1. Enjoy plenty of sightseeing in Hakodate, starting from Hakodate Airport.

Head straight to Hakodate Station and enjoy the morning market.

Hakodate Morning Market is located just a 5-minute walk from JR Hakodate Station.

The first white building you'll see is the "Hakodate Morning Market Donburi Yokocho Market." It houses 19 shops, mainly restaurants serving seafood bowls and other dishes, as well as souvenir shops.

Additionally, on the first floor of "Ekini Market," next to the Hakodate Morning Market, there is a squid fishing pond, and on the second floor, you can enjoy fresh seafood bowls for 500 yen at the restaurant.

Red Brick Warehouse

After enjoying the morning market, take the tram from "Hakodate Station" to "Jujigai." From there, it's about a 10-minute walk to the "Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses."

The Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses are a popular spot in the Hakodate Bay Area. These warehouses, originally used during the Meiji period, have been repurposed as restaurants and a shopping mall.

The site is divided into four main areas: the Kanemori Western Goods Museum shopping mall, BAY Hakodate which has cafes and a chapel, Hakodate History Plaza which has a beer hall and souvenir shops, and Kanemori Hall which hosts concerts and other events.

Goryokaku Park

Next, we headed to Goryokaku in Hakodate, a popular tourist destination.

It's about a 15-minute walk from the nearest streetcar station, "Goryokaku Park Station".
If you take the Hakodate Bus, the nearest stop is "Goryokaku Park," which is about a 7-minute walk away.

This is the site of Japan's oldest Western-style castle, and its name comes from the fact that it has five ridges.

Goryokaku Park is a popular spot for cherry blossoms in the spring! The fortress served as a magistrate's office during the Edo period and later became the site of the Battle of Hakodate.

Goryokaku Tower, which stands next to the park, is 107 meters tall.

From the observation deck, you can clearly see the star shape of Goryokaku on the land.

The second floor of the tower houses tenants such as Gotoken's curry shop and the popular gelato shop, Milkissimo.

End the day with a night view.

Many people probably want to see the famous "night view from Mount Hakodate."
The night view of Hakodate city from the mountaintop is breathtakingly beautiful.

If you're coming from the Goryokaku area, it's recommended to get off the tram at "Jujigai" station, walk to the ropeway's "Sanroku Station," and then take the ropeway.

Additionally, there is a bus route from JR Hakodate Station that goes through the bay area and up the Hakodateyama mountain trail.
This route takes you directly to the mountaintop and costs 400 yen one way.

2. Take the JR Super Hokuto train for about 2 hours and enjoy the hot springs and sightseeing in Noboribetsu.

Noboribetsu Marine Park NIX

After getting off at Noboribetsu Station, it's about a 5-minute walk and you'll see "Nix Castle," an aquarium modeled after a real castle in Denmark.

This is the exhibition space, where approximately 400 species and 20,000 individual creatures are on permanent display.

The crystal tower at the entrance, the escalator that goes over the large aquarium, and the aqua tunnel, where fish swim leisurely overhead, make you feel as if you're walking through the ocean.

It's enjoyable for families and couples alike.

Noboribetsu Bear Park

There is a free shuttle bus from Noboribetsu Marine Park NIX to Noboribetsu Onsen, but there is only one bus in the evening around 4:00 PM, so it is also recommended to return to Noboribetsu Station and take a local bus.
They run at a pace of about one per hour.

Once you arrive at Noboribetsu Onsen, head to the ropeway base station located in the heart of town.
From here, we'll take a high-speed gondola to the bear farm.

More than 140 brown bears roam freely within the grounds.
Popular attractions include a bear who is a math-savvy scholar, and bear shows featuring bears doing handstands, jumping through hoops of fire, and balancing on a ball.

3. On the last day, let's have fun around New Chitose Airport.

Chitose Outlet Mall Rera

The journey from Noboribetsu to Minami-Chitose takes approximately 40 minutes by limited express train (unreserved seat: 2,400 yen).

If you have some extra time before your flight, you can also enjoy shopping at "Chitose Outlet Mall Rera," which is about a 3-minute walk from Minami-Chitose Station.

The mall houses approximately 100 stores, ranging from high-end brands like COACH to casual brands like BEAMS and GAP, as well as electronics stores.

New Chitose Airport Terminal Building

New Chitose Airport is just one stop away from Minami-Chitose Station, where the Rera outlet mall is located, and takes about 6 minutes.

Additionally, there is a free shuttle bus from Chitose Outlet Mall Rera, which takes about 10 minutes to reach the destination.

The terminal building is four stories tall, making the airport feel more like an amusement park.

Families should head to Smile Road on the 3rd floor.

The "Smile Road" connecting passage on the 3rd floor is filled with amusement facilities that children will love.

In the paid "Park Zone" of "Doraemon Wakuwaku Sky Park," you can play on attractions themed after Doraemon's secret gadgets and take photos.

With a "Kids Free Zone" where children can play on playground equipment in a free area, a "Workshop" where you can purchase kits and create things on the spot, and a "Cafe," families with young children are sure to enjoy themselves.

In addition, there's "Hello Kitty Happy Flight," a theme park where you can take a world tour with Sanrio characters, and "Royce' Chocolate Factory," a chocolate museum, offering fun that feels just like being in an amusement park!

Final thoughts

This time, I've come up with a plan to visit Hakodate and Noboribetsu in 2 nights and 3 days, starting from Hakodate Airport.

Hakodate has convenient streetcar and bus services with frequent intervals between them, so you can easily get around using public transportation. Similarly, in Noboribetsu, you can sightsee without renting a car if you make good use of shuttle buses and other public transport options!

Please use this as a reference and enjoy your time in Hakodate and Noboribetsu!

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