Experience in Hakodate,Hokkaido(Part 2)

(Above) Having a romantic kiss in front of JR Hakodate Train Station

Hakodate is a pleasant quiet city that presents a different perspective from the usual bustling metropolitan cities of Japan. After Hakodate, it took some getting used to on our part to walk with swarms of people in Tokyo city.

(Above) Us posing in front of the Goryokaku tower . It's around noontime and the skies are getting dark.

We visited the 60m high Hakodate Goryokaku Tower(above), which is the highest observation tower there, built overlooking a shogun's fortress, famous for it's western styled shape in the form of a five-pointed star. This design allowed for greater numbers of gun emplacements on its walls than a traditional Japanese fortress, and reduced the number of "blind spots" where a cannon could not fire. The Goryokaku fort was designed by a Japanese scholar - Takeda Ayasaburō, who was influenced by French designs. The fort is being rebuilt to it's former glory and has been declared a special historical site by the government.

(Above) Us posing in the tower's observation deck which affords a 360 degrees bird's eye view of Hakodate city.

(Above) An interesting view of the rooftop of a local church in Hakodate - Love God.

(Above)Looking down from the observation deck, one can see the star shaped design of the fortress.

We visited the interior of the fortress where the open areas have been converted into a public park. We saw the folks there exercising there or bringing their dogs for a walk. There are many bonsai like creepers and plants which looked very ancient(Below).

Along the way, we spied a children's playground and just had some retro fun playing on the slides and swings(Below).

(Above) Gayle acting 'kawaii' during our walk by the streets of Hakodate . Walking the streets instead of taking public transport not only saves money but more interestingly gives us new insights into the city and offers us unique perspectives of things one seldom sees as a tourist.

(Above ) Gayle posing in front of the local church. Coincidentally, we captured the shadows behind which seems to reflect that of a man raising his hands towards God, symbolised by the shadow of the cross while he seems obstructed by what looks like a serpent representing evil. Haha, maybe our imagination is too wild!

Walking along the residential areas, we spotted the different houses , from the unique and strange ones(above) to the stylish spacious homes(below)

(Above) It really tells you something about the safety of Hakodate when policemen drive in tiny little 660cc kei cars which shows they don't have much chasing of bad guys in souped up cars. Even the police are environmentally conscious, driving these fuel efficient cars.
(Above) What a nice surprise, as we were strolling, the electronic signboard on the building opposite of us flashed Happy Birthday, and it turns out that it was also my birthday that day!

(Above) We came across Lucky Pierrot which is Japan's fast food chain version of pizza hut, mcdonald rolled into one. We stopped there for a nice lunch.
(Below) The burger is quite juicy and delicious and substantial

(Above) Something which we will never see in Singapore, image of the Virgin Mary carrying a hamburger, found at the Lucky Pierrot restaurant.

(Above) We found Santa Claus riding on a motorized 3 wheeled scooter and taking a break to talk to an old friend.
(Above) Resting at a traffic junction while waiting for the pedestrian lights to turn green. A bonsai rudolph is behind us .

(Above) We passed by a pizza hut outlet and noticed that the pizza delivery is done in little kei cars. At least they have welfare and keep their deliverymen warm in their cars.
(Above) The weather for that day was 10 degrees celcius. The day is warmest while the nights are cold.

(Above) Taking a kissing break in the vending machine store. They have stores filled with vending machines and furniture for you to take a break and have a drink or mucnh on a snack.

(Above) A nice shot of the sun blessing mount hakodate. You can see the observation station at the peak.

(Above) Gayle trying out the ticketing machine

Getting around Hakodate is relatively easy and it can be accessed by foot for most areas. Buying train tickets is easy. Just ask the information counter ( yes they can speak in English) and tell them your destination, ask how much the fare cost and which subway line to take and whether any transfers are required. The ticketing machine has an English touchscreen function so no worries about understanding the ticketing instructions.

(Above) Leaving Hakodate for Noboribetsu. A pose in front of the station with our full backpacks. We carried backpacks for ease of movement and they can be stretched to enhance carrying capacity.

(Above) Our train to Noboribetsu - Hukoto Rapid train no 5 which ends it's route in Sapporo.

(Above) Gayle posing at the train platform just as our Hokuto No 5 train comes into the station. ( Below ) Me boarding the train carrying a packet of Hakodate white chocolate cookies.

(Above) Us in our reserved seats on board our train en route to Noboribetsu.

(Below) One thing about sitting the train, you get to experience the different scenery , from the residential areas, to the countryside, to the mountains ,to the sea.

Hakodate is a city that one should visit in Japan, both for the fresh seafood and also to see a different pace of Japan.