Winter Trip to Hakodate [Day 3] ~Kitajima Saburo Museum, Fresh Uni Donburi, and Mashu-Maru~

Winter Trip to Hakodate [Day 3] ~Kitajima Saburo Museum, Fresh Uni Donburi, and Mashu-Maru~

Last update :
Written by Kosu

I visited Hakodate for 3 days and 2 nights over the winter. There was no end to things I wanted to do, but I was more than satisfied with being able to take the photo I wanted of Hakodate in the winter being both “sunny” and “snowy.”
This article will introduce the 3rd day of my trip to Hakodate!
I’ll also be introducing the Kitajima Saburo Museum, a fresh uni donburi I had, Mashu-Maru, and a local hamburger restaurant called “Lucky Pierrot”!

Dates of Visit: January 28th-30th, 2017

Breakfast at La Vista Hakodate Bay

The hotel’s buffet breakfast is extremely highly rated.
I had their famous seafood donburi. Other than that, I chose different things than what I had the previous day.
(For more details on the hotel’s breakfast, please see the article on the 2nd day of my trip.)

Breakfast at La Vista Hakodate Bay
Breakfast at La Vista Hakodate Bay

Kitajima Saburo Museum

I visited the Kitajima Saburo Museum, located in an award-winning hotel in the Bay Area.
This facility showcases the path that Kitajima Saburo, a songwriter from Shiriuchi on the outskirts of Hakodate, has taken so far in his life.

After purchasing my ticket on the 1st floor, I headed up to the 2nd floor.
The 1st floor has ticket sales and a souvenir shop.

Reproduction of Shibuya Alleyway Before Kitajima’s Debut
Reproduction of Shibuya Alleyway Before Kitajima’s Debut
Robo Sabu-chan
Robo Sabu-chan

Robo Sabu-chan came out and performed the iconic song “Matsuri” with some realistic movements.
It’s a great reproduction of his performances with great acoustics.
You can enjoy this exhibit even if you aren’t a fan of Saburo Kitajima.

I felt that the adult admission fee of 1,540 yen was a bit high, but after seeing the number of staff and the facilities, the cost clearly goes to supporting them.

Kitajima Saburo Museum

Address
22-11 Suehirocho, Hakodate City, Hokkaido
URL(Japanese)
http://www.kitajima-museum.jp/index.html

For Lunch, I Went to a Famous Uni Donburi Restaurant, “Uni Murakami”!

Uni Murakami, Exterior
Uni Murakami, Exterior

Lunch was at “Uni Murakami,” a restaurant near the Hakodate Morning Market that’s famous for its uni donburi.
There were already some customers lined up outside 15 minutes before opening.

Uni Murakami, Interior
Uni Murakami, Interior

The restaurant was packed full of customers right after opening.

Small Fresh Uni Donburi with No Additions
Small Fresh Uni Donburi with No Additions

The restaurant’s most popular dish is the “Fresh Uni Donburi with No Additions.”
It’s made without alum.
However, I ordered the small to be conscientious of the price and amount of food! (2,592 yen, tax incl.)

I was really impressed with the flavor of the uni itself.

Additionally, the small was, well, rather small, so if you have a big appetite, you should get the regular size (4,320 yen, tax incl.).

Uni Murakami

Address
22-1 Otemachi, Hakodate City, Hokkaido
URL(Japanese)
http://www.uni-murakami.com/hakodate/

Hakodate City Ferry Memorial Ship Mashu-Maru

This ship, “Mashu-Maru,” was a connection ship between Japan’s mainland’s Aomori and Hokkaido’s Hakodate until 1988, and it currently is used as a museum.
You can check out various parts of the ship, like the navigation room and the wireless communication room, in the same condition they were in while the ship was operational.

Mashu-Maru
Mashu-Maru

Let’s go on inside.

Mashu-Maru
Mashu-Maru
Exhibition Corner, with History of the Aomori-Hakodate Connection
Exhibition Corner, with History of the Aomori-Hakodate Connection
Green Assigned Seating
Green Assigned Seating
Uniforms Exhibit
Uniforms Exhibit

In addition to the crew, the ship also had on-board information and sightseeing broadcast “marine girls” as part of ship’s employees.

And finally, here was my view from the deck.

Hakodate City Ferry Memorial Ship Mashu-Maru

Address
12 Wakamatsucho, Hakodate City, Hokkaido
URL(Japanese)
http://www.mashumaru.com/

A Short Break at Sabou Kyuchaya Tei

Kyuchaya Tei is a café where you can enjoy matcha and sweets.

Sabou Kyuchaya Tei
Sabou Kyuchaya Tei

Both the interior and exterior have a retro feel to them.

Chic Furniture
Chic Furniture

Most of the furniture is mismatched, so the different styles all create an exotic atmosphere.

Oshiruko (Sweet Red Bean Soup) Set (1,230 yen)
Oshiruko (Sweet Red Bean Soup) Set (1,230 yen)

This was made with fresh mochi, and it was amazing!

Sabou Kyuchaya Tei

Address
14-29 Suehirocho, Hakodate City, Hokkaido
URL(English)
http://kyuchayatei.hakodate.jp/english/access/default.htm

Inside of the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse

I’d taken pictures of the warehouse’s outside several times up to this point, but this time I actually went inside.

Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse
Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse

Accessory Cases to Use at the Gym

“Lucky Pierrot” Hamburger Restaurant

I had dinner at Lucky Pierrot’s Marina Suehiro location in the Bay Area.
Lucky Pierrot is a Hakodate-local hamburger restaurant.
It’s been ranked as the #1 hamburger restaurant by The Nikkei’s “Nikkei PLUS1,” and is overall a very popular restaurant.

Lucky Pierrot
Lucky Pierrot

Each of the 17 locations has a different theme, and the marina location’s theme was “Bayside Restaurant by the Pier.”

「幸運小丑漢堡」海灣末廣店店內
「幸運小丑漢堡」海灣末廣店店內

I ordered their most popular item, the Chinese Chicken Burger.
Chicken kara-age from Hokkaido’s Date City is dipped in a sweet and salty soy sauce-based sauce, then paired with crispy lettuce from Hakodate’s neighboring Hokuto City’s Ono.

Chinese Chicken Burger (350 yen)
Chinese Chicken Burger (350 yen)

This was a sort of sinful choice for me, since I have a medium build, but it was so good that I couldn’t help but think “It’s so good that I don’t care if I get fat (?)”!

Lucky Pierrot Marina Suehiro Location

Address
14-17 Suehirocho, Hakodate City, Hokkaido
URL(Japanese)
http://luckypierrot.jp/

Night View of Hachiman-saka Slope

An Illuminated Hachiman-saka Slope
An Illuminated Hachiman-saka Slope

There were a lot of people around since this is one of Hakodate’s famous sightseeing locations.

Hachiman-saka Slope
Hachiman-saka Slope

I altered the colors of this shot, trying to give it a fantasy feel.

Night View of the Bay Area

It was about time for me to go back now.
I was still taking pictures of the Bay Area at night as much as time would permit.

Bay Area
Bay Area
A Chic-Looking Starbucks
A Chic-Looking Starbucks
Shichizai Bridge
Shichizai Bridge

Summary of My Hakodate Trip

Hakodate has a lot of sightseeing locations all packed together, so it’s easy to go from one to the next, and the food is also amazing.
I think it’d be great to visit during spring, summer, fall, or winter, so next time I’d love to visit in another season.

Kosu

Author

Birth place: Tokyo

Kosu

While living outside of Japan for a while, I began appreciating what Japan has to offer.