Exploring Hakodate: Food, Sleep, and Travel Tips, Hakodate, Japan

Great travel tips on where to eat, sleep, and how to travel to Hakodate in Hokkaidō Island from Honshu Island.

As Japan’s northernmost and second-largest island, Hokkaidō boasts large wilderness expanses, primaeval forests, alpine wildflower fields, hot springs, and azure-blue caldera lakes.

Expect wide open spaces when travelling through Hokkaidō as Japan’s northern island boasts 20% of the country’s land area but only 5% of Japan’s population. Enticing?

With freezing Siberian winds sweeping over Hokkaidō from the Sea of Japan, Hakodate is very cold even during this April visit, Japan’s Spring.

To keep the costs down and stick to our daily budget, we make our own breakfast of coffee, drinking yoghurt, and fruit before heading out. Making tea in the hotel also helps. This may sound obvious but it’s essential for long-term travellers.

Pop in the HAKOVIVA shopping mall near the JR Hakodate Station, for a wonderful bite to eat in the tiny Chazuke Shubou restaurant with a super polite and accommodating owner cooking your meals. With only a few chairs and tables, it’s cosy.

Try the amazingly delicious fish cakes, Udon, and Gyozas accompanied by 2 bowls of special sauces, then the pork with rice. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).