Kawagoe: The Little Edo.

I went to Kawagoe myself during my most recent trip to Japan and had a very nice day, here is some more about the place also called ‘Koedo’ or ‘Little Edo’ (Edo is the old name for Tokyo). Located in Saitama Prefecture just north of Tokyo, Kawagoe is part of the so-called Greater Tokyo Area and serves as the governmental, commercial and business center of the southwestern part of the Prefecture. Most cities in Saitama, including Kawagoe, are suburbs of Tokyo, with many residents daily commuting to Tokyo. Kawagoe is conveniently connected to Tokyo by three different train lines, the Tobu Tojo Line, JR Kawagoe Line, and the Seibu Shinjuku Line. Based upon personal experience, the latter is very easy to get from Shinjuku (one of Tokyo’s major centers) to Kawagoe, as it takes a simple forty minute ride from one end of the line (Seibu Shinjuku Station) to the other end of the line (Hon-Kawagoe Station).

Exiting the Kawagoe station, it is a ten minute walk to the main attraction of the city: the historic main street in Japanese called ‘kurazukuri’ (traditional architecture). The street is flanked on both sides by old buildings made of clay and originally build as warehouses, reminding visitors how a town in the Edo Period (1603 – 1868) must have looked. The buildings are all different and from different time periods, the oldest one being from 1792. The historic main street is also home to the old and famous Toki-no-kane tower bell (see photo), which rings three times a day and serves as the symbol for ‘Koedo’. It is precisely for this reason, being one of the few places to have preserved such old buildings, Kawagoe has become known as Little Edo.

Another interesting place is the Honmaru Goten, the primary hall of the former Kawagoe Castle that has withstood the test of time. In 1870 the castle was largely dismantled, but some buildings stayed in Kawagoe while others were moved to nearby cities. The Honmaru Goten is one of the few parts of the former castle that has remained at the place it was originally built hundreds of years ago. In earlier times, Kawagoe Castle was an important strategic position as it was the first line of defense after Edo Castle, the castle of the shogun (military ruler) in the capital Edo. Kawagoe was also an important supplier of commodities to Edo and thus important to the capital’s economy. For these reasons and in recognizing the importance of the castle and its city, the Tokugawa shogun’s installed loyal, trusted and high ranking men in Kawagoe Castle as castle lords.

Gohyaku Rakan

The Gohyaku Rakan or 500 Statues of Rakan, is a collection of 540 small stone statues representing Buddha's disciples. These statues tucked into a small 20 meter by 20 meter square fenced in area, were carved between 1782 and 1825. While the rest of Kitain Temple is free to enter, visitors must pay about 300 Yen or so to wander among the Rakan statues. They can also be viewed for free from the gate inside the temple complex. According to legend, if you wander among the statues at night, touching each one, you will find one that is warm. In the light, you will see that this statue resembles you.

Kitakain Temple

Kitain (Kita-In) Temple is thought to have been founded in 830 AD. It burned in 1205 AD and rebuilt in 1296. In 1300, this great temple became head of the Tendai Buddhist temples in east Japan. The grounds house not only the main Kitain Temple, but also a shrine dedicated to the Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, and original buildings from Edo Castle in Tokyo. Because of the destruction to Tokyo in the 1923 Earthquake and World War II, the buildings at Kitain are the only remnants of the original castle. The Temple's most famous site is the 540 statues of Rakan, disciples of Buddha. The statues, carved between 1782 and 1825, are all unique.

Kurazukuri Warehouse

Kawagoe's Kurazukuri area is the most famous area of the town. Kurazukuri Street stretches about 200 meters and is lined with Edo-Period warehouses that are now mostly restaurants and shops. The warehouses are identified by their thick clay walls, a significant change from the wooden houses that were found throughout most of Japan. These warehouses were constructed by businessmen so wealthy they could afford to build these expensive fireproof structures. The businessmen were exceptionally wealthy due to their close economic ties to Edo (now Tokyo). The oldest house in this area was built in 1792, and is called the Osawa House. The Kurazukuri Museum is a historic Tobacco shop that is now open to the public.

