15 September 2026 | Taipei → Hakodate, Hokkaido
After breakfast in Taipei, we headed to the airport for our flight to Hakodate. The flight was approximately three hours, which, in my opinion, is actually a very pleasant length for a flight. It is long enough to settle in properly, have a meal, watch a movie and enjoy the feeling that you are actually travelling somewhere — but not so long that you start wondering whether you should have brought a second book, three more movies and enough snacks to survive an expedition.
More importantly, it is not one of those frustratingly short flights where the boarding process feels longer than the actual time spent in the air.
The flight itself was smooth, and, even better, we landed at Hakodate Airport about an hour earlier than our original planned arrival time.
At that point, we thought we were going to have a very easy afternoon.
We were very, very wrong.
Arriving in Hakodate: Surely a Small Airport Means a Quick Exit?
Hakodate Airport feels relatively small compared with the major international gateways in Japan, so our assumption was simple: get off the plane, collect our luggage, clear immigration and customs, and be on our way within perhaps 30 minutes.
That was the plan, anyway.
Hakodate is a fascinating city in its own right because it has long been a gateway rather than simply another Hokkaido destination. Its history as an international port goes back to the mid-19th century, when Japan began opening up after more than two centuries of relative isolation. Hakodate was one of the ports designated to open to foreign ships following the 1854 agreement associated with Commodore Matthew Perry, and commercial trade followed in 1859. That international history eventually shaped the city’s architecture, food culture and identity.
So here we were, arriving in a city with a long history of welcoming travellers from overseas.
The mystery of our luggage
One thing I had been slightly worried about before the trip was our luggage.
Our bags had been checked through all the way from Malaysia to Hakodate, despite our overnight transit in Taipei. I had previously read that with a long transit, passengers might sometimes need to collect their luggage during the transit, so I specifically checked with the airline counter.
We were assured that our bags could be checked through.
There was only one incoming flight at that point, but the luggage seemed to be taking its own sweet time to appear. We had already cleared immigration, and yet our suitcases were nowhere to be seen.
That inevitably leads to the kind of thoughts that every traveller has experienced:
Did they actually make it onto the plane?
Were they left behind in Taipei?
Did the long transit confuse the baggage system?
Were our bags loaded particularly early and therefore somehow destined to come out last?
Eventually, almost 40 minutes after clearing immigration, our luggage finally appeared.
And just when I thought we were done, we discovered that we still had one more rather memorable process to go through.
The Most Thorough Luggage Check I Have Ever Experienced
The customs inspection was, without exaggeration, one of the most thorough luggage checks I have personally experienced.
We were asked to open our luggage, and officers conducted trace-swab testing on the bags. They opened smaller bags inside our luggage and went through things carefully, while asking questions about whether we were carrying prohibited items.
Of course, airport customs inspections are nothing unusual. It was simply the thoroughness that caught me by surprise.
I think I have become accustomed to airports where luggage goes through large scanning machines and passengers are only occasionally pulled aside for further inspection. We also tend to travel quite light, which probably means we have not had much experience with this kind of detailed inspection.
This time, however, every little compartment seemed to have its moment.
Thankfully, there was absolutely nothing interesting to find.
Our luggage consisted mainly of changes of clothes, books and beauty-care products, so there was no drama whatsoever. The officers were professional throughout, and although the process was long, it was actually quite an interesting experience to see how seriously the inspection was carried out.
By the time we finally walked out of the airport, however, we had spent considerably more time there than expected.
And that created our next problem.
Missing the Airport Bus by Five Minutes
We missed the airport bus by five minutes.
This would normally not be a huge tragedy, except that the next suitable bus had a fairly long interval.
So instead of waiting around for roughly another hour, we decided to take a taxi.
And this is where our carefully calculated transport budget took a small beating.
The airport bus is considerably cheaper. Current Hakodate Airport information lists services towards Hakodate Station taking roughly 20–33 minutes depending on the service, with fares ranging from around ¥340 to ¥700. Hokkaido Airports
We, naturally, chose the expensive alternative by missing it.
The taxi cost roughly three to four times what we would have spent on the bus.
