Hokkaido Trip 2006 Day 4: Hakodate

(Updated: October 27, 2013 with high resolution photos and updated descriptions)

On February 24, 2006, I took the train from Sapporo at 7 am and arrived at Hakodate at 10 am.

Hakodate was one of the three port cities in Japan to be open to foreign trade in the mid 19th century along with Kobe and Yokohama. However, while the other two cities have prospered, Hakodate seems to be in decline.

My impressions of this town is that it is overrated, the brochures make it seem better than it really is.

It seems like your typical North American mid-size city with the city centre hollowed out, like with gas stations and parking lots almost everywhere, and no pedestrian life that is present in almost every other city of Japan. Also most of the good stores are located in areas which you can only reach by car.

Although the city is lousy, the view from Mt. Hakodate was incredible.

Arrival via the limited express train from Sapporo, JR Hokkaido has a lot of interesting looking trains.

Inside the Seikan Tunnel (Longest Tunnel in the World) - Feb. 25, 06

The tour took approximately 2.5 hours

The train left Hakodate at 8:48am and I arrived back in Hakodate at 12:04pm.

The train to Aomori, from Hakodate, only on special runs, does it stop inside the tunnel.

Hokkaido Trip Day 3 of 6: Sapporo to Abashiri (網走)

Feb. 22, 06

Location of Abashiri:



On this day I rushed to the train station to catch the 1st train because I woke up a little late and if I missed this train I would have had to wait for 1 hour for the next one, and that would have wasted a lot of time because it takes 5 hours by train to go to Abashiri.

I left Sapporo at 7:24 am and arrived at Abashiri at 12:45 pm. During the trip, the train traveled through the Hokkaido countryside which looks more like North America than Japan. You see so many mountains and natural rivers, unlike the endless amounts of grey and concrete in the rest of Japan.

Hokkaido Trip 2006 Day 2: Sapporo (札幌) and Otaru (小樽)

(Updated: November 2, 2013 with high resolution photos and updated descriptions)

On February 21, 2006, on the second day of my Hokkaido trip, I explored Sapporo and Otaru.

I was surprised that the breakfast offered at this “business hotel” that I was staying at was a breakfast buffet. Here “business hotel” means inn or motel, but way newer and cleaner than anything found in American or Canadian roadside “motels” with doors facing an outdoor hallway. I was surprised that the buffet had grilled fish, meatballs, Japanese-style congee, Hokkaido potatoes, croissants, and soup. And this was a budget style hotel.

One of the highlights from that day was the view from the Sapporo TV Tower.

Hokkaido Trip 2006 Day 1: Tokyo Haneda to Sapporo

(Updated: October 27, 2013 with high resolution photos and updated descriptions)

On February 20, 2006, I started my Hokkaido trip. I had bought a flight and hotel package from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies' co-op travel shop which only included 2 nights at a hotel but I extended my stay by 4 days and booked a hotel on the other days by myself.

JR Sapporo station in Sapporo.