Seasons

The cherry blossoms can be enjoyed in Hakodate a little later than in Honshu and other islands of Japan; they usually bloom in late April, reaching their peak in early May. The best places to enjoy cherry blossoms are Goryokaku Park and Hakodate Park where hundreds of trees create dreamlike tunnels of pink. From the Goryokaku Tower Observatory, you can enjoy the view of the star-shaped Goryokaku Fort surrounded by flowers.

Don’t miss out on the cherry blossom festivals held around this time of the year. There are usually food stalls in the parks serving local snacks that can be enjoyed outside. Another highlight of the season are the cherry blossom flavored sweets on offer at shops and cafes throughout the city. Do try the sakura-flavored soft-serve ice cream on sale at Goryokaku Tower!

At night, the cherry blossoms are lit up in Goryokaku Park and Hakodate Park. The surreal scenery of the flowers at night is a must-see!

There are very few places in Japan where you can enjoy colorful crocuses spreading as far as the eye can see. A historical port city connected with the entire world, Hakodate is home to at least one place where one can enjoy these rare, delicate blooms.

The White House in the precincts of Iai Women’s Academy used to be the former residence of a missionary. Its garden is home to thousands of crocuses with white and purple blooms. They start to appear around the end of April and reach full bloom in early May. The garden can be visited between 9:00 and 15:00 on weekdays and Saturdays. You might need to fill in a form at the entrance. Please keep in mind that these are the grounds of a public educational institution.

The magnificent azaleas blooming on Mt. Esan have become synonymous with Hakodate in spring. Thousands of azalea bushes with intense red and pink blossoms can be enjoyed from around mid-May until the end of the month. The slopes of the Azalea Park can be photographed with the sea in the background, creating a breathtaking color contrast.

Please be aware that temperatures on Mt. Esan tend to be lower than in the city. During the azalea season, daytime temperatures hover around 10 degrees Celsius, so please be careful to dress appropriately. There are parking lots for cars and buses nearby the park entrance, so don’t worry as you won’t have to hike all the way up.

The Hakodate Port Festival is held annually from August 1 until August 5 as a celebration of Hakodate’s history as an international harbor. On the evening of first day, there is a magnificent firework display in the bay. Some of the most skillful firework artisans in the country compete in showing their creations! With the lights reflected in the water mirror, this display is a must-see!

The highlight of the second day is a parade of around 20,000 participants clad in traditional attire and performing dances. Energetic yosakoi dances, the local Hakodate Port Dances, and the Squid Dance, which is unique to Hakodate, are just a few of the performances to enjoy! At the food stalls around the event venues, you can taste some of the local delicacies.

One of the most highly awaited summer events is the firework festival held each year around August 10 in Yunokawa Onsen, Hakodate’s main hot spring resort. This festival celebrates the 300-year history of Yunokawa Onsen and expresses the locals’ gratitude for the blessing of hot springs.

The fireworks are launched at the confluence of the river and the sea. The colorful lights are reflected widely in the water mirror filling the entire area with magic! If you can adjust your schedule to fit in this event, don’t miss it out!

Yukura Shrine is dedicated to the guardian deity of the hot springs in Yunokawa Onsen. It’s customary for Hakodate citizens to go on summer shrine visits, called natsumoude, in order to pray for health and good fortune in the latter half of the year.

The natsumoude period is usually between June 30 and late August. At Yukura Shrine and other shrines around Hakodate, there are beautiful displays of wind chimes, as well as hanachozu, purification fountains full of flowers. These features offer visitors the chance to snap wonderful photos, so do come for a summer shrine visit to Hakodate!

One of the most pleasant summer activities is climbing Mt. Hakodate. At 334 meters above sea level, the mountain is not too high and the slopes are gentle making it fairly easy to climb. There are several hiking trails with various lengths, each offering insights into the flora and fauna growing on Mt. Hakodate. The most popular hike is the Tsutsujiyama Trail, which is 1,640 meters long and takes about 50 minutes to complete.

We suggest stopping by the Mt. Hakodate Information Center to pick up trail maps and tips to enjoy the hike. Wear comfortable sneakers in the summer, and proper boots and clothing if you consider hiking the mountain in the other seasons.

Hakodate’s Kosetsuen Garden, located in Miharashi Park, is especially beautiful in the fall months, as the fall foliage transforms the area into a sea of red and gold. The park is home to a magnificent Japanese garden, which distinctly reflects each of the four seasons.

From late October until mid-November, the garden holds Momi-G Festa, a magnificent light-up event where the autumn trees are illuminated between 16:00 and 21:00 every evening. During this period visitors can enjoy the otherworldly view of the brightly-lit fall foliage alongside the garden’s traditional Japanese buildings.

Onuma Quasi National Park is a stunning area filled with breathtaking natural scenery, located not far from Hakodate City. The park is famed for being home to the volcanic Mt. Komagatake, and it is also one of Japan’s most popular spots for fall scenery!

A particularly memorable sight is that of the fiery red autumn foliage reflected in the park’s island-dotted lakes, Onuma and Konuma. The park also offers a plethora of exciting outdoor activities, including hiking, cycling and canoeing. It’s the perfect escape into nature for visitors!

The magnificent Mt. Esan is an active volcano, and the 618 meter high mountain can often be seen releasing plumes of steam towards the sky. The area is home to its own remarkable, distinctive flora and fauna, and fall is an absolutely fantastic time to visit this incredible spot.

The trees at the base of the volcano turn a particularly vivid shade of crimson during the fall months, and visitors can enjoy the view from an observation deck as well as from the mountain path itself.

From December 1 until the 25, the Bay Area hosts the popular Hakodate Christmas Fantasy event. A spectacular Christmas tree is placed on a barge in the bay, and each night the over 50,000 Christmas lights are lit up. The area’s charming, retro red-brick warehouses are also lit with sparkling lights, and fireworks are set off in the evenings. Guests can warm themselves with soup sold at the many soup bars operating during the event, while enjoying a night filled with light and color. It’s truly a Christmas to remember!

Even after Christmas Fantasy finishes, the picture-perfect sight of the Kanemori Red-Brick Warehouse blanketed in snow evokes feelings of nostalgia, and many streets and buildings in the area continue to be lit up until February. Visitors can enjoy magical views of the sparkling bay from Hachimanzaka and Nijukkenzaka hills, which are also both lit up during wintertime.

The sight of Hakodate’s iconic star-shaped Goryokaku fortress is one of the city’s most spectacular views, and the fortress is particularly stunning in winter. The perimeter of the fort is lit up each night between December and February, and the star emits a haunting yellow glow. Contrasted with the sparkling white snow, this sight is truly unforgettable.

The incredible sight of the illumination can be enjoyed between 17:00 and 20:00 from the adjacent Goryokaku Tower.

Another rare and famous winter sight is that of the bathing monkeys! Within Yunokawa Onsen’s Hakodate City Tropical Botanical Garden live around one hundred Japanese macaques, and these monkeys have a distinctly human-like penchant for bathing in hot springs! Delight at the sight of the macaques relaxing and relieving stress by immersing themselves in the steaming hot spring waters.

Yunokawa Onsen can be reached in about 30 minutes by tram from Hakodate Station.