Fort Squid

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Its mascot is a squid and its nickname is Squid City. It is the third biggest city on the island of Hokkaido and was once the most important port in northern Japan. It’s Hakodate!

Hakodate is strategically located to serve as the gateway to Hokkaido and can be reached by shinkansen via the Seikan Undersea Tunnel. Of course, it can also be reached by air, by ferry from Honshu, and by cruise ship.

Hakodate was opened to foreign trade in 1854, and there are many points of interest from that period, including warehouses, consulates, churches, and neighborhoods built in the western style to house foreigners.

There is so much to see and do in and around Hakodate, that one could easily spend four days/three nights here.

Fish Market

We started out at the Fish Market. It is a jumble of buildings and stalls and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. You can buy fresh fish, vacuum-packed fish, dried fish, and all kinds of fish roe. Of course, there was a lot f squid on display. It is even possible to catch your own squid in a big tank.

This guy tried to climb out of his tank

Salmon

Some kind of dried fish

Various kinds of roe

Plastic models of menu items in the window of a restaurant 

Ready-to-eat corn-on-the-cob

Dried squid

A boy reels in a squid from the fish tank.
We did not have permission to take this picture, so I blacked out the boy’s face.

Goryōkaku

Goryōkaku started out as a fort, built by the Tokugawa shogunate and completed in 1866. Its distinctive star-shaped design was based on the work of a French architect. The five-pointed star allowed for more gun emplacements and fewer blind spots for cannon. But Goryōkaku has become a beloved park and is now a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and a Special Historical Site.

Because spring arrived in Japan a little bit on the late side this year, we were fortunate to catch the end of Hakodate’s cherry blossom season. We were treated to a spectacular show under a bright blue sky at Goryōkaku. 

Frrom the top of Goryōkaku Tower you can see the star shape of the fort below.
Carp streamers fly from the side of the tower to mark Golden Week.

Cherry blossom petals cover the ground

Folkloric Show

Back on the ship we were able to enjoy a folkloric show by a group called Yosakoi Soran. The show was excellent, especially the amazing solos by the man who played the samisen.

Today’s fabric is Large Ghostly Squid Damask by pattysloniger for Spoonflower. Damask is a woven, reversible, patterned fabric. I am not sure what makes this fabric a damask, as the design is printed on quilting cotton which does not usually have a pattern woven in. The fabric is part of a “Damask Collection,” which may have been given that name because the designs resemble the style of designs that were used in traditional damask weaving. The designer has skillfully brought out the beauty of a quite hideous creature.