We've spent a day and a half in Hakodate, a delightful city with about 280 000 inhabitants on the Southern coast of Hokkaido. Hakodate has an interesting history, being one of the first places where foreigners were allowed to trade and live in the mid-19th century. This means we've not only taken an aerial cable car to the top of the mountain and eaten Japanese bean sweets, but that we've also visited a Russian Orthodox church and the old British Embassy.
In our eyes the city has a strong resemblance to San Francisco, with steep narrow streets lined with colorful small houses going up the mountain. The fog entering the city from the sea also made us think of the surprisingly cool mornings we've experienced in summertime California, but a the same time the city has a distinctively Japanese feeling to it, with a large colorful fish market in the busy harbor.
As it often happens on bike trips, we're once again terrified of leaving a place we've quickly grown attached to. The fear of the unknown is a mighty enemy, and the mind always seems keen to find a safe haven and stick to it. But luckily we're on a tight budget and can't afford to stay in the same place for too long, so in the morning we'll once again pack our bags and head out for another day of cycling and another night in the tent!
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