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Highlights of Hokkaido in pictures – May 2015

I headed over to Japan earlier this month for ten days from New Zealand and I thought readers might like to take a peek at some of my highlights in photos. In this post, see my top picks from Hokkaido in May 2015.

We flew from Osaka’s Kansai airport to Shinchitose airport in Sapporo, where we attended a Japanese friend’s wedding the following day.

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SAPPORO

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King crabs at the Nijo Fish Market

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OTARU

After the wedding we headed off to Otaru, a small harbour town half an hour northwest of Sapporo by train. It’s a well-preserved canal and streets with iron window shutters to protect from the fires that came with the strong winds of the area. After being a trade and fishing port it turned to glassware somewhat like Venice in Italy. We went on a rickshaw ride here ($NZ25 each) for half an hour around the streets and old warehouses.

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Otaru-ramen

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NOBORIBETSU

Then we took off for some R&R at a Japanese hot spa, known as onsen, in a geothermal area that is a bit like New Zealand’s Rotorua. From Otaru it’s a half hour Suzuran train trip back into Sapporo then an hour train ride to Noboribetsu hot spring resort town in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, surrounded by forest. We stayed at Tamanoyu hotel and did a walking trail for twenty minutes or so to view the ‘Hell Valley’. Noboribetsu Spa is recognised as the best onsen in Hokkaido, as fas as history and quality goes – the sulphur and hydrogen sulphide soften and lighten your skin and an iron-rich hot spring improves fatigue. We stayed at the best hotel of our entire ten day trip in Japan; Tamanoyu Hotel, with its own onsen inside, and a 5-course dinner cooked on our own stove, kimono to wear around the resort town – even outside – and we wore these to walk up the road to the natural geothermal park.

 

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In Tamanoyu hotel

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HAKODATE

From Noboribetsu we travelled by train to Hakodate (two hours 15 minutes) and checked into a business hotel (NZ$57 a night for a private ensuite room.) Here we visited Motomachi town, the star-shaped Fort Goryokaku, the red-brick Warehouse District, a variety of Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches, and then ventured up the mountain – Hakodate-yama Ropeway cable car to view the main attraction; the sunset from the summit.

The sights and sounds of Hakudate Fish Market.

Hakudate Fish Market

Fort Goryokaku is a star-shaped, Western-style citadel that was later turned into a public park (free admission) and features over a thousand cherry trees along the moats. Inside the fort is a beautiful traditional formerly military building (you can pay to go inside.)

Fort-Goryokaku

Cherry blossoms and lanterns in the park beside Fort Goryokaku.

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Cherry blossom viewing (sakura o hanami) mats under the blossoms.

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MOTOMACHI TOWN

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Motomachi town’s red brick warehouse district above, and bronze cat sculptures, below.

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Stunning ancient traditional-style Japanese homes.

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There are many picturesque old civic buildings as well as churches dotted around the mountain from the region’s early European influences.

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HAKODATE YAMA ROPEWAY

We bought tickets to ascend the mountain by cable car (about NZ$6)

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Sunset over the harbour at Hakodate.

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Huge crowds gathered to get the best vantage point from which to watch the sunset.

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Dusk falling…

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…and nightfall. You can see the strip of land, between the two harbours, lit by night lights.

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From Hokkaido, we caught the train over the water, and down the island to Tokyo.

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From Hakodate we took the Super Hakucho to Shin-Aomori (two hours) then changed trains to the bullet train from Shin-Aomori to Tokyo.

Below: Fascinating information on the back of each train seat about the length and depth of the Seikan tunnel underground between the Japanese islands.

japan-shinkansen-bullet-train-stats-Seikan-tunnel

Megan Robinson
5th May 2015


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