Hakodate Travel: Fort Goryokaku

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Home - Travel - Sightseeing Guide - Hokkaido - Hakodate

Fort Goryokaku

of 5 most visited
sights in Hakodate

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Fort Goryokaku from Goryokaku Tower

Cherry Blossom Forecast 2013Hakodate Cherry Blossom Spots

Hakodate Report - May 9, 2013

Fort Goryokaku (五稜郭, Goryōkaku) is a massive, star shaped, Western style citadel, which was built in the last years of the Edo Period for the defense of Hakodate against the imperialist threat posed by the Western powers. A few years later, the fort became the site of a civil war between an army of the shogunate and the superior troops of the newly established Meiji government.

After the fort had lost its military importance, it was eventually turned into a public park in the 1910s. Over one thousand cherry trees were planted along its moats, making it one of Hokkaido's best cherry blossom spots. The peak of the blooming season usually takes place around early May.

Former Magistrate Office

In the center of the fort stands the Former Magistrate Office, from where the officers of the shogunate administered Hokkaido. The original building was demolished after the fall of the shogunate in 1871, but the city meticulously reconstructed a part of the complex and opened it to the public in 2010.

For a bird's view of the huge fortress, access the observation deck of the nearby Goryokaku Tower. The 107 meter tall tower replaced its 60 meter tall predecessor in 2006.

Any Questions? Ask them in our question forum.

How to get there

From Hakodate Station, take the tram to "Goryokaku Koen Mae" (五稜郭公園前, 10 minutes, 220 yen one way), from where the fortress is another ten minutes on foot.

How to get to and around Hakodate

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Hours and Fees

Goryokaku Tower
Hours:	8:00 to 19:00 (late April to late October) 9:00 to 18:00 (late October to late April)
Closed:	No closing days
Admission:	840 yen

Former Magistrate Office
Hours: 9:00 to 18:00 (until 17:00 from November through March)
Admission ends 15 minutes before closing.
Closed: December 31 to January 3 and a small number of irregular closing days
Admission: 500 yen

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User Ratings

Ratings for Fort Goryokaku:

japan-guide.com Rating:		outstanding
User Rating (by 125 users):	75/100	recommended

Best rated sights nationwide (out of 725):

537. Confucian Shrine (Nagasaki) 75/100

538. Noritake Garden (Nagoya) 75/100

539. Prefectural Museum (Okinawa Island) 75/100

540. Tokyo Midtown (Tokyo) 75/100

541. Kitain Temple (Kawagoe) 75/100

542. Fort Goryokaku (Hakodate) 75/100

543. Kawaguchiko 5th St. (Mount Fuji) 75/100

544. Botanic Garden (Sapporo) 75/100

545. Matsuyama Literature (Matsuyama) 74/100

546. Ohashi House (Kurashiki) 74/100

Most visited sights nationwide (out of 836):

192. Naritasan Temple (Narita) 348

193. Jochiji Temple (Kamakura) 347

194. Tenmangu Shrine (Dazaifu) 344

195. Kyoto Manga Museum (Kyoto) 340

196. Earthquake Museum (Kobe) 337

197. Fort Goryokaku (Hakodate) 334

198. Gyutan (Beef Tongue) (Sendai) 331

199. Oura Church (Nagasaki) 326

200. Tokyo Motor Show (Tokyo) 325

201. Zuisenji Temple (Kamakura) 323

User Feedback

Japanese Links

Goryokaku Tower
Official website.

Hakodate Former Magistrate Office
Official website.

Related Pages

Travel
Sightseeing
Hakodate

History: Edo Period
History: Meiji Period

Mount Hakodate
Motomachi
Fort Goryokaku
Morning Market
Red Brick Warehouses
Onuma Park

Cherry Blossom Spots

Hakodate: Access and Orientation

News and Reports

	May 9, 2013 Hakodate Cherry Blossom Report by scott
	May 8, 2012 Hakodate Cherry Blossom Report by sean
	May 6, 2011 Hakodate Cherry Blossom Report by francois
	Hakodate Cherry Blossom Report May 14, 2010
	Onuma Park Autumn Color Report October 16, 2009

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