5.9.2018 - Day 21

 

Sadly I didn’t get to sleep before midnight and then was woken up at around 5am. Finally giving up on sleep I strolled out of bed at around 7am and started exploring the surroundings. Compare to previous locations it was a nice cool temperature with light wind. First I started with the old store houses that I saw at night and made day time photos. After breakfast I made my way to Hakodate rope-way. If I wasn’t able to catch the night view, at least I would see the day view. Since the rope-way starts operations at 10am, I was early, but once I got to the top, it was worth they wait.

The view was amazing and I was even able to see all the way to Tohoku. The mountains were beautiful, but the clouds, although broken-up, were still a reminder of the typhoon and obstructed view on one of the major mountains. The wind was a bit stronger and I had to put on my wind breaker to keep warm.

Coming down I went to the old Hakodate municipal house. On the way I stop by a shrine to admire the maritime charms it offered. The municipal building is a blue and gold house, build in a western style (with Japanese particularities). One highlighted points are the visits by the royal family as they were housed here. Specifically for those there was build an additional bathroom addition to the main building.

Lastly I visited the old British consulate in Hakodate which mainly focused on highlighting the contributions of foreigners or their impact on Hakodate after Hakodate was opened as a port for international business. Surprising fact to me was that the East British fleet used to visit Hakodate in summer to escape the summer heat.

After picking-up my luggage from the hotel I made my way to the train station. Due to the typhoon disruptions the ticket office was packed and I missed my early train and had to go with the one later. On the other hand I got to taste local udon for lunch.

I was pretty excited to see the way to Akita, but due to the delay it was dark when I got on the Akita Shinkansen. When I arrived and tried to reserved tickets for tomorrow I got another blow. The way I wanted to go was not possible due to damage from the typhoon. As a result I had to book Shinkansen to Sendai and from there go via local line.

I made my way to the hotel and after relaxing bath went to bed.