Choki-in Temple: Skinny Buddha

In the historic area of Kawagoe, there is a small alley with a temple gate at the far end. Though the alley is quiet, it is inviting. The long, narrow, stone-lined path takes you past a few vacant storefronts and into the temple grounds. The shrine is eerily deserted except for a man in obvious mental distress, who greets you strangely but kindly with an odd military-style salute. Then he disappears into the cold afternoon. Looking around the old temple, your eyes are suddenly drawn to a shocking image--a statue of a man so skinny, he could be a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp. As you approach, you can make out every rib on the statue, and even the veins in his chest.

Somehow the imprint of his spine is almost visible through the barely existent stomach. Even more odd, the statue has five-days of whisker stubble on his chin and cheeks, his eyes are sunken into his skull, and his loose clothes are falling off of his body. This is the most unusual statue of Buddha you will ever see. The statue stands in front of the Choki-in Temple in Kawagoe. The statue is a replica of an ancient Third Century statue of Buddha that is supposed to represent penance. It is said that this statue depicts the time Buddha learned that he could not obtain enlightenment by torturing his body with starvation, after having barely eaten over the course of six years. The original statue is in Pakistan at the Lahore Museum of Art.

Confectionery Lane (or Penny Candy Alley)

Next to the northern end of the old Kurazukurai section of Kawagoe is a narrow, but crowded alley that often has more children than adults. This area is called Kashiya Yokocho in Japanese, or Penny Candy Alley in English. This street has been home to candy makers since the 1870s or earlier. Following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, this area become the center of the Tokyo candy industry, with some 70 candy manufacturers. Today, about 22 candy stores survive, and they sell a variety of traditional and modern candies, along with toys. I wandered around this alley for about 45 minutes, stopping in numerous stores. Had some traditional steamed mochi filled with sweet potato and we bought some modern hard candy. I also noticed dozens, if not hundreds of Japanese carrying meter-long sticks of "fu," which resembles a loaf of bread, and is made of wheat and sugar.

Time Bell Tower, Old Kawagoe

The Time Bell Tower, or Toki no Kane in Japanese, was first constructed 400 years ago in central Kawagoe by Sakai Tadakatsu, a Kawagoe feudal lord. Though it has been burned and rebuilt about three times, most recently by the Kawagoe Great Fire, the present 16 meter structure dates back to 1893. While the tower stands in front of a temple, the tower had no religious purpose, instead it was used to tell time. Today the wooden bell tower stands as the symbol of Kawagoe. The bell still rings each day at 6am, noon, 3pm and 6pm.

The relationship between Kawagoe and Edo eventually led to close ties and Kawagoe inheriting many aspects of Edo’s culture and architecture. An interesting example is provided by the festivals floats used for the annual Kawagoe Festival, which is held for two days on the third Saturday and Sunday of October. In the Edo Period the hight of festival floats in Edo was limited as they had to enter through the gates of Edo Castle. Although Kawagoe Castle did not feature such a gate which limited the hight of the floats, the city eventually started to make festival floats in Edo style which meant that these floats could lower their tower by way of an ingenious device inside.

In other words, Kawagoe not only gives you an impression of how Edo looked in former times, but also feels somewhat ‘warmer’ and open than Tokyo. If you are in Japan, have some time and wish to escape from Tokyo, Kawagoe is certainly a nice place to visit!

本当の幸せ - Honto no shiawase (The Real Happiness)

幸福は健康にあり
富の未における蓄積
幸福は他人の世話にあり
親愛なる友人や兄弟のよう

幸福は共有にあり
集結されるわけではありません
幸せは心の状態です。

どこにも見つけることができます
瞬間をお楽しみください、人生を生きる
スコアをセトルし、争いを終わらせる

幸せは旅ではない宛先である
幸福はあなたの魅力は何やっている
幸福はあなたが好きなものをやっている
眠るウォーキング、ランニングや自転車に乗って

幸せは近く来る
するときは、恐れることなく思い切ってます
サービスをレンダリングすることのことができます
男を飾るの人生を生きる

世界中のイスラム教徒の人々へのイードムバラクハッピー。

純一郎長谷川@ジャシャムスルニザムマッドヤニ。 
荒川区、東京都。 
(Junichiro Hasegawa@Jashamsulnizam Md. Jani)
(Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan)

