- June 30th, 2017
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[Trappistine Convent in Hakodate] Madarena and Beautiful Front Garden Can Be Enjoyed at Angel Garden
Trappistine Convent
Trappistine Convent (トラピスチヌ修道院) is the Japan’s first convent at 50-70 m altitude small hill in the eastern part of Hakodate downtown, and the another name is Angel Garden (天使園). It is well-known as a historical nunnery (monastery) together with Trappist Monastery (トラピスト修道院) that is famous for trappist cookies in Hokuto. About 70 nuns live here at present, so the whole convent is not allowed to visit. But only a part of the site (Front Garden, Souvenir Shop and Reference Room) is open to the public, and visitors can walk around. Cherry blossoms in a spring or fall foliage in an autumn can be enjoyed, and additive-free French Cake Madarena has a good reputation, too. Admission free. A parking lot is not provided. Toll parking lots open a business beside here.
Trappistine Convent was established by 8 sisters from France in 1898. Although the building was destroyed by fire in 1925, it was rebuilt in 1927. Beautiful bricks catch visitors’s eyes, and the front garden is well-kept. I feel refreshed. Yunokawa Onsen (湯の川温泉), Kosetsuen (香雪園) and Hakodate Airport are close to here, and the location is beside Citizen’s Forest (市民の森) that is famous for a tasty soft serve ice cream.
Yunokawa Onsen
Yunokawa Onsen (湯の川温泉) is a famous hot-spring resort in the eastern part of Hakodate city. Hot springs spring 7000 liters everyday, so a quantity of the hot springs is abundant, too. 1.8 million tourists come here, and is one of the 3 major hot spring resorts in Hokkaido together with Noboribetsu Onsen (登別温泉) and Jozankei Onsen (定山渓温泉). The Yunokawa Onsen is called a back room of Hakodate, and I think that it is popular for easy access to the Yunokawa Onsen because it takes about 15 minutes from Hakodate Station by a car, and it takes about 5 minutes from Hakodate Airport by a car. It is probably only the Yunokawa Onsen in Hokkaido that there is a large hot-spring resort in the city area. Read More
Kosetsuen
Kosetsuen (香雪園) is a garden at 30-40 m altitude small hill in the eastern part of Hakodate downtown, and is one of facilities of Miharashi Park (見晴公園) along with a baseball ground, Hakodate Golf Club (函館ゴルフ倶楽部) and Grass Open Space (芝生広場). The Miharashi Park is the largest park in the Hakodate, and the area is 46.1 ha. In a spring, cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and In an autumn, this park is well-known as a good place to see fall foliage, and a lot of tourists come. Hakodate MOMI-G Festa (はこだてMOMI-Gフェスタ) is held from late October to early November, and autumn leaves are lit up in the evening. Admission free. A parking lot is free of charge. Read More
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. Besides, Rent-a-car can be rented around Hakodate Station, Hakodate Airport, the Goryokaku Fort and Hakodate Ferry Terminal.
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. Read More
Look of Trappistine Convent
There are Statue of Archangel Michael (大天使聖ミカエル像), Statue of Affectionate Virgin Mary (慈しみの聖母マリア), Reference Room (資料館), Souvenir Shop (売店), Chapel for Travelers (旅人の聖堂), Lourdes (ルルド), Statue of St. Theresa (聖テレジアの像), Parsonage (司祭館), Church (聖堂), Statue of French Cruiser Jeanne d’Arc (ジャンヌ・ダルクの像) and Gate for New Nun (入会者の門) at the site opend to the public. Because they live here, only the appearance of the Parsonage and the Parsonage can be seen, but the visitors can know their actual life at the Reference Room. The site allowed to visit is not large, it takes 60 minutes to look around on the foot.
The Statue of Archangel Michael given by the France, a root of the Trappistine Convent, in 1953 is built on the front garden. St. Francis Xavier was allowed to promulgate the Christian faith by Takahisa Shimazu (島津貴久), a lord of Satsuma Domain (薩摩藩), on Christian feast of St. Michael the Archangel for the first time in Japan, and he prayed to the St. Archangel Michael to protect the Japan, so the the St. Archangel Michael has been chosen as a patron saint of the Japan. Ms. Cecilia Hirata (セシリア平田), the head of the Trappistine Convent, prayed St. Archangel Michael to protect the Hakodate from bombing during the Pacific War, and the statue was built to thank to the blessings of the God here.
The Statue of Affectionate Virgin Mary was carved by Fr. Marie-Bernard, a famous sculpteur of La Trappe Abbey, in Normandy, France. Its height is about 50 cm. Blue sky and green trees lend even more charm to white color.
At the Chapel for Travelers, anyone can pray freely, but photography is not allowed inside. As for the Resting House, anyone can take a rest. When I visited here, visitors took a meal or ate baked sweets. A restroom is provided at the building with the Souvenir Shop and the Reference Room. At the Souvenir Shop, sweets handmade by nun or souvenir are sold. Visitors can know about history of the convent and life of the nuns at the Reference Room. Photography is not allowed at the building.
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Lourdes reenacts appeared Virgin Mary in Lourdes located in the southern part of the France. A white statue of the Virgin Mary with about 30 cm tall and a white statue of St. Bernadette Soubirous with about 30 cm tall are set to reproduce, and the St. Bernadette Soubirous receives the revelation about Lourdes Water from the Virgin Mary at the Grotto of Massabielle. St. Bernadette Soubirous has passed away at a mere 35 years old in 1879, and is the first photographed saint declared by the Catholic Church.
Movie of Lourdes in France
The Statue of St. Theresa was gaven by Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey, a Peruvian father of Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart in the France, called “Apostles of the Sacred Heart” in 1936. The St. Theresa has passed away at a mere 24 years old in Lisieux, and is worldwide well-known for The Story of a Soul. Various miracles has been performed after her death, so she was fast-declared by the Catholic Church. It is said that she is one of the most popular sainta holy women together with the Jeanne d’Arc in the France.
Atmosphere of Trappistine Convent Can Be Watched on Youtube
Movie of Trappistine Convent
| Admission fee | Free of charge |
|---|---|
| Parking lot | There is pay parking lot |
| Business hours | Summer season 08:30-17:00 Winter season 09:00-16:00 |
| Regular closing day | Year-end and New Year holidays |
| Telephone number | +81-138-57-3331 |
| Home page | Home page is here |
| Mapcode | 86 144 180*22 |
List of accommodations
Refer to following websites for the accommodations in the downtown of the Hakodate. You can get information regarding online reviews and photos.
South Part of Hakodate Downtown
North Part of Hakodate Downtown
Yunokawa Onsen
A page of Hakodate is here
Hakodate
By the way, Club Tourism (クラブツーリズム), a Japanese tour travel agency, provides various types of tours such as day trip tours or ordinary tours. In the case of bus tours, tourists do not drive their cars themselves, so they can savor alcohol. Choosen tourist attractions are national parks such as Rishiri and Rebun, Shiretoko, and popular tourist places such as Furano and Biei, and some activities such as hiking and fruit picking are also enjoyed depending on seasons. If you are interested in tour trips, you should visit the club tourism's website for details.
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