April 20, 2026

Hakodate is last port off call on Hokkaido, the northernmost of the four main Japanese islands. Sapporo is probably the best-known city on the island as host of the 1972 winter Olympics. Hakodate was the first Japanese port to open to foreign trade in 1854.

Just across the street from the cruise pier is the Hakodate Morning Market, with its narrow streets and dozens of storefronts selling fresh fish, melons and other produce and souvenirs. We wandered over first thing in the morning and found a line already for squid fishing in one establishment. You can eat sashimi featuring squid you just caught. We passed as we’re not really a fish-for-breakfast people.

The melons from Hakodate are most prized. The Yubari King melons are commonly used as gifts. With prices as high as $20.00 a melon, they would make impressive gifts indeed!

As is true in many of the countries we have visited, Japan has an incentive to refurbish and maintain historical buildings. Here we see how old fishing warehouses have been converted into a shopping district including souvenir shops and clothing boutiques. It is known as the Kanemori Red-Brick Warehouse District. You see that you still can get a traditional Japanese rickshaw ride called a Jinrikisha. (人力車) The Jinrikisha runners are extremely fit; they have to pull uphill! No tipping is ever required, that is a Japanese tradition. Excellent service is expected to be the standard.

Dozens of schoolgirls, in groups of four or five, greeted us outside the terminal and even farther along the walkways into town. They were given a break from class to act as guides and interpreters for cruise passengers. It seems that whenever you take photos of young people in Asia, they all always give you the peace sign.

I received so many comments about Chongae’s upbringing in Seoul, South Korea after the Korean War that I thought I would share this photo of Seoul in 1973 and Seoul in 2026. Quite a transformation for a city and for the people who lived there.

Thanks for traveling with us.