Hakodate or Asahikawa

Dear Travellers,

We will have our family trips to Hokkaido in mid of Dec. We are 2 adults and 2 kids ages 8 and 9. Below is my planned itinerary:-
Day 1: Sapporo City
Day 2: Otaru
Day 3: Hakodate or Asahikawa
Day 4: Noboribetsu and Lake Toya
Day 5: Sapporo (Planning go to Bankei Ski)
Day 6: Depart to Tokyo

Should I proceed to Hakodate (my initial plan, hotel booked). However, after I check the travel time from Otaru to Hakodate, it needs 4:30 hrs for travel and from Hakodate to Noboribetsu will needs ard 2:30hrs . If I change to my day 3 to Asahikawa, travel from Otaru, will need travel time ard 2:10 hrs, Day 4 travel from Asahikawa to Noboribetsu will ard 3hrs.

If I depart from Otaru at 8am, will reach Hakodate ard 2pm. Is it 1/2 day enough for me to look around Hakodate. Is it worth the trip?

Which place will be more interesting? Hakodate or Asahikawa?

I think Best season of Asahikawa,Furano area are summer to autumn.
Whichever I select Hakodate or Asahikawa on mid-Dec, I select Hakodate.
There are Hot Spring at Hakodate Yunokawa and nice view of mt Hakodate.
How about to visit Hakodate and stay Ryokan with private hot spring?

As someone who has been to both places, I would say Hakodate.

Asahiakawa is a nice modern town trying to grow even larger. That is nice to see.
But unless you like to see the local lives of people and immense yourself in that... There isn't much point. {Most tourist are about experience local culture and attractions not the daily lives of locals}

Most regular tourist would head to Hakodate. The night view -atop mount hakodate- is said to be one of the best three in the WORLD.
There are yummy pastry like Otaru. Cheesecake at the Red Brick Warehouse.

Western churches, western houses, western graves. Western as in European.

Being by the sea, trade and seafood promotes a lively scene. You can eat sea urchin cooked or raw at the market. You can take the tram around town. You can see the weird looking star shaped fort. (Not my personal thing though)

Plus you can do it all in that quickly. Hakodate attractions and centralised.

Furthermore, there isn't much to do at Noboribetsu besides seeing bears, looking at a nearly perfectly circular caldera lake, dipping in an onsen, and strolling around town in a Yukata. Considering you would be overnight at Lake Toya, you can't do the strolling. [Time to do above w/o strolling: (With taxi from station to town) less than 2.5 hours]

Unless you want to cycle around Lake Toya (while there is daylight); or take a ferry going around a round lake; or go to the earthquake museum, you can do Hakodate the previous day. [Can reach here as the sun sets.]