In this tour, you are not just visiting the best tourist spots in Hakodate but EXPERIENCING some Japanese culture: visiting a popular shrine to learn about our religion, wearing a kimono (Japanese traditional clothes) and strolling around the city in the kimono, and then eating sukiyaki for dinner at a famous Japanese-style restaurant, in addition to visiting some of the best tourist spots.
Your tour includes the following:
①Hakodate Morning Market
This market started about 70 years ago, and there are about 250 shops in the market now. It's open from early in the morning till around two in the afternoon. They sell various kinds of things; not just fresh seafood but vegetables, fruit and dried seafood like squid and kelp. There are some seafood restaurants as well.
②Hakodate Hachimangu Shrine
This shrine stands in a quiet, bracing environment surrounded by the forest of Mt. Hakodate. The main hall, built about 100 years ago, is a building of formal construction, with an especially magnificent roof. Here you feel the atmosphere of the shrine, pray to God for good luck with your trip to Japan and good fortune in the future. You can even buy a good luck charm and a fortune slip here.
③Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse
The warehouse was built about 100 years ago and then renovated for shops and restaurants. The retro brick building holds stores that sell sweets, groceries, accessories, knick-knacks, etc. An electrical appliance store, LAOX, and a samurai goods store are popular, especially among foreign tourists.
④Hakodate Rental Costume Kimono & Dress
This shop rents out costumes from classic kimono and dresses to ninja outfits. The clerks help you dress. It takes about 10 minutes to get dressed. Then, you can go out and stroll around nearby wearing the costume of your choice. Costume rental fee is 3,000 yen/hour.
⑤Motomachi District
Hakodate was one of the first ports in Japan to open its doors to foreign trade, some 150 years ago. Motomachi was the first area really to flourish back then, with a Western-influenced streetscape which remains to this day. Here you can stroll down the street in the district, where you can see some old churches such as the Russian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Hakodate Episcopal Church that stand on the scenic slopes from where you can see a beautiful view of the Hakodate Port.
⑥Mt. Hakodate
The mountain is 334 meters high or about 1,000 feet high. It's said that its height and circumference are almost the same as those of Ayers Rock in Australia. Mt. Hakodate was an island about 5,000 years ago. Later the island was connected to the main land with a sandbar or tombolo. You can enjoy the panoramic view of the city from the mountain top.
⑦Sukiyaki restaurant, Asari
You finish your tour by eating sukiyaki (Japanese hot-pot, made with beef) at a famous 80-year-old sukiyaki restaurant, Asari. You can enjoy the cuisine in a cozy Japanese-style room.
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The following is NOT included in the tour price: ・transportation fee for your guide to and from Hakodate (10,000 yen) ・transportation fee for you and guide (about 1,000 yen/person) ・costume rental fee (3,000 yen/hour) ・ropeway fare (1,280 yen/person) ・sukiyaki dish (3,900 yen/person)
