Hakodate, Japan - The TOWN - 1 of 2

A city and port located in Oshima subprefecture Hokkaido, Japan, Hakodate (pop less than 300,000), was built along the base of a rocky promontory that forms the east boundary of this harbor that is surrounded on three sides with Ocean.

In the mid-18th Century, the Ainu lived here and then in 1789 it became a base for Japanese deep-sea fishing. Everything changed when Commodore Perry came in 1854 and with his treaties came Western Culture (there is a statue to “honor” him on the site where the first talks were held). In 1959 a Russian church was built here too. In 1988 the Seikan tunnel beneath Tsugaru strait linked Hakodate with Homori. The Seikan Tunnel is the world's longest undersea tunnel by overall length Is was significant because a booming economy saw traffic levels of the Seikan Ferry double from 1955 to 1965, and cargo levels rose 1.7 times. Inter-island traffic forecast projections made in 1971 predicted increasing growth that would eventually outstrip the ability of the ferry pier facility, which was constrained by geographical conditions.

We went on a tour of Motomachi where most people lived once it was opened for Westerners, and we saw all the various architectures that came in that period from various settlers. What a cute little town … where you can even stop and have coffee at the California Baby Coffee Shop or ice cream at the famous Lucky Pierrot (Best Local Burger in Japan).

Walk around town and saw where government house, old public hall, a Temple, and waterworks designed in 1889 and saved the people since population growth caused dangerous polluted and limited clean water. Since this was one of the first cities to transition from 19th Century isolationist policies, they were also one of the first open trade. On our walk we saw the former Brutish consulate, churches, Takuboku Ishikawa a local poet that was well known in the time was from this town and we saw his statute. He died very young in 1912.Read more