From where we left off from our road trip around Hokkaido…
We were on the way from Lake Toya to Hakodate, which is the longest part of our journey and so we took a minute to stop at this organic farm with the most beautiful views! And to top myself up with more Shiroi Koi 白色恋人 icecream 🍦
We pulled into the base station of Mount Hakodate at about 4 pm and was slightly puzzled when they prevented us from driving uphill further. Instead, we had to park and take the cable car up. Anyway, it was a great excuse to check out the award winning views on way up to Mount Hakodate! Remember to sit on the front of the cable car so you can enjoy the best views looking down.
When we reached the top of the observatory it was already quite crowded at dusk and we saw many people sitting down at the stairs, reserving their seats. Having no experience whatsoever, we were just slightly confused at the overall atmosphere – everyone seems to be waiting for something to happen.
The observatory has quite a few levels and a lot to explore so we spent about an hour and a half just wandering around taking photos. Both sides of the observatory has great views!
As the sunset, we started to realise that the crowds were getting more and more overwhelming. When we came up in the huge cable car, there were only about 8 other people with us but now, the cars were FULLY PACKED with anxious, noisy tourists groups. So it turns out, the truly famous views from Mount Hakodate were in the night time, when the lights are all on and sparkling in the town of Hakodate below!
Along with sparkling lights on the city, the sea on both sides is an important element of Hakodate’s night view. Large arches are drawn by rims of the lights along the coastal roads, creating a fascinating constriction of light on the city. The contrast between the city of light and the sea of darkness modulates the night view. The topography of the small city with the sea on both sides is unique to Hakodate. Hence, this view from Mt. Hakodate is highly acclaimed, with a three-star rating in the “Michelin Green Guide Japon.”
We quickly cottoned on that we were about to be swamped with visitors and so made the quick decision to head down on the cable car before it gets too packed. Anyway by this point night had already fallen and we managed to capture some shots with the sparkling night scene. So we hurried downhill and headed for dinner at a nearby conveyor belt sushi place in Hakodate! Hakodate is a town that sleeps early, as we found out after dinner taking a quick drive around. It was basically a ghost town so we head back to our Airbnb to rest.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early to enjoy breakfast at Lucky Pierrot, Hakodate’s No. 1 Burger Chain!
Lucky Pierrot is not your ordinary fast food chain. They serve themed burgers that are out of this world! Furthermore, every one of their shops also has a funky Instagrammable interior. But you won’t find Lucky Pierrot outside of Hakodate, Hokkaido Prefecture, so it’s definitely a must-go in Hakodate!
The burgers are reasonably priced, too, starting at ¥270 for the basic hamburger. If you’re up to it, you can even try to eat one of their massive tower burgers which of course we did! We choose the tower burger modeled after local landmark Goryokaku Tower and it was not bad at all! Not the most memorable burger I had but I’m usually not a huge fan of burgers.
After filling our tummies, we headed over to Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses for some light shopping and photos. Nothing particularly captivating around here, so I quickly lost interest and dragged my mum to try the fluffiest Gram Pancakes in their hometown!
We were calculating the time it would take us to drive all the way back to Sapporo and decided that since we’re all the way at Hakodate already, we would try to squeeze in one more stop at the famous Goryokaku Tower overlooking the massive star-shaped Fort Goryōkaku (五稜郭)!
It was built in the last years of the Edo Period for the defense of Hakodate against the imperialist threat posed by the Western powers. A few years later, the fort became the site of a civil war between an army of the shogunate and the superior troops of the newly established Meiji government. Admission to the tower’s observatory deck costs just 900 yen and is so worth it for the view and historical insights into the fort.
This landmark was the last stop in our Hokkaido road trip before we headed to the highways back to Sapporo to return the car before the rental agency closes at 8 pm! On the way back, we were gifted with a surprise stop – a random overlook that afforded us a different view of Lake Toya and Nakajima, the island in the middle of Lake Toya.
What a crazy journey – I still can’t believe we hit all our top spots in Hokkaido in just 4 days! It didn’t even feel very rushed, we had sufficient time to stop whenever we saw something interesting along our route. Of course, my boyfriend’s dad was an awesome driver who tanked the whole journey by himself so a few drivers to rotate would be recommended!
If you are heading to Hokkaido, don’t forget to book your car or tours with KKDay and you can use my promo code SALLY10KK for 10% off! 💰 #KkdaySG
Check out my first 2 posts on our Hokkaido road trip here: