September itinerary in Japan Day 6 (Hokkaido Day 1)
(Friday, October 1)
Table of contents
Early in the morning, I took the Shinkansen from Morioka Station to Shin-Hakodate Hokuto Station in Hokkaido. For the first time in my life, I went from Honshu to Hokkaido by train. This time, I went to the Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan according to the itinerary. I really wanted to go to Goryokaku Tower, which had just reopened on October 1, so I made the schedule earlier. Morioka Station departed early in the morning at 06:54 and arrived at Shin-Hakodate Hokuto at 08:58. I took the JR Shinkansen Hayate No. 93. It took 2 hours and 4 minutes.
https://edokagura.com/en/local-cuisine/503/
The Seikan Tunnel is the longest tunnel in Japan (for transportation) with a total length of 53.85 km. It is the longest and deepest undersea tunnel in the world for transportation. Even at the speed of the Shinkansen (the speed inside the tunnel is 160km / h), it took about 20 minutes to pass through the Seikan Tunnel.
The Channel Tunnel is the longest in the world in terms of the total distance only at the bottom of the sea. I have been on the Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel, so I was able to experience two of the world’s long-distance undersea tunnels.
Shin-Hakodate Hokuto Station was hung with a banner to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Hokkaido Shinkansen and to register the “Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan” as a World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, only a few passengers arrived at Shin-Hakodate Hokuto Station.
1, Goryokaku
After arriving at Hakodate Station, I first headed to Goryokaku. We can also get to Goryokaku by regular bus or tram. However, “Goryokaku Koenmae Station” takes about 10 minutes on foot from Goryokaku Tower. If you use the “Goryokaku Tower Trappistine Shuttle Bus” that departs from Platform 4 in front of Hakodate Station, you can take a bus to the immediate vicinity of Goryokaku Tower. Departs from Hakodate Station every hour from 9:15.
https://www.hakobura.jp/info/images/20211001_no05.png
Also, like me, if you go to Ofune and Kakinoshima by bus, it is a good idea to buy a “Travel Passport & Free Pass” that allows unlimited rides on trains, buses, and streetcars for one day. The bus fare to the archaeological sites is 2,920 yen for a round trip, but the one-day ticket is 2,690 yen for adults and 1,340 yen for children. For those who want to relax in Hakodate, there is also a 2-day pass (3,650 yen for adults and 1,810 yen for children). Available at JR Hokkaido stations such as Hakodate Station and Shin-Hakodate Hokuto Station.
https://www.hakobura.jp/info/images/210405G08.jpg
The best deal is to buy a “Travel Passport & Free Pass” at Shin-Hakodate Hokuto Station. Hakodate Station is also included in the one-day pass. Of course, I could go sightseeing in Hakodate at a great deal because I could go to Goryokaku and Mt. Hakodate by bus or streetcar with a one-day pass.
I climbed Goryokaku Tower for the first time in a while. Goryokaku looks very beautiful. However, when taking a picture, you cannot take a panoramic view without a wide-angle lens. Please be careful.
Admission: Yen 900 for adults, Yen 680 for junior high and high school students, Yen 450 for elementary school students
https://www.goryokaku-tower.co.jp/en/
Inside Goryokaku, there is a restored Hakodate magistrate’s office. I didn’t have time to go inside, but you can tour the interior for a fee.
Admission: General Yen 500, students / students / children Yen 250
https://hakodate-bugyosho.jp/en/index.html
2, Ofune Site
(8 minutes walk from Ofuna Elementary School)
After lunch, I headed to the Ofune and Kakinoshima archaeological sites of the “Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan” on the itinerary. Hakodate Station Bus Stop No. 6 Departs at 12:42 for Hakodate Bus No. 99 “Shikabe Branch Office”. On the way, the bus stop for about 10 minutes in front of the Minami Kayabe branch, but we can go to Ofune Ruins (get off at the bus stop in front of Ofune Elementary School) without changing bus.
Ofune Heritage is a World Heritage Site that is a constituent asset of “Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan”. The Ofune heritage site was closed for about a month due to the sighting of brown bears near the Ofune heritage site, but it resumed on October 1st, the day of my visit.
Ofune Heritage is a site where the Jomon people lived between 3,500 BC and 2,000 BC. It is located on a hill (30 to 50 meters above sea level) a little away from the sea, and it is estimated that there was a warning such as a tsunami. The pit-house has been partially restored. It is a dwelling that is dug quite deep, 1-2 meters.
3, Kakinoshima Site
(8 minutes walk under the Kakinoshima ruins)
This time, I took a taxi from the Ofune site to the Kakinoshima site. It saves time because of the long waiting time of the bus. The distance between the two archaeological sites was about 5km, the time required was about 10 minutes, and the taxi fare was 1,600 yen.
The Kakinoshima site is a site where the Jomon people lived for 6,000 years from 7,000 BC to 1,000 BC. Like the Ofune heritage site, the Kakinoshima site is located on a hill with an altitude of 30 to 50 meters.
The Hakodate Jomon Culture Center is located at the Kakinoshima Ruins. Commentary guides will be provided to those who wish (free of charge, in Japanese). Advance reservation is required, but he guided me without reservation. The Hakodate Jomon Culture Center is the highlight of the Kakinoshima Ruins, as there are only residences ruins. We can see the only national treasure in Hokkaido, “Chu-ku Dogu (Clay figure)”.
Admission: Yen 300 for adults, Yen 150 for elementary / junior high school / high school / university students
http://www.hjcc.jp/index_e.html
4, Mt. Hakodate Observatory
I took a bus departing at 17:30 from Platform 4 in front of Hakodate Station to the top of Mt. Hakodate. By using a taxi between the Ofune site and the Kakinoshima site, I was able to get on the bus one bus earlier than planned. The bus used was from Kakinoshima Iseki at 15:56 to “225 system Kobe”, from Minami Kayabe branch (transfer) 16:09 to “99A system Hakodate station square / Hakodate bus center”, and arrived at Hakodate station square at 17:18.
I saw the night view from the top of Mt. Hakodate for the first time in a while, but this time it was also very beautiful. Along with Naples and Hong Kong, it seems to be listed as one of the three major night views in the world.
About 20 minutes after I started enjoying the night view, it started to rain and I couldn’t see the night view. I’m glad I took a taxi to move between the ruins and came back to Hakodate early.
I will post the meal version of the first day in Hokkaido tomorrow.
Note: The departure / arrival times, fees, admission fees, etc. of transportation listed in the text are as of the time of writing the BLOG. They may change in the future, so please check for yourself when you go on a trip.