Wakkanai - The Northernmost City and Faraway Place

I arrived at Wakkanai, whose name originated from Ainu word Yam Wakka Nay (ﾔﾑﾜｯｶﾅｲ), which means cold river water. To the Japanese, Wakkanai is a faraway place. In fact, it is the northernmost city in Japan. To us Wakkanai is indeed very far as it took me more than 9 hours of travel time from Hakodate in south Hokkaido with JR train. In a way to Wakkanai, the express stopped at Horonobe. I saw a very interesting guide board. Horonobe is; the middle of the Northern Hemisphere, town at 45 degrees north latitude, village of reindeer, in addition, cattle seems. Reindeer in Japan, I didn’t know that. So the landscape from Horonobe to Wakkanai looked somehow in Asahikawa two years ago. The train arrived at Wakkanai around 1PM. It took 9 hours from Hakodate. Hokkaido is big!. Wakkanai Station is the northernmost station in Japan. It’s located at 45 degrees 25 minutes 3 seconds north latitude. Wakkanai Station is northernmost station in Japan. Soyahonsen which has Wakkanai Station as the end of the station is the railway northernmost in Japan. Scallops are caught in large quantities in Wakkanai area. Scallop shell has been piled like as a mountain near the harbor. Russian fishing boat had been anchored at Wakkanai Port. The distance from Wakkanai to Sakhalin in Russia is only 42km. Sakhalin can be seen from Wakkanai on sunny day.

Soya Cape

Cape Soya where is the northernmost point of Japan, is about 20 minutes by car from Wakkanai.city. Terrain around the cape is gentle hills. Cattle had been grazing. Snow still remained in some places even in May of year. Northern Hokkaido is cold. The windmill on cape Soya was impressive. A lot of wind turbines have been installed on the hills of Soya. The development of renewable energy is desired more instead of depending on nuclear power generation. I visited a monument at the tip of Cape Soya. The cape was spacious. Mr. Hitoshi Shirota, who is a friend of mine gave me a tour of Sarufutsu village. The village is located to the south of Wakkanai. Sarufutsu is the largest village in Hokkaido. The main industries of Sarufutsu village are fishing and dairy. Many dairy farmers are dotted in the spread land. Sarufutsu has become as the representing place of scallop fishery in Hokkaido since the system of management fishery was introduced. Total fish catch is 50,000 tons per year. Of these, 30,000 tons are raised by releasing the juvenile scallop. Mr. Shirota gave me an explanation of the management scallop fishery. Scallop fishing areas are located offshore of Sarufutsu village and divided into five areas. The fishing place of the year is determined from one of five areas every year. Fishermen cannot go fishing to other areas in the same year. Juvenile scallops are released into the fishing place after the fishing period. Then fishermen have to wait five years to go fishing to that area. Scallops can grow during five year, fine scallops are fished again after five years. There are a lot of Itou (Japanese huchen) in the Sarufutsu river. Itou is called one of phantom fish but there are still many there. Anglers have come from far away. Sarufutsu village is managing also such natural resources. They are making effort to coexist with nature.

Wakkanai Giant Crab

 

Wakkanai is known primarily for crab, and its abundance of other fresh seafood throughout the year - the cold climate means it has access to stocks that would otherwise be out of season elsewhere. The main tourist complex is visible even from the station, is painted bright orange, and has a giant rusty crab on its sign. You can't miss it. The ground floor is a "market" for visitors, while the two floors above are taken by a food court or restaurant respectively. It's clearly designed to handle group tours though, at that time, I was the only one there. I ordered their signature lunch option, the tri-colour donburi (rice bowl) - sea urchin, ikura (salmon roe) and raw scallops on top of a bed of sushi rice. The miso soup has, quite characteristically, a crab claw thrown in for good measure. Likewise - scallop, ikura and especially sea urchin are some of the most expensive sushi ingredients available; only in a place like Wakkanai would all three be served so casually - almost recklessly - together on a lunch rice bowl.

