Hakodate Sept 26 – 28, 2025
Cape Tachimachi, Hot spring and Harbor view from Cafe Morie
I came to Hakodate again. This is my third time to visit the town in the northern mainland Hokkaido. This time, I planned to visit Tachimachi Cape, South part of Mt.Hakodate; Trappistine Convent near Hakodate airport; a cafe near the Foreigner cemetery and Yachigashira public bath house during this trip of three days.
I arrived at Hakodate airport before nine o’clock in the morning. It is a flight of less than one hour from Haneda. I bought a one day tram ticket at the tourist information in the Hakone station building. I rode a tram toward Yachigashira and got off at Jujigai to stop by the city’s relocation consultation center to get some information about relocation. The office is in the former department store. It is near the entrance on the first floor and people come and go often. I lost feelings to consult something in the setting like this all of sudden. I decided to go out, returned to the same tram stop and rode the tram for Yachigashira. What a waste of time there! Tachimachi Cape is located south behind Mt. Hakodate. It would be about 20 minutes to Tachimachi Cape from the Yachigashira stop by walk. There was slight rain shower. I did not have an umbrella with me. I was wondering at the stop whether I should I get on the tram to Cape Tachimachi. But I hopped on the tram car anyway when it came. From Yachigashira stop, I was walking to the cape just wishing the light shower would not last long. The cape is famous for the grand scenery with some 30 meters cliffs surrounded by sea facing the shoreline of Aomori ahead. The Ainu, the indigenous people of the Northern land, called the cape “Stand and wait to catch fish” in Ainu. Cape Tachimachi is its translation in Japanese. I imagined they waited for their arrival patiently there. It was very beautiful site. It was worth walking some thirty minutes. I had come to the cape watching the ocean on my left. I returned to Yachigashira tram stop through the mountain side route being worried I might meet a bear. I stayed on the roadway. It was a kind of hiking in the woods. But it took nearly one hour to return to the stop. It could be some 20 minutes by oceanside route I had come. I found the building of Yachigashira Onsen near the stop by chance. It was 11:40 in the morning. I felt a bit hungry. But I decided to stop by to take a bath as I did not want to come later. The bath house is open from 6 o’clock in the morning. People who are obviously neighbors are coming. There is large bath rooms on the second floor. On the men bath room, there are four bathtubs of different water temperature, 40C, 41C and 42C inside and one around 42C outside. The blown water contains chloride which is effective for nerve pain, muscle pain, fatigue. On the first floor, they have a rest room with a cafeteria that serves light meal like Udon noodles. The fare for adult is just 460 yen. I wish I could come everyday. I stayed about one hour and headed to the tram stop.
Getting off the tram at the Jujigai stop, I walked up Nijukken saka the slope I ordered a Ham cutlet hamburger and a local beer by the electrical order taking machine at the corner. As soon as I had a Ham cutlets and a beer at Carl Raymond, I walked towards Foreign cemetery. There is a cafe called Cafe Morie near the cemetery for Protestant. It is standing next to the cemetery on the cliff facing the Hakodate Harbor. I found it when I came Hakodate in 2023 first time. I had recognized it when I was taking pictures of the cemetery. But I did not try to enter that time. Memory lingered and I thought I should have a coffee there next time I visited Hakodate. I like a quiet place rather than a loud and crowdy place. Open the slide door, I found it is my place except the staff’s high spirited voice. Her high tone rings through the room. Except that, the cafe is perfect place to have a cup of coffee: Quiet room, Wide windows, Beautiful scenery of the Hakodate bay. The tag boat is leaving slowly from the freight vessel at the distance. A pair of sea gulls are flying close each other as if they were dancing. I believe they are playing. Those scenes sinks into my heart slowly.I would never forget this peaceful scenery. I am glad that I could make this trip, I said to myself. I learned Perry’s fleet once entered this harbor some 150 years ago. I could have watched the fleet entering into the harbor from here if it had been over some 150 years ago.
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I just ordered a cup of coffee. I found Piroshki, a Russian fried bread, on the menu. I was not hungry just after having a burger at Carl Raymond. I thought I should come again and have it someday. They close in January and February as it could be freezing cold and they could not warm up the room enough. I could not imagine how it gets cold enough it could not be warmed up enough. I think someone is living on the second floor even in winter. How would be the view of the Hakodate harbor in the winter. Someone said Hakodate is like a San Francisco in Japan. I think so too. I want to visit here around the early March and have a Piroshki with black tea though it could be a quite walk on the snowy slope to come here. I really want to see how it would be like around here in winter. The Hakodate harbor in winter seeing from the slopes would be completely different.
On the second day, I was able to visit the Trappistine Convent near Hakodate Airport riding on a city bus with a lot of tourists. It was just a short trip of some 40 minutes from Hakodate station. After Hakodate airport, the bus headed down the slop and passed through an area of public housing complex. In a few minutes, it started to climb the hill and it stopped. That is where the Trappistine Convent stands. I learned the convent was founded to spread Christianity at this place by a group of eight sisters from Abbaye d’Ubexy, France in 1898. You can see the ocean from the site. It could be beautiful around this area in Autumn. However, I wonder what a hard life could have been for those sisters when they began to live in the unknown land from their countries. But they continued to develop the land and live. You cannot enter the monastery area. You can see it only from outside except the store, where cookies, books, postcards etc are sold. I bought a booklet written by Pope Francis and cards of Mary, Untier of Knots. I left by a bus for Hakodate station after spending about one hour. I bought a beer and some snack at a Seico mart and some more beer and Eki-ben lunch box at Hakodate station, and returned to the hotel and relaxed in the room. I stayed in the hotel. I was not hungry. I decided to go to the bath room on the thirteen floor. It makes me feel good taking bath at this time of the day when I would be working if it were weekdays. I had not mentioned about my visit to Yachigashira Onsen, or Hot spring. I actually stopped by Yachigashira Onsen on my return to the Yachigashira tram stop from Cape Tachimachi the first day. The spring is brown colored iron-rich with Sodium Chloride, which has positive effects for neuralgia, muscle pains, joint pains, cut, fatigue etc. They have four bathtubs on the men’s large floor with high ceiling and one outside, which of them have different temperature settings: 38c, 40c etc.. There are a lot of people, who look living in the town. I liked the temperature of the water and water quality. I want to come back again. I visited all of places in my list this time. I would like to visit around March next time and visit Cafe Morie for lunch, Yachigashira Onsen, and have something at Lucky Pierrot. My next visit plan is now growing on me.