Hakodate, the beautiful harbor city

Hakodate boasts its streetcars, the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses, Lucky Pierrot burgers, the stunning night view from Mount Hakodate, and even monkeys soaking in hot springs 🐒♨️. As a harbor city, it offers cruise ships, bays, and a charming oceanic vibe. The city exudes a leisurely yet vibrant and captivating atmosphere! 👍 The highlight of this trip to Hokkaido is undoubtedly enjoying the cherry blossom season at Hakodate's Goryokaku Park! 🌸🌸🌸🌸 Hakodate's Goryokaku cherry blossoms are renowned as one of Japan's largest cherry blossom festivals! With approximately 1,500 cherry trees in Goryokaku Park, the blooming flowers create a pink wonderland that is simply breathtaking! 🥰🥰🥰 No doubt, cherry blossom viewing in Japan is absolutely top-notch! 👍 For this Hokkaido trip, we rented a car in Sapporo and drove to Noboribetsu, then Hakodate, and finally returned to Sapporo to drop off the car. Initially, we planned to use JR trains and buses to connect the attractions, but later realized that renting a car was only slightly more expensive 🤏. Renting a car allowed for a more flexible and enriched itinerary, enabling us to visit places like Mount Usu, Lake Kutcharo, Lake Shikotsu, Hokuto cherry blossoms, and more, covering many scenic spots in southern Hokkaido in one go! Driving saved time and made the trip more fulfilling. Although it was slightly more expensive, it was absolutely worth it! 😚 Initially, we thought renting a car for three days and two nights in Hakodate might be unnecessary and wasteful, but we changed our minds and rented one. This allowed us to drive up Mount Hakodate after the 10 PM restriction was lifted, enjoying the world-famous night view privately without the crowds. Not having to squeeze into a cable car to reach the summit made driving in Hakodate totally worthwhile! 😎