Hakodate, Hokkaido Apr15

Hakodate is a small port in most northern island of Japan, Hokkaido

Free shuttle bus takes passengers to the city centre from the port where ship docked.
A group of Japanese highschool students greets us as a mobile tour information.
Suppose, they wanted to practice their English?
They are having lots of fun in cold weather.

Train station

Hakodate Morning Market

Unlike Tokyo where we experienced early Spring, it is freezing and snowing here.

Trout or Salmon?

One of specialty here must be King crab

Squid is also abundant here.

Many passengers are tasting squid ink flavoured ice cream.

I was tempted but it was also very very cold to try ice cream.

Definitely, salmon roe is their No. 1 specialty.

Hummm

Yummmm

My favourate Squid and Salmon roe...

Who said Foods is expensive in Japan?

Decided to take this cable car to the top of the mountain.

Stopped snowing and sun came up for 10 minutes as we went to the top.

Just lucky enough for few photo shots.

Whole view of city Hakodate

That is our cruise ship!!!

One of many churches in town

Wow, it is snowing!

We bumped into John and Diane here again who are also doing their own thing today.

A branch of Higashi Honganji Temple in Hakodate.

Higashi Honganji Temple Hakodate branch

There are so many churches in this town includes Russian Orthodox.

Hakodate community centre where tour centre was set-up specially for passengers from our ship.

They named today as 'Holland America Line Day'!

How cute is that?

My yummy lunch.

Sea urchin and salmon roe rice-ton for $10.

Greg had salmon roe rice-ton without sea urchin for $5

It was almost 2pm when we arrived back to the morning market for lunch, most of shops and restaurants are already closed.

Luckly, we found this restaurant on market upstairs still open.

I would have been so upset if I had to leave this town without having this special rice-ton dish.

Comparatively quiet city centre.

I spent about 3 hours updating our travel blog in the community centre after lunch as internet service was free.

Heading to Russia now.

Better be ready for Siberian cold!