Ryokan in Hakodate

函館

A port city at the southern tip of Hokkaido, between Mount Hakodate and the star-shaped fort of Goryokaku. From Tokyo it is just under five hours by Shinkansen to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto and a 20-minute relay train, or 80 minutes by air. The hot-spring ryokan are at Yunokawa, on the sea east of the centre near the airport.

Choosing an area in Hakodate

Map of Hakodate with a dot for each ryokan, rings at Motomachi and the bay and at Yunokawa Onsen, and grey rings at Goryokaku and Mount Hakodate — © OpenStreetMap

Motomachi and the Bay 元町・ベイエリア
The slopes of Mount Hakodate and the red-brick warehouses on the bay, near the station.
Yunokawa Onsen 湯の川温泉
The seaside hot-spring district at the end of the tram line, near the airport.

Hakodate through the year

Spring春
March to May
Cherry trees first bloom around 28 April in an average year; about 1,500 of them ring the moats of Goryokaku.
Summer夏
June to August
The Hakodate Port Festival, the city's biggest summer event, fills the first days of August with fireworks and dancing.
Autumn秋
September to November
The maples of Kosetsuen, a Meiji-era merchant's garden in Mihara Park, are at their best from late October to early November, when they are lit up at night.
Winter冬
December to February
In December the Christmas Fantasy puts a great tree on a barge in front of the red-brick warehouses.