Hakodate

We went to Hakodate for three nights as an extension of our Sapporo trip--targeting an uni-rich area. There was a cruise ship in port and we saw many, many businesses targeting the cruise visitors here. If you are on a cruise, we have suggestions for making the most of your port visit (away from the touristy stuff!) As with other Japanese cities, there are lots of public transportation options that are inexpensive and efficient. Taxis are also safe and easy to catch near the port because the main train station is also at the port.

On our visit, we happened to catch a fireworks display! It was spectacular. Vendors set up food trucks in a parking lot near the Mashumaru Museum Ship, adjacent to the Morning Market area. We continued a bit farther, to the parking lot of the Hakodate wholesale fish market. There were only 2 other couples there and we had a stunning view. The fireworks were set off across the bay on Midori no Shima (Green Island)--a man-made island. Tickets were sold to watch on the island itself. August 1 every year features a fireworks display here, and there are various dates throughout the summer and at least one in February as well. The one we saw was on Sept 6, 2025 and was billed as a "new" event.

Below we have details on Food, Markets, Sightseeing, and Shopping. If it's your first stop in Japan, please check out our other Japan blog entries for basic information on transportation, finding toilets, local customs and more.

Markets

We visited three markets in Hakodate. Our favorite was the second on this list - it was much more relaxed than the morning market but had the same items, some cheaper, and easy to buy items at any seafood vendor and eat nearby.

Hakodate Morning Market. This is the main retail market in Hakodate about 2 square blocks in size with two buildings full of small vendors (links to info on each building here and here). Much of the market outside the buildings with vendors is taken up by restaurants that serve local seafood. We tried hakkaku (aka sailfin poacher or tokubire) sashimi, and Murasaki uni directly from a cracked urchin. This uni, while good, wasn't as good as that from Uni Murakami Hakodate (and see below). Walking tours that come here stop for the squid fishing, among other things. We bought a lot of seaweed of various sorts that are not available in the US.

Hakodate Jiyūichiba. 1-2 Shinkawacho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0032. Open every day except Sunday 8 AM - 5 PM.

This market is similar in size to the morning market but much less frantic. So, it's much easier to browse the aisles of seafood, pick out an item (or several items) you want to eat and bring to the end of the building where you can sit and/or buy a bowl of rice (300 yen) and/or cook your seafood on a grill (for 500 yen). If you have time for a second market, it is a nice visit.

Nakajima Renbai. 22 Nakajimacho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0014, Japan. Open every day except Sunday 10 AM - 5 PM.

Very small and truly a local market, so we enjoyed visiting because we had plenty of time in Hakodate, but it is not an essential stop for most itineraries.

Other Shopping

Brick Warehouse This shopping area is a nice idea, and picturesque in the old buildings on the waterfront, but it's a total tourist trap. You will not miss anything by skipping it.

Marui Imai department store. We went here for the food level in the basement which has groceries, prepared foods, and a few restaurants (as is common in Japanese department stores). They also have plenty of upper floors with clothes, homegoods and more if this is what you are looking for. It is close to Goryokaku Tower, which is discussed below.

Antiques--there are not as many as in Kyoto or Tokyo, because the post-Ainu history here is relatively young. We enjoyed Hakodate Crafts House (8-8 Suehirocho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0053, Japan) which had some nicely curated items and clothing. It is in an old building, so just looking at the shop is like a history lesson.

Food

Uni Murikami Hakodate: we travel for uni. This place is at the end of the morning market and we ate there 3 times in 3 days. Yes, it’s that good.

Uni Murikami is owned by an uni processor. They pride themselves on their local uni, and note that it has no additives. It is not the cheapest, but it is cheap by comparison to US prices.

What we learned in trying many uni bowls in Hakodate and Sapporo is

• There are two kinds of uni available: murasaki (aka purple) and bafun (aka orange)

• The quality will change. Not only between these types, but according to location, season, quality and additives

• Of all the types we tried, we liked the local Bafun from Uni Murikami the best. We also tried local Bafun from the morning market and Russian Bafun.

And this is why we kept returning to Uni Murasaki! Theirs really was the best and we can’t tell from looking at uni or asking about the source if it will be as good as theirs.

Bafun was only available on our last day in Hakodate (Sept 2). There are fishing regulations which affect availability.

Order the uni don. It comes with pickles and soup. Anything that heats the uni is not worth it in our opinion. Uni is best raw.

They have a frequent buyer card. We managed to fill it in three trips and with our 2000 yen credit bought seaweed since, alas, we did not have time to return before our flight

Uni Murakami Hakodate. 22-1 Otemachi, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0064 (at the end of the main street in the Hakodate Morning Market). Open 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM daily.

Matsumoto (tempura) 10-9 Toyokawacho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0065, Japan. Open noon - 2 PM and 5:00 - 9:30 PM daily.

This is very close to the Kanemori Brick Warehouse and the morning market. The tempura was good, traditional fare. It's cash only. If you are in this neighborhood--either from a cruise ship or otherwise, this is a good choice because otherwise the Brick Warehouse has tourist-targeted restaurants.

Taiyaki Cyaya Hokkari. 11-10 Wakamatsucho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0063.  Open daily 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM

We tried this on our last day, and were secretly glad. The taiyaki here was so good, we would have eaten only these for the whole time we were in Hakodate if we had tried them sooner. The apple creme-filled taiyaki with cinnamon-flavored dough was amazing (240 yen). The owner makes them fresh to order in this narrow shop squeezed between two restaurants on the edge of the Hakodate Morning Market.

Other activities

Mt. Hakodate Ropeway vs Goryokaku Tower. The views from either are spectacular.

Goryokaku Tower has a 360 degree view, and includes the star-shaped park as well as the coast line. This is very helpful in understanding the land shape, seeing how the city stretches out into a peninsula. In addition, they have a helpful history lesson that runs around the observatory level. It is an easy trip from the harbor and morning market area by tram. We recommend a stop before or after at Marui Imai department store for food on the basement level. Like other Japanese department stores, the basement level has a good selection of prepared foods and a few restaurants, plus all the food souvenirs you would want. It is also more economical to buy the prepared foods than to go to a restaurant, and if you are returning to a cruise ship, you might want to take a few snacks aboard. If you have not been to other parts of Japan and experienced a department store food level, we recommend this be high on your list. (We are foodies after all). Though small in comparison to Tokyo, Sapporo, or Kyoto department stores, it still has enough to be both delicious and interesting, and to serve a variety of food requirements.

The Hakodate Ropeway was good, but we were sent back down immediately due to a lightning warning. If you have time, it is interesting to see both the view from here and from Goryokaku Tower. If you have time for just one, do the Goryokaku Tower instead. The neighborhood around the Ropeway has some lovely historic buildings, several churches, and some cute shops--but you are in the steep section of Hakodate so be prepared to walk the hills.

Want more views, for less? Ok, you have to pay for either of the above options. If you have a hotel in the harbor's morning market area (we stayed at the JR Inn Hakodate), their top floor will have a good view similar (mirror image) to the Ropeway. JR Inn's top floor also happens to have their public bath--another great experience while in Japan. The women's bath had 2 indoor pools and one outdoor pool with a view of the city. There is also a lounge with coffee and a spectacular view straight towards the Ropeway, looking over the Morning Market and the harbor. JR Inn's top floor is only accessible with a key card, so I suppose there really is no free view (as far as we found).