Goryokaku, Hakodate

If there’s one thing that comes to mind for me when I think of Hakodate, it has to be the Goryokaku, a star-shaped fort that was completed in 1866. Particularly during cherry blossom season, when the moat of the fort is lined with pink trees. Visiting the Goryokaku comes in two parts - you can take a walk around the fort itself, plus spend 1200 yen to take the elevator up the Goryokaku Tower to actually appreciate its star-shaped design from a distance. As well as being able to view the fort, the Tower provides a bit of a history lesson of how it got built, and the rather major historical events that occurred soon after its build was completed. Hakodate and Shimoda were the first two port towns opened up to trade with America and in 1854, so the town itself has a fair bit of historical significance from that. Photo of Commodore Perry, the dude that sailed to Japan and was like "open up, or else" They had these cute little dioramas. I think this one was about the drunk American sailors…