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Exploring Hakodate’s best cherry-blossom spots by tram. During the season, Goryokaku Park and Hakodate Park are lit up in the evening. The best time to hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) is from late April to mid May.
⚫︎ Sakura seasons and events are subject to change. Check the official website for the latest information.
TRANSPORT
Take the limited express train from Sapporo to Hakodate (3.5hr). From Tokyo, take the Hokkaido Shinkansen to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto (4hr) and transfer to the liner train for Hakodate (15min). Get the 1-day Ticket for Hakodate Streetcars at the train station.
Itinerary
▼ Take the tram from Hakodate-ekimae to Goryokaku-koen-mae (19min), then 10min walk
▼ Take the tram from Goryokaku-koen-mae to Kashiwagi-cho (4min)
▼ Take the Yachigashira-bound tram from Kashiwagi-cho to Aoyagi-cho (33min), then 2min walk
▼ 6min walk
▼ ロープウェイ3分
PARK ⚫︎ ILLUMINATED
Goryokaku Park
五稜郭公園
▶︎ 15min walk from Goryokaku-koen-mae tram stop
This 25-hectare, star-shaped park was originally home to Goryokaku fort, built in 1864 by the Edo shogunate. It is famous for one of Hokkaido’s best hanami spots. Some 1500 cherry trees bloom in early May. The 107m-high Goryokaku Tower provides bird’s-eye-view of Goryokaku.
STREET
Sakuragaoka-dori
桜ヶ丘通り
▶︎ 1min walk from Kashiwagi-cho tram stop
If you visit Hakodate during the cherry-blossom season, don’t miss the 800m-long Sakuragaoka-dori street in the residential area that became a tunnel of cherry trees. The street is a short walk west from Kashiwagi-cho tram stop, two stops east of Goryokaku-koen-mae.
PARK ⚫︎ ILLUMINATED
Hakodate Park
函館公園
▶︎ 2min walk from Aoyagi-cho tram stop
One of Japan’s oldest urban parks opened in 1879, this ocean-view oasis was landscaped by volunteer citizen at the foot of Hakodate-yama. About 400 cherry trees bloom in early May, and they are lit up at night. After the stroll, head to Yachigashira Onsen near the park.
SQUARE
Motomachi Water Distribution Plant
函館市元町配水場
▶︎ 6min walk from Hakodate Park
Diagonally opposite Hakodate-yama Ropeway Sanroku Station, this is Japan’s second-oldest water distribution plant constructed in 1889. Cherry trees bloom in early May. You can see over the town from the lookout point.
MOUNTAIN
Hakodate-yama
函館山
▶︎ 3min by ropeway
Climbing to the top of Hakodate-yama just three minutes, this ropeway is the best way to reach the observatory from Motomachi. The restaurants of the mountaintop observatory have spectacular views over the fantastic nightscape from the windows.
函館/五稜郭 櫻花 | 하코다테/고료카쿠 벚꽃