Woke up at 6:30 this morning and made some coffee using the grinder and beans in my room – a bit of a workout grinding the beans! 😆

Went down for breakfast at the hotel buffet.  Big line to get in but it moved pretty quick.   A lot of choices including grilled seafood,  sashimi on rice,  fried chicken,  crab croquettes, salad,  lasagne,  eggs,  breads, desserts and even a soft serve machine!

After breakfast,  headed out for a day of exploring Hakodate, starting with the Morning Market, where there are a number of vendors selling fresh seafood and vegetables.   Lots of crabs,  king crab legs,  sea urchins,  salmon,  scallops and octopus.  Used my limited Japanese skills to ask one of the vendors what something was and it was an octopus head (no legs).  The market also has a number of places where you can sit down for a sashimi don buri bowl but since I already had one at my hotel,  I didn’t need to stop.

Caught a bus to the Gogyokaku Tower and park area.   Very easy to take the bus here –  board in the back door, scanned my Suica card,  and then when you get off the bus you scan the card as you’re leaving and it charges you the fare.   Went up the tower for a view of the old star-shaped fort.   The fort, which was built in the mid-19th century.   The fort is gone but the moat and outer walls remain.   Also got some good views of Hakodate.

Also enjoyed a cherry blossom and “special” milk ice cream cone as Hokkaido is known for its dairy products.

Went down the tower and explored the park as the weather is nice and not so hot here.

Afterwards,  caught another bus to head to Mount Hakodate to take the cable car up.  Not a lot of people on the bus.   Also made note of the stop signs for when I rent a car tomorrow – look like a yield sign and some don’t have the English ‘STOP’ on them,  only the Japanese.

Got to the Mt. Hakodate stop and walked around few minutes to the ropeway (cable car).  Takes about 3 minutes to ride up but get some great views of Hakodate!  Zoomed in on my hotel!

Bought a strawberry milk Japanese spirits beverage from the shop at the top to enjoy while taking in the views.  Was tasty and slightly carbonated but creamy.  

Took the ropeway down and walked to the Hakodate City Museum of Northern Peoples,  which had a number of pieces from the indigenous peoples that originally populated northern Japan, including the Ainu, Aleut and others.  The museum had English descriptions and a lot of artifacts.

Afterwards,  headed back to the hotel for a bit of a break before dinner.  Went for dinner at the Hakodate Beer Hall,  which was close to the hotel.   Had the “famous” Hokkaido pasta with salted squid and a local beer,  Hakodate Pioneers’ Legendary pilsner.  The lady sitting beside me at the bar started talking to me so I ended up ordering a beer cocktail (similar to a shandy), which was beer with melon soda.  They had various flavors but the melon sounded interesting.

After dinner and making a new Facebook friend,  headed back to the hotel,  stopping to take a few sunset photos.

Off to bed early so I have time to pack and have a quick breakfast before going to pick up the car.