Japan Trip 2019 - Hakodate (4K 60FPS)
50Chapter 7: Hakodate
We've finally arrived in Hokkaido! It was a beautiful sunny day in Hakodate, and we did a lot of things in just one day! A common theme you'll see when reaching the north of Japan is that the biggest cities are usually close to the sea. The reason is because most of them were involved in large export trade in the past. The harbour of Hakodate was one of the first to be opened to foreign trade after Japan's era of isolation had come to an end. This also means they have many markets!
Speaking of which, the first place we went to was the Hakodate Morning Market. Just like in Aomori, every morning the market is opened to the public with street vendors offering fresh fish, crab, squid and many fruits like melons! I bought some squid jerky fresh from the market, and it definitely tasted a lot better than what you get in convenience stores around Japan!
After taking a nice walk around the market, we went to the famous Red Brick Warehouses, which are buildings from the past trading days now turned into a dining and shopping complex. I might have bought a few souvenirs there, hehe!
As previously mentioned, Hakodate was one of the first harbour to be opened to foreign trade. This caused traders from Russia and many other Western countries to move to Hakodate. The residential area known as Motomachi came to be! Foreign-looking buildings can be found here, like churches of all things! The most beautiful was the Russian Orthodox Church. The skyline from Motomachi was quite special!
Next, we took the tram to get to Fort Goryokaku, the last western style Japanese fortress in the country. It has a special star shape, and as you'll see in the video, I walked around most of it. It was a peaceful walk that leads to the center of the fortress where the rebuilt Former Magistrate Office stands. It was the base of operation for former shogunate officers against the newly formed government at the time, and as you'd expect, just like in Aizu, they tried to fight back! Lots of history here that's for sure. We decided to get a nice view of the whole fortress from Goryokaku Tower. For just a few yen, you can get to the top of the tower and see all its glory. Extra bonus: you also get a magnificent of the city!
Finally, the last stop of the day was a visit to Mount Hakodate via ropeway, oh my! It is a popular attraction because you get to see a night view of the city from the observation platforms. I've arrived just before sunset, and it was very special because while the sky was clear blue on one side, it was orangeish on the other! The view from the top was incredible! I wish I could have stayed very late, but I had a bullet train to catch!
Thanks a lot for watching, this was a very fun video to make and every time I watch it, I wish I could still be there! The next and final destination to my trip is Sapporo, let's go!
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Music: Xenogears Original Soundtracks (1997) - My Village is Number One! - Yasunori Mitsuda. Extended version by Citano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqy52BCL_So
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All original content © 2019 Nicolas Distefano.
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