The Wakkanai National Park

In the late 1990's Wakkanai was, in fact, a popular tourist spot, but in recent years it has ceded visitors to the zoo-bearing (and more central) Asahikawa, as well as the recently-appointed World Heritage site, Shiretoko. Nevertheless the tourist areas are still there, and I was off to see the first of them, the nearby Wakkanai Park. As much as I just loooove walking up steep mountain slopes (that's sarcasm, by the way, in case you need the hint) the view it offers of the town - and Sea of Okhotsk beyond - is stunning, and makes it totally worth it. Even from here, though, the view is spectacular. Basked in warm sunlight with a gentle sea breeze, the area was calm and serene, almost happy. It was actually really, really nice. Wakkanai Park itself has a bit of a colourful, if sad, history. Up until the year 2000 it was host to an amusement park and, until 2006, an aerial tramway and ski area. With the gradual decline in visitors the municipal government eventually decided to take down both, leaving behind only the park's imposing stone memorials and wind turbines - ironic reminders of a more glorious past. It is, in a way, a rather sorry reflection of Japan's own decline over the past two decades. Just one word of warning. Wakkanai Park is vast and wide, and clearly designed with cars in mind; those of you walking, like yours truly, might find yourself getting just a little bit more of a workout than you might have intended.

Noshappu Point

Having made it back down the mountain, I now headed to one of the other main tourist spots in Wakkanai, Noshappu Point. There's a bus which travels from the city centre to Noshappu, but it runs only infrequently and being young and reckless, I had decided to walk. The road from the city centre to Noshappu Point is flanked one side by the sea, and by warehouses and docks stand on the other. Fishing boats and nets line the road, in some cases blocking the path entirely. A dolphin clock and lighthouse mark Noshappu Point. There's also an onsen facility a little further down the road, and a small makeshift aquarium. It's clearly an area for couples, though the view really was quite pretty regardless. More importantly, though... it was getting dark, and I had an hour's worth of walking back to do. t was pouring down by the time I was back in the city which, of course, meant it was time for my final (and favourite) task of the day: dinner. 

I can't really make up my mind about Wakkanai. It's beautiful, but only in that common, quiet way that is a little hard to recommend to a visiting tourist. On the other hand... the seafood here really is sublime, and the isobeyaki - which remains a localised dish - quite possibly may have been my favourite of the trip. All in all... come here for the food if you're willing to travel a bit to try it, but know what you're getting into.

Hakodate - More Spectacular View

My first stop in Hokkaido Island, Northern Japan it was the city of Hakodate (函館 = Box + Building) located just on the other side of the ocean separating the two islands. As the crow flies it's only about 100km from Aomori but the train takes a more scenic route in order to cross the ocean at the narrowest point. This connection between the islands is done via the Seikan Tunnel. The name (Seikan) comes from joining the first characters of (青森) Aomori and Hakodate (函館). The reason it's not pronounced Aohako is due to the fact that each kanji as a number of different possible readings (or pronunciations). The two main types are the "On Reading", derived from Chinese, and the "Kun Reading" which is derived from Japanese. "Ao" and "hako" are both Kun readings while "Sei" and "Kan" are On readings. The Seikan Tunnel is significant as it's currently the longest and deepest operating rail tunnel in the world. The tunnel reaches a depth of 240 meters below sea-level (140 meters below the seabed) and it's total length is 53.8km (with a 23.3km undersea portion). All up and through the tunnel it's a 160km journey from Aomori to Hakodate by train, and since there's no more shinkansen the trip takes just over two hours. 

