Hakodate - City of my Soul - Part 2
Mt Hakodate, Sukiyaki House, squid man-hole cover and Beer hall with Sushi
Mt Hakodate Take 2
Remember in my previous post we tried to visit Mount Hakodate 函館山 (Hakodate-yama) for sunset and instead waited in the downstairs room for 2 hours for the fog to clear?
Well, today after work we are going up there during the day. It’s possible to drive up there, it’s just that they close the road at sunset between 5 pm and 10 pm, so to see it during sunset one must take the cable car. That’s why we’re there before sunset. No fog today and it’s stunning up there. They even sell squid croquettes up there. Yum.
The photo on the bottom right is Squid Domo. Remember that Domo is the ambassador for NHK TV network. So the appearance of Domo in squid costume must mean there is NHK TV network equipment here, and that we’re in Hakodate (squid town).
We then head downtown near the morning market to get some Hokkaido ramen for dinner. We love Hokkaido ramen because it contains corn! Hakodate has a beautifully lit-up downtown, so we walk off our ramen-stuffed bellies and take pictures with all their lit-up statues.
Sukiyaki
On my list is getting proper sukiyaki in Japan. So I find one that has a lunch special and decide to hit it today. Sukiyaki for dinner are 6000 yen and up ($50+) but a lunch special is only 2000 yen ($16). Asari Honten is the only Sukiyaki place nearby, and it’s in a very traditional Japanese house. We get our own little private room and they serve a very simple two-choice lunch special, complete with our favorite Yuzu ice cream, which Baby Bear licked clean.
Hakodate Park (函館公園, Hakodate Kōen)
Afterwards we visit a charming local park that features a small zoo area with animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, and some birds. It even has a small hill with a view, and a waterpark. Papa Bear is wearing one of the many animal helmets they put in front of each animal enclosure. So you can “dress up” as that animal and take a picture with it. Very cute.
I’m super super glad that we decided to visit this park today. Because we finally find the colored SQUID MANHOLE COVER! I love it so much, I have already bought not one but TWO souvenirs featuring the image. So imagine my excitement to actually find it!
Viewpoint with a rescue drill
Papa Bear loves views, so we drive to a viewpoint of the ocean. My favorite feature? The happy squids decorating all the banisters!
During our visit, a firetruck and about 15 firemen are also there doing their drills with ropes. They climb over the banisters and proceed down the steep cliff on the other side. We think it is a training drill for rescuing someone who falls over the cliff. They are quite fast about it because when we turn around again, they have disappeared along with their firetruck. I quite enjoy seeing the daily rhythms of the local people when we travel.
Hakodate Beer Hall (函館ビヤホール), with sushi
For dinner we head back near our apartment, close to the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses near the pier. I’m not a huge fan of beer halls. I don’t drink beer and I don’t eat a lot of meat. But I LOVE this beer hall in Japan. It has sushi. Not just some cucumber sushi rolls, no, they have multiple choices of different chirashi bowls. I order the one with fish roe, and the one with squid and scallops on it. Papa Bear orders two meat dishes that are delicious. And Baby Bear got a kids meal that is very satisfying too. They do the western food surprisingly well here!
After such a scrumptious meal, we tuck in for the last night in Hakodate. Tomorrow, we head to Sapporo!