Travel lesson of the day: five minutes can be expensive.
If you are arriving at Hakodate Airport, especially after an international flight, I would recommend checking the airport bus timetable before landing and not assuming that the next bus will arrive shortly after the one you missed. The official airport information also lists the bus terminal right outside the arrival lobby. Luckily, there were taxies readily available in the taxi stop.
Checking In — and Our First Hakodate Tax
Once we finally reached the hotel, the check-in itself was wonderfully uneventful.
We did, however, encounter something new: the Hakodate accommodation tax.
We paid ¥800 for our two-night stay.
Hakodate introduced its accommodation tax from 1 April 2026, so our September 2026 visit happened to be in the first year of the new system. The tax is charged per person per night, with the city and Hokkaido taxes combined. For accommodation costing under ¥20,000 per person per night, the combined amount is ¥200 per person per night — which explains our ¥800 bill for two people staying two nights.
Finally: Time for Gyosanko
After checking in, we did not really want to waste the evening.
There was one particular place I had been wanting to try for a long time: Gyosanko, a Hakodate izakaya known for seafood, particularly its live squid.
So, despite the long airport adventure, we headed straight out.
And immediately got rejected.
The restaurant was full.
They did not tell us that we could make a reservation, but instead asked us to come back later and check again.
So we decided to walk around Hakodate for about 30 minutes.
This actually turned out to be a nice introduction to the city.
Hakodate has a very distinctive character. It is not quite the same kind of urban environment as Sapporo or Tokyo. The city is compact, the sea is always somewhere nearby, and there is a mixture of port-city history, old buildings, seafood restaurants, shopping streets and residential neighbourhoods.
Hakodate’s geography is particularly interesting. The central urban area sits on a narrow strip of land between the sea and Mount Hakodate, a landform created through volcanic activity and later connected to the mainland by a sandbar. People have lived around the area for thousands of years, and archaeological evidence from the Jomon period can still be found in Hakodate today.
So even an ordinary evening walk here has considerably more history underneath it than you might initially realise.
Back to Gyosanko — and Into the Queue
After our little walk, we returned to Gyosanko and this time managed to get into the queue.
While waiting, we ended up chatting with two other tourists.
Their travel story was considerably more adventurous than ours.
They had apparently flown into Wakkanai, way up in northern Hokkaido, and then cycled for around 12 days all the way to Hakodate.
They also commented on how good the region was for cycling, which makes sense. Hokkaido’s vast open landscapes, relatively low-density roads and scenery make it particularly appealing for long-distance cycling adventures.
Hakodate’s Sunset and Seafood
While we were waiting, the sunset was beautiful.
Hakodate is famous for its night views, especially the panorama from Mount Hakodate, but even without heading up to the observatory, the transition from daylight into evening gives the city a lovely atmosphere.
The city’s relationship with the sea is particularly important here.
Hakodate developed as a major port and later as a centre of northern fisheries. In the early 20th century, the city prospered from the fishing industry, and the waterfront became lined with warehouses and businesses. That maritime heritage is still very visible in the food culture today.
And there is perhaps no better expression of Hakodate’s seafood identity than squid.
Eventually, we got inside.
And ordered:
- Live squid
- Sashimi
- Abalone
At this point, the evening became considerably more memorable.
The Live Squid Experience
The chef first brought out the live squid and showed it to us before preparing it.
After the squid was sliced, the tentacles were still moving.
And I swear I could see the eyeball moving too.
The chef explained in simple English how we should eat it, and the whole process was handled very quickly and professionally.
Hakodate is particularly famous for live squid because of the city’s fishing traditions and its access to the surrounding waters. Squid is one of the foods strongly associated with Hakodate, and the local tourism authority even highlights live-squid experiences as one of the city’s signature food activities.
There is something almost surreal about eating seafood when it is that fresh.
At the same time, I have to admit that after watching the tentacles move for a while, I started feeling a little guilty.
I found myself hoping that the chef had worked so quickly that the squid had not suffered.
Travel sometimes gives you experiences that are memorable precisely because they make you slightly uncomfortable — and this was definitely one of them.
An Evening Around Daimon
After dinner, we wandered around the Daimon area.
