Hakodate Cruise Shuttles

Along the southern shores of Japan’s second-largest island of Hokkaido, the Hakodate Cruise Port drops cruise goers off in the mostly residential community of Bentencho. Guests have stated the pier is one of the cleanest in the world, while the nearby Tourist Info Hakodate offers easy-to-consume information for English speakers along Suehirocho Road. Public transportation runs far and wide throughout the region, modern pick-ups available from the equidistant Hakodate Dock Mae Light Rail Station as well as its neighboring Omachi Light Rail Station, each offering steep views of the town from vintage cable cars. For more intimate transfers, choose from a wide variety of lifts that include simple sedans best for couples-friendly tours of the backdrop, bigger chartered buses and vans offering enough space to carry big families across peaceful parks. Meet-and-greet services add a bit more leisure through convenient drop offs, the best options ranging from local personal drivers who can share a special perspective of the backdrop, to a stretched limousine that makes lavish arrivals to upscale sushi joints worth it.

Relax with what’s close upon arrival by going on a modest walk across the immediate neighborhood’s handful of parks and exhibits, whether it be through epic lookouts from Mount Hakodate’s glimpses of the narrow stretch of island, or colorful Victorian-era homes connected by the cobblestone plazas of Motomachi Park. Explore the surrounding region to discover unique exhibits afterward, looking forward to the vibrant English-themed interior of the Former British Consulate of Hakodate, while the unmissable warship turned walkable exhibit offers views of old ship mechanics and an attached coffee shop. Before the afternoon is up, consider a more thoughtful moment alone at the Hakodate Hachiman-gu, a relaxed 15th-century Shinto-Style shrine renown for its peaceful access to outdoor baths along the foothills of Mount Hakodate, plus dramatic sunsets visible from the top of the peak’s famed cable cars that run up and down Mt. Hakodate Ropeway.