Hokkaido, Japan | Hakodate Goryokaku Matsumae Castle Cherry Blossom View Two-Day Tour

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【Travel Schedule】
Day 1
→Gathering: Pick up at the hotel where you are staying at 8:30 (please provide the name and address of the hotel when registering)
→First stop: Yakumo Hill, stunning sea view, grilled chicken, handmade pizza lunch ※Optional ※
・Visit Yakumo-cho, the birthplace of HERB CHICKEN, and enjoy the local specialty grilled or fried chicken, handmade pizza, pasta curry and other Western food restaurants. The signature feature here is the use of local herb chicken. As the name suggests, the chicken is raised on herb feed and has delicious meat. In addition, the pizzas are carefully baked with Mozzarella cheese from Yakumo, fresh local vegetables, and Yakumo pork ribs. The restaurant is located in the hills of Yakumo-cho, so you can enjoy the panoramic view of the sea of ​​​​Flame Bay and the vast hills while enjoying the food.

→ Second stop: Visit the 300-year-old weeping cherry trees at Hokuto Hokki-ji Temple and pass by the Onogawa cherry trees (see from the car window)
・When you arrive in Hokuto, you will visit the Hokki-ji Temple built in 1849. The purpose is to see the weeping cherry tree that is over 300 years old. The tree is 12 meters tall and is one of the largest weeping cherry trees in Hokkaido. When you get back to the car, you will pass through the pink cherry blossom tunnel along the Ono River. The 300-meter-long cherry blossom tree was originally planted in the Showa era to commemorate the marriage of the Crown Prince (the Emperor in the Heisei era). Admiring the Somei Yoshino cherry trees on both sides through the car window is equally spectacular.

→ Third stop: An 800-meter cherry blossom tunnel where you can’t see the end of the cherry blossoms: The remains of Matsumae Domain’s Tokirichi Jinya. Matsumae Domain’s Tokirichi Jinya was built by the Matsumae Domain in the late Edo period to strengthen its defenses. It was the first Western-style star-shaped castle in Japan. During the Battle of Hakodate in the first year of the Meiji era, the garrison was attacked by the former shogunate army and decided to retreat, abandon the city and burn it down. Later, to commemorate the victory of the Russo-Japanese War, local kimono merchants in Hakodate planted cherry trees, extending all the way from the ruins of the Jinya to the lower line of Hokkaido Highway 96 Kamiisotoge, with a total length of about 800 meters, with Somei Yoshino cherry trees, double cherry trees, etc. on both sides.

→ Stop 4: Walk into the sea of ​​cherry blossoms and feel the romantic atmosphere of Hakodate! Go to the most popular cherry blossom viewing spot in Hakodate: Goryokaku Park. With 1,600 cherry trees planted, the entire park is covered with cherry blossoms and is one of the most popular cherry blossom viewing spots in Hokkaido. Next to the park is a 107-meter-high five-sided tower. You can buy a ticket at your own expense and climb to the top of the tower to admire the star-shaped moat surrounded by a sea of ​​cherry blossoms. It will be beautiful no matter how you take pictures.

→ Stop 5: Super special! The Ferris wheel and pirate ship amusement park under the cherry trees, a secret spot for cherry blossom viewing with a strong Showa style: Hakodate Park Hakodate Park has a history of more than 140 years. It was built with financial and labor contributions from the Hakodate City Government and residents. There are over 400 Somei Yoshino cherry trees and Yaezakura trees inside. It is also a comprehensive amusement park with a lot of Showa-style rides, including Japan's oldest Ferris wheel and pirate ship.

→ Stop 6: Check out the most famous sloping street! Enjoy the best view of the harbor from Motomachi Hachimanzaka. There are 19 famous sloping streets in Hakodate City, each facing the harbor, with different distinctive buildings and scenery along the way. The most famous of these is Hachimanzaka, which was named after the Hachiman Shrine nearby. Later, the Hachiman Shrine was relocated due to a fire. Here you can not only enjoy the Hakodate Harbor, but also see the Mashu Maru Memorial Museum, a ship connecting Aomori and Hakodate that is moored at the harbor. The excellent scenery has attracted many commercials, TV series and movies to be filmed here over the years.
→ 19:00 Get off at Hakodate Hotel

For accommodation in Hakodate, you can choose A. arrange it yourself or B. arrange it on your behalf
B. Arrange hotel as follows: (calculated based on the price of a double bed room for 2 people)
① JR INN in front of Hakodate Station
20 square meters twin room, breakfast included✅The hotel is close to Hakodate Station✅Hakodate Morning Market is only a 3-minute walk away

Day 2 → 09:00 Departure → First stop: Overlooking the Tsugaru Strait, enjoying the local specialties such as black tuna for lunch. From Hakodate, it takes about 2 hours to drive to Matsumae-cho, Japan's northernmost castle town, which is also the only town in Hokkaido with a Japanese castle. As it faces the Tsugaru Strait, the production of black tuna ranks first in the country. For lunch, we will take you to Kitamae-bune, a roadside station next to the Tsugaru Strait, where you can enjoy Matsumae black tuna and salmon bowls from the Tsugaru Strait, as well as various types of pork chops or grilled meat set meals.
※Note※ Lunch is at your own expense.

→ Second stop: Go to Japan's northernmost castle "Matsumae Castle" to admire over 10,000 cherry blossoms. Matsumae Town in the Edo period was ruled by the Matsumae domain and has Japan's northernmost castle "Matsumae Castle". Every corner is full of Edo style. In mid-April, there are 250 different kinds of cherry blossoms in Matsumae Park, with more than 10,000 trees. Since the flowering periods are slightly different, you can enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms for a month from mid-April.

→ Third stop: Browse the local specialty shops in Yakumo-cho・Before leaving southern Hokkaido, we once again visited the local specialty shops in Yakumo-cho. There were fresh wild vegetables and fruits and dried seafood directly from nearby farms, as well as dairy desserts made from farm milk. There is a large grassland outside and you can overlook the coast of Spitfire Bay.

→ Get off at Sapporo Station at 19:45 and the tour ends