Seikan Tunnel 

The first train to Hakodate didn't leave until 8:24 for some reason so I had plenty of time to have my free breakfast in that day!. I went down just after 7am (around 7:06am) and found there was a massive line!. I guess everyone had been waiting until breakfast. I'm not really sure why they don't start earlier. After breakfast I had a little bit of a look at the Aomori morning markets. They were located under a shopping center in a sort of basement level. The markets were alright although not fantastic. Lots of fish and crabs and seafood. There was some other produce as well and I bought a massive apple from one of the stalls there. After the markets I made my way to Aomori station and caught our train. There's two types of Limited Express trains to Hakodate, Hakucho (白鳥 = Hakuchou = White + Bird = Swan) and Super Hakucho. I don't think there's much difference but I wanted the super because it sounds better. I'd just had the regular plain old Hakucho though. One thing I did notice though was that the Super Hakucho that I got from Shin-amori a few days ago had maps on the backs of the seat with Seikan tunnel crossing times marked in. The Hakucho did not have these and I was a bit miffed about it as I didn't want to miss the entrance into the tunnel. Anyway the train ride was fun and offered many nice views of the ocean. There were also lots of tunnels before the main one! I kept being ticked as I wasn't really sure if the I were in at the time was the real deal! Some of the smaller ones were rather long too. I realized after about 8 minutes into the real one that it must be the Seikan tunnel. The tunnel itself was pretty uneventful. Just like any other tunnel I guess. At one point though I remember seeing an underground station flash by which was exciting.

There's two underground stations within the Seikan Tunnel although only one is currently operational. Yoshioka-Kaitei Station on the north side serviced its final train in 2006 and was the deepest railway station in the world located 149.5 meters below sea level. A few trains a day still stop at Tappi-Kaitei Station which is located on the south side of the tunnel and is connected to the surface by an underground cable car. I'd really like to visit this station as it contains a museum and it's cool that it's so deep. I fear I will not get the chance though as it will be shut down around 2015 when the Shinkansen starts operating through the tunnel. Once this happens they will continue to maintain at least one of their original functions as emergency escape routes. After I'd exited the tunnel I'm pretty sure I saw the Hokkaido Shinkansen under construction. I arrived at Hakodate on time at around 10:30am. Just like in Aomori the next train was waiting but this time bound for Sapporo. That was not I though so and I'd exited the station and after getting our bearings, crossed the tram tracks and made my way to the hotel. It was another comfort and since it was before check in time I just stored my luggage.

Fort Goryokaku

I thought I'd head to Fort Goryokaku (in the north east) first and then return back past from my hotel and continue onto the red brick warehouses, Motomachi and finally Mount Hakodate (in the south west). To get to For Goryokaku I'd rode the tram from Hakodate station to the Goryokaku Koen Mae stop. When I got off I asked for a day pass from the driver. The pass came with a lot of information and little booklets, apparently they enable you to receive discounts and such at tourist attractions. It was about a 600 meter walk from the tram station to Fort Goryokaku. Before having a look at the fort itself I went to Goryokaku Tower. This 107 meter tall tower was built in 2006 and offers views of the fort, Hakodate and the ocean and mountains in the distance. It wasn't very busy when I went in so I paid the 840 yen administration and went straight up. I'd showed our tram pass when I bought my ticket and received a complimentary post card each. Goryokaku Fort is a huge citadel built in the shape of a star. It was constructed around 150 years ago in order to defend Hakodate against western powers. It also later served a part in the civil war between the Meiji government and the Shogunate. Since 1910 however it has been a public park and due to over a thousand cherry blossom trees it is a very popular flower viewing (Hanami) location. The views of the fort from the tower were amazing. It was massive island of green and blue in the white cityscape and you could easily see the star shape.

The tower had slanting windows so you could learn over and look straight down with ease. I love how the tower was built for the sole purpose of providing view of the fort and Hakodate. I thought that it was a good advertising opportunity they took advantage of there!. After descending the tower I had a bit of a look around in the souvenir shop at the bottom, the tower mascot was really cute! It was basically just the tower with arms and legs- his antenna was a particularly endearing charm point. I regret not buying one of the plush toys. They even had a little bio on his likes and dislikes. I left the tower and walked the short distance to the fort, looking back at the tower I found that I couldn't see the antenna! That was a bit disappointing. To get into the fort I had to cross a bridge over a moat. Just before the bridge and off the path a little bit there was a shop playing music which had a sign saying "貸しボート" (Boat rental). I wanted to give it a go but I were too scared to go in and ask as no one else was renting any of the boats. So I continued across the bridge and into the fort. The old magistrates office is located in the center and although I didn't go in and I had a look at it from outside. I continued walking all the way to the back where I climbed up to the top of the rim of the earth wall surrounding the fort. I followed the path up there all the way back around to the front entrance (except in places where the road cut through). A number of places seemed pretty dangerous as it was a steep drop down to the water below.

