Hakodate Motomachi | Travel

Kanemori Red-brick Warehouse

金森赤レンガ倉庫

3min walk from Jujigai tram stop

Constructed from 1891, Kanemori’s harbor-front red-brick warehouses are the legacy of Hakodate’s shipping industry. The historic warehouses have been transformed into a tourist complex, with plenty of craft shops, candy stores, restaurants and galleries. The warehouses are lit up after dark.

Hakodate City Museum of Literature

函館市文学館

1min walk from Suehiro-cho tram stop

Built in 1921 as a bank building, this literary museum featuring manuscripts and materials of writers related to Hakodate. The second floor is occupied by the permanent exhibition of the famous poet Ishikawa Takuboku, who lived and worked in Hakodate in 1907.

Old Kanemori Haberdashery

市立函館博物館郷土資料館・旧金森洋物館

1min walk from Suehiro-cho tram stop

This branch of the city museum, across from the museum of literature, is housed in the Old Kanemori Haberdashery (built in 1880). It exhibits folk materials and stock-in-trade from the Meiji to Taisho periods.

Hakodate City Museum of Northern Peoples

函館市北方民族資料館

1min walk from Suehiro-cho tram stop

Housed in the Bank of Japan Old Hakodate Branch (built in 1926) at the foot of Motoi-zaka, this museum has an excellent collection of Ainu folk art, cloths and materials. There are also exhibitions about Arctic indigenous peoples include Uilta (Oroks).

Former British Consulate of Hakodate

函館市旧イギリス領事館

4min walk from Suehiro-cho tram stop

The British Consulate in Hakodate was first established in 1859 after opening of the port. Reconstructed in 1913, this building features European-style appearance with Japanese roof tiles. The consulate was closed in 1934 and now houses history exhibits of the port in the Opening-port Memorial Hall. There is a pleasant tea room on the ground floor, with afternoon tea sets.

Motomachi Park

元町公園

1min walk from Former British Consulate

At the top of Motoi-zaka is this hillside park overlooking the harbor, where the box-shaped fort (called Hako-date) once stood. In the Meiji period, Hokkaido Government set up the Western-style Hakodate Branch Office Building (1909) and the red-brick Colonial Commission Archive (1880) on the ground. It is a pleasant place for a stroll.

Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward

旧函館区公会堂

1min walk from Motomachi Park

Constructed in 1910 by a Japanese architect, this striking blue-and-yellow coronial-style hall is behind atop of Motomachi Park. The interior features elegant guest rooms and a concert hall covered with style textiles. There is a breathtaking view of the harbor from the balcony on the 2nd floor.

Old Soma House

旧相馬家住宅

1min walk from Former British Consulate

Built in 1908 by Soma Teppei, this merchant family residence features gorgeous Japanese-Western eclectic architecture on the hillside. An old warehouse has a collection of folding screens and Ainu picture scrolls. You can have coffee or matcha (free) at the cafe overlooking the harbor.

Hakodate Orthodox Church

函館ハリストス正教会

5min walk from Motomachi Park

Founded in 1858 as Japan’s first Orthodox church and rebuilt in 1916 after the great fire, this church dominated by an octagonal bell tower capped with a green onion dome. It has classic icon-filled interior (photography is not allowed). The church and its surroundings are lit up at night (until 10pm).

Motomachi Roman Catholic Church

カトリック元町教会

12min walk from Jujigai tram stop

Dating back to 1859, Hokkaido’s first catholic church has a 33m-tall square bell tower and red roofs (rebuilt in 1923). The Neo-gothic interior features blue ceiling with golden stars. It is opposite the Orthodox Church.

Hakodate Episcopal Church

函館聖ヨハネ教会

12min walk from Jujigai tram stop

Next to the Orthodox Church, Hakodate’s Episcopal Church was founded in 1874 by a British priest. The present structure was rebuilt in 1979 with a cross-shaped roof. From 2 May to 3 November, you can tour the inside if you book ahead by phone.

Higashi Hongan-ji Hakodate Betsuin

東本願寺函館別院

7min walk from Jujigai tram stop

Japan’s oldest reinforced concrete temple rebuilt in 1915 after the great fire, Hakodate Betsuin was designed by Kida Yasuzō. The main hall features its magnificent frontage and tiled roof facing Nijukken-zaka, standing 24m high and 33m wide. It may be closed for repairs until 2028.

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La Vista Bay Hakodate ♨︎

ラビスタベイ函館

15min walk from Hakodate Station / 7min walk from Jujigai tram stop

Just north of the Kanemori Red-brick Warehouse on the Bay Area, this waterside hotel is famous for its breakfast buffet that serves local seafood such as ika-sashi (squid sashimi) and kaisen-don (seafood bowl: make it yourself). Standard rates include a breakfast. Both stylish rooms and a top-floor onsen where you can savour the harbor and city views.

Website

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Villa Concordia Resort & Spa

ヴィラ･コンコルディアリゾート＆スパ

3min walk from Jujigai tram stop

This small luxury villa is one of Hakodate’s nicest places to stay facing Nanbu-zaka slope. Ten condominium-type rooms have a Scandinavian interior, with a kitchen and a bath. There is also a communal lounge.

Website

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Share Hotels HakoBA Hakodate

HakoBA 函館

3min walk from Suehiro-cho tram stop

Right across from JR Hakodate Station, the Premier Hotel’s newly renovated rooms are stylish and functional. On the 13th-floor, there is a night-view bar EsteLado overlooking the harbor.

Website

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