When you’re in Hakodate (Hokkaido) then Mt. Hakodate with its awesome night view is without a doubt a highlight besides the star-shaped Goryokaku Fort and the Hakodate Morning Market.
Getting to the top of Mount Hakodate
Mount Hakodate (函館山）with its 334 m is not very high. A ropeway that will take you up to the mountain top. You can also take a bus (which I highly recommend for the night view).
I went there twice, once during the night and once during the day.
During the day I took the ropeway which looked very new and modern to me (compared to other ones I’ve seen in Japan).
The ropeway also offers a great view already!
Maybe you can make out some Western buildings and churches on this photo?
I’ve written about them here.
And this is the famous view you get from Mount Hakodate.
Not very spectacular during daytime when it’s cloudy, but awesome at night!
There’s also an old fortress, Tsugaru Fort (津軽要塞) on the mountain. Actually the whole mountain used to be a fortress once. One of the old gun batteries is open for visitors, but I didn’t have the time to visit.
There’s a huge observation platform offering almost a 360°C panorama.
You can see the port, the station and the mountains in the background.
It offers a great view of the Tsugaru Straits.
The really awesome thing is the night view, though.
It is very famous and considered to be not only one of Japan’s most awesome night views, but also in the world!
It is listed as one of the TOP 3 NIGHT VIEWS OF JAPAN along with Kobe’s Mt. Rokko and Nagasaki’s Mt. Inasa. I’ve seen the views at night at all those places and I can’t decide which one is the best, but surely they are all absolutely breathtaking!
It was truly magical up there, yet freezing cold!
It was also almost a full moon at that night. Truly breathtaking!
Round trip: 1280yen (adult), 640yen (child)
That is a pretty awesome night view. I could enjoy this place and view either day or night. Can you also climb to the top of the mountain rather than taking the ropeway?
Yes, there seems to be a hiking trail as well, but most people don’t access the mountain by hiking. Hiking will take about an hour from what I’ve heard, but I have no personal experience with this!
There are a few trails on the mountain top as well, but when I visited it was far too cold and windy to explore the area. There is a fort or at least some ruins on the mountain and I would have loved to visit those.
334m? That’s far from a mountain to me :hihi:
All the mountains I’m used to are around 1500m~
But that view is really wonderful *A*
I know, same here! :D
In Japan that’s already quite high, especially if it’s a mountain so close to the ocean (=0m). That’s why you’ll get an awesome view although it’s not very high!
Thanks for this post. :-) I added it to my “to do in Hokkaido”-List, since I’m going to study at Otaru University of Commerce soon :D
I’ve only been to Hakodate and Matsumae in Hokkaido.
I might visit again in summer. There’s still so much to discover! :D
You’ll start studying in autumn?
The university program will start end of September, but I will be in Otaru from 13th September, so I can discover Otaru / Hokkaido before the University begins :D
Awesome! I’m looking forward to your travel logs then! ^__^
Thank you! :-) If you travel to Hokkaido in late Summer (September 15th and later), we can meet for a coffee or tea ^_^
I probably won’t because my vacation time is in August and December, but I’ll let you know if I happen to go there.
You should let me know if you come down to Kansai! ^__^