Woke up around 5:30 am today and didn’t get back to sleep. Had a shower and packed before checking out to head down to the station for my shinkansen (bullet train) to Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido.
Super efficient and quick to get to the platform so could have left a bit later but wanted to get a drink and bento box (eki-ben) for the ride as it appeared the Gran Class on my train didn’t have an attendant. Picked up a tonkatsu (pork cutlet) eki-ben with a beer (the guy ahead of me bought a beer so I assumed drinking at 9:30 am is acceptable here).
Taking the Hayabusa 11 train, which goes up to 320 km/h in some sections. It will also go through a long underwater tunnel to get to the island of Hokkaido!
The train rolls in about 10 minutes before it departs and the cleaning crew prepares the train so you can’t board until just a minute or two before it leaves. I booked the Gran Class, which is very luxurious and only is one car, seating 18 people. Very comfortable! Looks like we so have a light snack on the train so I went for the Japanese option and a beer as half the other passengers are drinking beer with their breakfast!
Past by Fukushima, where there was the issue with the nuclear reactor after the big quake.
The train carried on up north and then entered a 50 km long tunnel that goes under the water to the island of Hokkaido at a depth of 230 m. Safely came out the other side on the south of Hokkaido!
The shinkansen stops in Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, where you need to transfer to a local JR Hokkaido train to Hakodate, which is about a 15 minute ride away. Eventually, they are building the shinkansen all the way to Sapporo but it has been delayed and won’t be finished for 10 years or so.
Got to the Hakodate Station and walked the 15 minutes to the hotel. There is a local bus that I could have taken but I would have had to waited for it and it would have taken as long as walking. Checked into the hotel and relaxed in my cozy room for a bit. Room has a coffee grinder, which I’ll be testing out tomorrow!
After a bit of a rest, went out for a bowl of corn and butter ramen (Hokkaido specialty) at a place near the hotel. Then decided to walk around as the weather was nice and much cooler than Tokyo!
Walked past the wharf area with the old brick warehouses, up the hill to where there are a number of western churches and the old municipal building.
Also walked by the first concrete telephone pole in Japan, which had a sign as well as various signs around town, providing directions to it!
Headed back to the hotel along the wharf as the sun was starting to set. Lots of people out walking and taking photos. This hotel has an onsen on the top floor that’s open all night so I’ll have to see if I feel like a visit tomorrow.
