Hakodate

The next stop on our trip was Hakodate in Hokkaido. It took about 9 hours by 2 trains, one of which went through a tunnel 240 meters under ground, beneath the Tsugaru channel (which they kindly illustrated on the back of the train seats). When we got off the train in Hakodate, we were shocked by how much colder it was than in Tokyo and how under-dressed we were. We managed to find some hats at the 7-11 and some beer and salt ramen (a regional specialty) to keep us warm on the first night.

The next morning we woke up to a blizzard and though they were not ideal roaming conditions, we set out to explore the city. We visited the Museum of Northern Peoples and learned about the Ainu people, who used to inhabit the norther parts of Japan. Then for lunch we found Lucky Pierrot,a burger chain in Hokkaido which serves the kujira miso burger (miso flavored deep fried whale meat on a bun with a ton of mayonnaise and lettuce). I can't say I enjoyed it all that much...Leo describes it as eating an animal that was born from a dog and a fish...but it was an experience.


With our stomachs full of grease and whale we set off in the snow to see the churches of Hakodate. There is a Russian Orthodox church, and Catholic one and a Methodist one all next to each other along the base of the mountain.