half to four hours. Hakodate Airport is close to the city, and streetcars run from the centre out to Yunokawa.
Ride from Hakodate近くの山
Stay in Hakodate宿
Hot springs nearby温泉
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