Hakodate

Hakodate is a Japanese port city and capital of the subprefecture of Oshima on the island of Hokkaido. It is the island's third largest city following Sapporo and Asahikawa.¹

Fast Facts

1. Country: Japan
2. Region: Hokkaido
3. Mayor: Nishio Masanori²
4. Language spoken: Japanese
5. Currency: Japanese yen (JPY)
6. Country code: + 81³
7. Area code: 138³
8. Time zone: Japan Standard Time (JST)
9. Airport code: HKD
10. City population: 294,732 (2006)⁴
11. Climate: Temperate
12. Major industry: Fishing

History

In 1454, Masamichi Kawano built his manor at the foot of Mount Hakodate that was said to look like box, thus giving name to Hakodate, literally meaning box manor.⁴ U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry introduced Japan to foreign trade by opening the ports of Hakodate and Shimoda in 1854.⁵ In 1863, in one of the final battles of the Boshin War, former navy officer Takeaki Enomoto, with his allies, seized Goryokaku in Hakodate where they took their last stand against the Imperial Army. The fort was surrendered on May 1864.⁶

Hakodate Attractions

• Hakodate Port Festival
• Fort Goryokaku
• Motomachi
• Old British Consulate of Hakodate
• Hakodate Orthodox Church
• Catholic Motomachi Church
• Mount Hakodate

Notable People from Hakodate

• Glay, band⁷
• Yuki Isoya, singer⁸

Related Pages on Mahalo

Japan | Sapporo | Otaru | Tokyo | Kyoto | Osaka

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