Motomachi Heights District and The Old Hakodate Public Hall

Next stop was the Motomachi district which reached via a ridiculously steep hill. I tried gritting my teeth and running up it for a bit but I must've been slightly dehydrated as that gave me a headache. When we were about half way up a big tour group appeared at the top of the hill and watched me to struggle up!. Once I got to the top of the hill I turned right into a nice looking street that appeared empty. As I walked down it though it exploded with vendors hawking their food. There was one lady trying to sell me a hot milk! The last thing I wanted! I were all sweaty! "Atatakai gyuunyuu, ikakadesu kaaaaaaa?" While pulling it out of where it was being kept warm and pointing to it with her hand like they do on the telly. I didn't have a heap of time so I thought that I'd look in just one of the western houses. The Old Hakodate Public Hall. I had to wear slippers inside and they were really slippery on the shiny wooden floors! I was a bit worried I'd break my necks walking down the stairs. It was nice inside and there were explanations on what the rooms were used for in English.

You could go out on the balcony and when I went up there there were some Japanese girls done up in make up and who had old fashioned western style dresses on. They were looking mournfully out to sea like they were waiting on some lover at war or something and having their photos taken. I looked at one of them though she broke her pose and gave an embarrassed smile. When I went back down stairs I saw you could hire the dresses and pay to get the make up done to you. Not really sure why they all wanted to look so sad though. While I were at the Old Public Hall someone came up and talked to me. I think he started talking to me in English but I continued in Japanese. He asked me where I were from and was excited that I were from Malaysia("Watashi wa Mareshia kara desu"). He asked me how long I'd been here/japan?, how long I were staying?, if I were going to see more of Hokkaido?, what other places I were going to see in japan?, if I were students?, and where I learnt japanese?. Since it was nearly sunset it was time to leave Motomachi and head to Mount Hakodate! I walked back along the narrow street and this time there was a man very unenthusiastically trying to sell me the hot milk again. When I got to the ropeway station I saw that there was a heap of taxis lined up outside but when I went in I found that it was completely deserted. The cable cars were not moving either! I was looking at a sign when someone (I think she was cleaning) came up and said that it was not operating.

Mount of Hakodate

I started climbing the mountain straight away and for some reason there was a conductor lady on the bus who was narrating the whole trip. Along the way I could see the view from the bus already and it was looking pretty good!. I also saw a couple walking up the road and I wondered if it was because of the ropeway/bus not coming. It was a long/steep way to walk and the girl did not look happy at all. Since I arrived just before dust I could enjoy the view both during the day and the night as well as get to see the sunset!. The views from Mount Hakodate are considered one of Japan's three best night views and even during the day I could see why!. The ocean was wide and blue and had a number of ships on and it was really cool how it surrounded Hakodate on either side of a narrow strip of land. The mountains in the background were good too. There was a building (attached to the rope way station) that I had a look inside of but it was really crowded and there was much inside apart from a restaurant and a souvenir shop. I really wanted hot chips for some reason but the restaurant was full and they didn't sell them anyway. I went back outside and since I neglected to bring a jumper I was freezing!.

There's an old military fort nearby that I were considered visiting although since it was getting pretty dark and cold I decided not to visit. There wouldn't be much to do there in the dark. The building that I went into before had number of different outdoor levels and I were surprised going up as each time I thought that I were at the top that I found another level!. While I waiting for sunset I watched a young girl playing a Jyan ken pon (Scissors paper rock), with her mum. Whenever one of them won they'd go up the stairs and when they lost they'd go down the stairs. They kept playing for quite a while until the girl finally won! They both came close at times and it was a pretty intense game!. Sunset was amazing and soon after Hakodate lit up with millions of lights!. It was really pretty and while we took some photos- it's impossible to capture in a photo. One thing that contributed to the whole experience was how close I were to the actual city. Many other mountain views of cities are actually a fair way from the city but I felt like I were just above it. It had also suddenly become incredibly crowded! The outside levels attached to the building had become completely full of people. It was completely packed. Thankfully the ground level had relatively few people and I enjoyed the view from there.