We passed by Hakodate Hikari no Yatai Daimon Yokocho, the food-stall village near Hakodate Station.
The area has more than 20 small eateries gathered together, with the intimate counter-style atmosphere that makes Japanese yokocho districts so much fun. Daimon itself developed as an entertainment and commercial district close to the station, and the area’s atmosphere still reflects Hakodate’s history as a busy port and railway city.
It is the sort of place where you can imagine spending an entire evening moving from one tiny restaurant to another.
One dish here.
One drink there.
A little conversation with the owner.
Then another tiny doorway leading to another tiny restaurant.
We did not do the full izakaya-hopping experience tonight, but it was nice to see the area after dinner.
Hakodate Station, Train Tickets and IC Cards
We then headed to JR Hakodate Station to collect our pre-booked train tickets and top up our IC card.
One useful thing to know is that IC card use in Hokkaido has some geographical limitations. JR Hokkaido’s Hakodate IC-card area covers the Hakodate area, but you cannot simply assume that an IC card can be used continuously across every JR route in Hokkaido. For longer journeys outside the applicable IC areas, you may still need to purchase a conventional ticket.
Within Hakodate itself, however, transportation is fairly convenient. Hakodate’s buses and trams accept major nationwide IC cards including Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, Kitaca and others.
The city’s tram is particularly useful for sightseeing, connecting the Hakodate Station area with places such as the Bay Area, Motomachi and Yunokawa. Hakodate Travel Guide
My practical tip: if you already have a compatible Japanese IC card, topping it up before you start sightseeing in Hakodate is worthwhile. It makes short tram and bus journeys much less troublesome.
There Really Isn’t Much to Do at Night — and That’s Not a Bad Thing
After collecting our tickets, we wandered around a little more.
Honestly, there was not a huge amount happening in Hakodate at night.
But I actually liked that.
The evening seemed to revolve around a few simple pleasures:
the night scenery, the seafood, the restaurants and the atmosphere of the old port city.
al is not necessarily about having an endless list of late-night attractions. It is more about taking things slowly.
That suited us perfectly after the long travel day.
A Quick Stop at AEON
On the way back, we passed an AEON supermarket and, naturally, decided that we had to take a look.
I always find Japanese supermarkets fascinating when travelling.
Even when you have no intention of buying much, wandering through the grocery aisles gives you a glimpse into everyday life that you do not necessarily get from tourist attractions.
Fresh seafood.
Seasonal produce.
Convenience foods.
Bento.
Snacks.
Drinks.
The things people actually buy for dinner.
It is a very ordinary experience, but somehow one of my favourite forms of sightseeing.
And Then We Discovered the Antique TV
Finally, we walked back to the hotel.
And then came one of the funniest discoveries of the day.
I think the television in our room might actually be older than me.
It looked practically like an antique.
And yet — somehow — the screen was surprisingly clear.
Honestly, I was impressed.
For something that looked like it belonged in a museum, it was doing its job perfectly well.
And that was our first day in Hakodate.
Practical Hakodate Tips from Today
- Airport to Hakodate Station: Hakodate Airport buses take approximately 20–33 minutes depending on the service. Current listed fares range from ¥340 to ¥700. Check the timetable before landing, particularly if arriving internationally. Hokkaido Airports
- Don’t underestimate immigration and customs time: Even at a relatively small airport, international arrival procedures can take much longer than expected.
- Hakodate accommodation tax: From 1 April 2026, the combined city and Hokkaido accommodation tax starts at ¥200 per person per night for accommodation under ¥20,000 per person per night. Hakodate City
- IC cards: Major IC cards such as Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and Kitaca can be used on Hakodate’s buses and trams, although JR Hokkaido IC-card usage has specific area limitations. JR Hokkaido+1
- JR tickets: If you have pre-booked a reserved train ticket, collecting it at the station before your travel day can make the next morning much less stressful.
- Live squid: If you want to try Hakodate’s famous live squid, expect an experience rather than simply a meal. The seafood is exceptionally fresh, and the preparation can be quite dramatic!
- Daimon Yokocho: A good area for casual evening food-hopping near Hakodate Station.
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