Hakodate, in the southern part of Hokkaido, was originally intended to be the capital of Japan’s northernmost island. When the country opened up after the Meiji Restoration, merchants and important people from primarily China, Russia, the US and the UK (among others) flocked here to take advantage of the riches to be found here. As a result, Hakodate’s Motomachi reflects the wealth and international influences that were prevalent at the turn of the 20th century.

Recent history – flourishing of Motomachi

In 1854, the shogunate signed a treaty with the US that officially opened Japan to foreign influences. Ships were no longer forced to only go to Nagasaki or face certain death. They could now trade at Yokohama and Hakodate. Commodore Perry, leader of the fleet that had forced this shotgun diplomacy, even visited Hakodate as evidence of this.

In 1879, Motomachi was designated as an international residential area, and merchants from major regional and international powers started arriving in Hakodate and setting up residences. In addition to hordes of merchants, the UK established a consulate (it is no longer functioning, but you can still visit the building). Additionally, three churches were built (Russian Orthodox Church, Motomachi Roman Catholic Church, and Hakodate St. John’s Church) to support the spiritual needs of Christians from the various nations that settled there.

From this time until 1907 and 1934, Hakodate served as the gateway to Hokkaido from Honshu and abroad. In 1933, it was one of the largest and wealthiest cities in Japan, hosting tonnes of warehouses and a large commercial fishing fleet.

Unfortunately, Hakodate and Motomachi, in particular, suffered from many fires. The one in 1879 allowed Motomachi to be designated and built (it had previously been an urban residential district), but the ones in 1907 and 1934 burned down Motomachi and many other parts of the city. The Old Ward Office and the three churches, among others, had to be built or rebuilt each time.

The fires and World War 2 were so devastating that Hakodate’s importance declined and was replaced by Sapporo and its port area further north. However, Motomachi has remained a tourist destination, drawing people from afar to see this harmonious mix of East and West.

Motomachi Today

Many of the buildings were rebuilt to exact specifications after the fire and subsequent bombing, so Motomachi looks similar to how it was over 100 years ago when it was one of the most popular places in Japan for foreigners.

The Old Ward Office, with its brilliant blue walls and gold trim, is still the area’s centrepiece. The Russian Orthodox Church, with its typical architectural style and olive-green domes, is also unique in Japan. The Former British Consulate uses English influences on traditional Japanese architectural styles to create another unique building.

Most of Motomachi today is also very pedestrian. You can walk up and down the district easily – or take one of the two trams that connects it with the rest of the city and places like the Goryokaku fortress.

Fun fact: as part of its history, many of the signs in Hakodate, especially in Motomachi, are multilingual, featuring the languages that would have been seen and heard most often here. Due to Russia’s proximity and influence, Russian is included in this list, which is not standard in the rest of Japan.

Getting There and Information

Once you get to Hakodate, getting to Motomachi is extremely simple. To get to Hakodate from Tokyo, you can either take the Tokaido Shinkansen, which goes from Tokyo to its end station, which is Shin-Hakodate (hence the name), or you can fly to Hokkaido’s largest airport, New Chitose Airport, and then take an express train to Hakodate’s central train station.

Once at the central station, the trams outside all go to Motomachi. Simply head south. You can even walk if you prefer, as it is not very far (1.8 km/1.1 miles to the district’s centre).

If you would like to enter the famous buildings mentioned previously and the many museums and art museums in this district, look for combination tickets, which can be purchased at the entrance to each site. You can save a lot of money this way! These combination tickets also sometimes allow you to enter each place on different days, so you do not have to rush and see everything at once.

You can purchase these in advance (e.g., at the city’s tourist information centres) or at the door. The price is usually the same.

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