The Hakodate Morning Market

The Hakodate Morning Fish Market is a must-see attraction for anyone visiting the city of Hakodate in the southern area of Hokkaido. The Hakodate Morning Market is located south of JR Hakodate Station, and as its name indicates, has many shops operating in the morning from 5.00 a.m.,(6 a.m. during the winter) to noon. The roots of the market are in farmers selling their products in the plaza in front of the station after World War Ⅱ. The market subsequently moved to its present location and developed into its current form. There are now over 450 shops mainly handing crabs, salmon, salmon roe, and other fresh seafood caught in the ocean around Hokkaido, but also including vegetables, fruits, dried goods, clothing and a wide variety of items. Visitors can enjoy meals made from fresh ingredients at restaurants in the market, with a bowl of rice tipped with sashimi!. The market is always very bustling, with over 1.8 million shoppers visiting every year. Markets like the Tsukiji Fish Market (found in most guidebooks for Tokyo) don’t seem to like tourists. Let’s face it, we ask a lot of questions, get in the way, and occasionally interfere with “regular” customers. The Hakodate Morning Fish Market, on the other hand, is specifically for tourists. They like talking to foreigners, love explaining their products, and don’t mind foreigners poking around the booth. With around one million tourists in the summer alone, the place is always bustling (while rarely being “over crowded”). The market opens at 5am and closes in the early afternoon, just after the lunch rush. They sell dried goods, fresh produce, fresh fish, live fish, and omiyage souvenirs at very affordable prices.

The donburi rice bowls vary in size, portion, and quality. Some of the shops advertise very cheap (albeit somewhat poor quality) donburi rice bowls for only 500yen. You can get salmon, ikura fish eggs, or tuna on top of rice. I recommend the ikura fish egg donburi rice bowls. While the average international tourist is unable to buy fresh fish or produce to send back home (import/export restrictions), they can enjoy fresh fruit and ice cream at the market. Hokkaido is famous throughout Japan for their high quality and deliciously fresh milk. The ice cream is made fresh from Hokkaido dairy cows and tastes heavenly. The shopkeepers at the Hakodate Morning Market peddle a variety of ice creams ranging from normal (vanilla and chocolate) to “Japanese” (black sesame and melon). If you are lactose intolerant (like me) you can instead munch on some delicious, fresh fruit – especially green melon. Japanese melons are very expensive; at the market you can see single melons selling for as much as 5000yen. My favorite part of the Hakodate Morning Fish Market was the ika squid fishing section. All throughout the market, you can see squid swimming in small tanks. When I asked a shopkeeper about it, he laughed and told me “Ika squid is best served fresh.” Little did I know that “served fresh” meant “served still wiggling.” For 1000yen, some shopkeepers will hand you a pole with a barbed end and let you fish for ika. Fishing itself is easy. You are supposed to hook the barbed end to the frontal, triangular section of the squid and pull upward. I caught one on my first try. The morning fish market is marketed toward foreign travelers. Naturally, they have some great souvenirs, ranging from dried fish to chocolates. I recommend picking up a pack of dried fish for a loved on back home (or so you can just snack on it in your hotel room like I did).

Supposed I want to visit the red brick house but due to time limitation & strong snow, I had to give up. I then need to proceed to next destination, Wakkanai. I had my lunch at the JR station. After the lunch, I went back hotel to collect the luggage, since the distance is very near. I waited at the station together with other backpackers. I then taken sometimes while waiting the time for boarding to take photos outside the station. Strong wind & snow made me feel so happy & excited. I love cold weather so much. The next Destination, Wakkanai the northernmost city in Japan.