[Bay Area in Hakodate] Walking and Shopping Can Be Enjoyed around Kanamori Red Brick Warehouses

Bay Area

Bay Area (ベイエリア) facing Gulf of Hakodate (函館湾) is a waterfront between Hakodate Station and Motomachi Area (元町) in the south part of Hakodate city, and Jujigai Stop (十字街駅) of Hakodate Streetcar is relatively close to here. There are boarding points for Gulf of Hakodate Cruise, and tourist facilities such as Kanamori Red Brick Warehouse (金森赤レンガ倉庫) are built, and it is famous for shopping. Lucky Pierrot (ラッキーピエロ), one of the most popular restaurants, and Hasegawa Store (ハセガワストア) that is famous for Yakitori-bento (やきとり弁当) open a business, too. A lots of tourists come to enjoy shopping or dishes. In addition, walking around the Bay Area is popular, and it is given one star by Michelin Green Guide Japan. A famous route is from La Vista Hakodate Bay (ラビスタ函館ベイ) to Green Island (緑の島). Red brick buildings, pavements with stone, Shichizai Bridge (七財橋) made from stone and a view of the sea make visitors feel a typical Hakodate of historical atmosphere.

The Bay Area has some tourist attractions and tourist facilities as well as Kanamori Red Brick Warehouses. Hakodate Nishi-Hatoba Market (函館西波止場), Hakodate Seafood Market Nishihato (はこだて海鮮市場), Hakodate Meiji-kan (はこだて明治館), Hakodate Takadaya Kahei Museum (箱舘高田屋嘉兵衛資料館), Hakodate City Museum of Northern Peoples (北方民族資料館), Hakodate City Museum Of Literature (函館市文学館), Saburo Kitajima Memorial Hall (北島三郎記念館), Existing Oldest Telegraph Pole in Japan (現存する日本最古の電柱), Former Landing Pier (旧桟橋), Monument to commemorate Jo Niijima's Going Abroad (新島襄 海外渡航) are famous in particular. It takes about 15-20 minutes from Hakodate Station to the Bay Area on foot. Around here is close to Motomachi and the Hakodate Station, so this location is convenient for sightseeing around the Motomachi.

In the early evening, Kanamori Red Brick Warehouses are lit up, and it has a romantic atmosphere. In a winter, the Bay Area is decorated with illuminations, and visitors can enjoy snow and historical buildings with a fantastic atmosphere. As for events, Hakodate Christmas Fantasy (はこだてクリスマスファンタジー) is held from December 1 to December 25, and Hakodate Offshore Winter Fireworks Display (函館海上冬花火) is held between 3days in early January. By the way, Express Hakodate-go (高速はこだて号) and Hakodate Limited Express New Star-go (函館特急ニュースター号), express buses, run between Sapporo and the Hakodate. Unfortunately, the express bus does not run between New Chitose Airport and the Hakodate.

Movie of Bay Area

List of Highway Bus

Refer to following a company for the highway bus service between the Hakodate and the Sapporo.

Chuo Bus(中央バス)	From Sapporo to Hakodate	HP	Jalan	Rakuten
Chuo Bus(中央バス)	From Hakodate to Sapporo	HP	Jalan	Rakuten
Hokkaido Bus(北海道バス)	From Sapporo to Hakodate	HP	Jalan	Rakuten
Hokkaido Bus(北海道バス)	From Hakodate to Sapporo	HP	Jalan	Rakuten

Motomachi Park

Motomachi Park (元町公園) is a park at the foot of Mt. Hakodate (函館山) located in the south part of Hakodate city, and is built on the hillside with a fine view. Suehiro-cho Stop (末広町駅) of Hakodate Streetcar is relatively close to the park. Hakodate Magistrate Office (箱館奉行所) and Hokkaido Development Commission (開拓使) used to be built here. The Motomachi Park is well-known as a place naming after the name of the Hakodate, and Mr. Masamichi Kono (河野政通), a vassal of Mr. Masasue Ando (安東政季), built Usukeshi-Kono-kan (宇須岸河野館), a small fort, around here in 1454, and the shape of the building was like a box, so around the land was called "Hako-date". * The box means "Hako (箱)" and the building means "Yakata (館)" in Japanese, and the Yakata has some different readings such as the Yakata, the Kan, Tachi and Tate, so "Date" is a voiced sound. Edo Shogunate decided to open Hakodate Port together with Shimoda Port (下田港) in 1854, then the Hakodate energize exchanged with other countries. In the later Edo period, around here turned into area under direct control of the shogun, and it used to be the political and diplomatic center of the Hokkaido. It is said that here is closely related to history of the Hokkaido. Admission free. There are Motoi-zaka slope (基坂), Motomachi Religion Area (元町宗教エリア), Former Public Hall of Hakodate Ward (旧函館区公会堂), Former British Consulate (旧イギリス領事館) and Former Soma Residence (旧相馬邸) around the Motomachi Park, too. Article is here

Lucky Pierrot

Lucky Pierrot (ラッキーピエロ) is a popular fast food restaurant in Hakodate city and was founded in 1987. An illustration of a big clown is famous. As for this strange name, a president had been liked circuses since childhood, and he wanted to make so exciting restaurant. Speaking of the circus, a pierrot (clown) was indispensable for it. * The clown is generally called pierrot in Japan. Because he felt a sad impression to the pierrot, "lucky" was added before the pierrot. It is an origin of this interesting name. Article is here

Hasegawa Store

Hasegawa Store (ハセガワストア) is a convenience store chain in Hakodate city and is nicknamed "Hasesuto (ハセスト)" and is famous for selling Yakitori-bento (やきとり弁当). It was founded in 1958 and tied up with seicomart (the biggest convenience store chains in Hokkaido) in 2004. By the way, there are convenience store chains called Taiei (タイエー) in Nemuro and is group businesses of Hasegawa store. They sell the Yakitori-bento, too. * I ate it in old days in Nemuro city. Article is here

HAKODATE

Hakodate (函館) that about 260,000 people live is the 3rd largest port city in Hokkaido, and is a regional hub city of the Southern Hokkaido area. The Hakodate became incorporated with Toi town (戸井), Esan town (恵山), Todohokke village (椴法華) and Minami-kayabe town (南茅部) in 2004, and most of Kameda Peninsula (亀田半島) has changed to the Hakodate. It is one of most popular tourist cities in the Hokkaido, and about 5 million people visit here. The downtown of the Hakodate from Mt. Hakodate toward former Goryokaku fort is developed on a large sandbar between the seas, and a unique seashore landscape is very popular. Although a lot of tourists think the center town of the Hakodate is around Hakodate Station and the Mt. Hakodate, it is around Hakodate Streetcar Goryokaku Koen-mae Stop (函館市電五稜郭公園前駅). The Hakodate is also well-known as a city with a lot of slopes, and there are 19 slopes with its name such as Hachiman-zaka slope (八幡坂), Daisan-zaka slope (大三坂) and Motoi-zaka slope (基坂), so around the Mt. Hakodate has a lot of slope lands, and the Hakodate has a lot of narrow roads. As for a climate, the Hakodate is wamer than other cities in the Hokkaido because it is located of the Southern Hokkaido, and it does not snow hard. Article is here