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. ( Actually I ‘ve been to Hakodate four times including the time when I flew alone to Hakodate to meet my mom and three of my relatives, who had stayed at Yunokawa Onsen the previous day, at Hakodate station and joined them to a tour of Onuma and Kojohama. ) 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 a former department store on the tram street. 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 a 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 tram stop by walk. There was slight rain shower. I did not have an umbrella with me. I was wondering at Jujigai 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 stop soon. The cape is famous for the grand scenery with some 30 meters cliffs surrounded by sea facing the shoreline of Aomori ahead. The few passengers who got off were on the same direction. 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. It was time for lunch. I felt a bit hungry. But I decided to stop by to take a bath. The bath house is open from 6 o’clock in the morning throughout the year. 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. I tried every bathtub. The 42c water was good for me. The blown water contains chloride which is effective for nerve pain, muscle pain, fatigue. On the first floor, they have a resting room with a cafeteria that serves light meal like Udon noodles. The fare of the bath for adult was just 460 yen. It was reasonable. It is 550 yen at a Public bath in Yokohama. I wish I lived and I could come everyday. I stayed about one hour and headed to the tram stop as I got hungry.
Getting off the tram at the Jujigai stop, I walked up Nijukken saka slope. I went into Raymon house Motomachi store, a Ham and sausage shop, and ordered a Ham cutlet hamburger and a local beer. They sell their products in the shop. You can eat sausages, hot-dogs or hamburger in the shop. The burger of a slice of deep-fried ham was big and thick. It went along well with the crisp sweet taste of gold hue. As soon as I had the burger washing down by a beer, I got out and walked towards the Foreign cemetery. At the end of the road along the Russian Orthodox Church, I turned to left. There were some flower shops and a large temple along the street to the cemetery. There is an area called “Gaijin Bochi” or Foreigners’ cemetry. Since First two sailors on the Mathew Perry’s missionary were burried on this area, this area has come to be called so by neigbors. There is a cafe called Cafe Morie near the Protestant cemetery. It is standing next to the cemetery on the cliff facing the Hakodate Harbor. I found it when I came Hakodate in June, 2023. I had recognized it when I was taking pictures of the cemetery. But I did not enter that time. Since then, memory has lingered and I thought I should have a coffee there next time I visit Hakodate. I like a quiet place rather than a loud and crowdy place. Open the slide door, I found it is my place. I was welcome by the wait’s high voice. Her high tone rang through the quiet room. The cafe is perfect place to have a cup of coffee: Quiet room, Wide windows, Scenic view of the Hakodate bay. There were other customers: family and a couple. They look just this quiet setting. The tag boat was leaving slowly from the freight vessel at the distance. A pair of sea gulls were flying close each other as if they were dancing. Those scenes sank into my heart slowly. I would never forget this peaceful scenery. I am glad that I had visited this place, I said to myself.
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 of the thick Ham cutlet at Carl Raymond just an hour ago. 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 rooms enough. I could not imagine how cold it could get. I think someone is living on the second floor of this house even in winter. How would be the view of the Hakodate harbor in the winter from here. 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. Can I see sea gulls would be flying as they are now? The Hakodate harbor in winter seeing from the slopes would be completely different.
On the second day, I did 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 a slope 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. I think they wanted to show people of Hokkaido what Christianity is about through their daily life on this northern land of challenge. 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 into the monastery 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 at the store. 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 around 2 o’clock. I stayed in the hotel afterwards. I was not hungry. I decided to go to the bath room on the thirteenth floor. It makes me feel good taking bath at this time of the day when I would be working if it were weekdays. I have not mentioned about my visit to Yachigashira Onsen, or Hot spring in this article yet. 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, many of whom I think neighbors of the town. I liked the temperature of the water and water quality. I was able to sleep well on the night. 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.