Golden Week 2016 #1/3 - Sakura in Hakodate

Yui under the sakura trees at Goryokaku, Hakodate

Recently, this May, Hubby and I went on a hanami trip to Japan. This trip was actually a spontaneous one which was hastily booked with barely a plan. All we knew were 2 things: Japan and sakura blossoms.

According to the sakura forecast on japan-guide.com and JNTO, which diligently charts the sakura zensen (桜前線) as it moves across Japan, it was peak blossom season in Hakodate in the first week of May.

Shinkansen: Tokyo to Hakodate, Hakodate to Osaka

Unfortunately, that week was also Golden Week (ゴールデンウィーク), the week in which Japan has 4 public holidays within the space of 1 week. Oddly enough, however, accommodation prices for Tokyo do not seem to sky-rocket during Golden Week.... Accommodation prices in Kyoto sky-rocketed whereas the same in Osaka remained normal. We elected to stay in Shin-Osaka and take the 15-minute shinkansen commute into Kyoto each day. Makes sense when you're using the JR Rail Pass.

In March this year, the new Hokkaido shinkansen line began operations, so we were able to take the shinkansen up to Hakodate from Tokyo to view the cherry blossoms. Cost-wise, it was worthwhile since we were using the 7-day JR Rail Pass. In terms of time, the trip takes around 4 hours. Prior to the new Hokkaido shinkansen line, the closest one could get to up north was Aomori (also another popular sakura-viewing spot).

To get from Tokyo to Hakodate, we took the first morning train to Aomori and changed trains to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. There is actually a direct train but we were unable to get a ticket on that train as it was fully booked, it being Golden Week. Lesson learnt: get the tickets early, if possible.

Goryokaku

Goryokaku, Hakodate

At Hakodate, we had only one goal: sakura-viewing. To that end, we headed for Goryokaku (五稜郭), a 5-pointed Western-style star fort designed and built in 1855. Originally, Goryokaku was built to defend Hokkaido (then called Ezo) against the threat posed by the Western powers. (In short, Matthew Perry and the forcible opening of Japan to trade with the West.)

Sakura and stone: ephemerality and permanence

Goryokaku also served as the main fortress for the Republic of Ezo that was established in 1869 by former Tokugawa retainers led by Admiral Enomoto Takeaki following the Boshin War. The Republic was short-lived; in the same year, Japanese imperial troops waged a victorious battle (the Battle of Hakodate) and surrounded the fort. Subsequently, Enomoto surrendered Goryokaku to the Imperial troops.

Goryokaku is now a Special Historical Site and a popular sakura viewing spot in Hakodate.

「白雲の桜をくゞる外山哉」一茶
shira-gumo no sakura wo kuguru toyama kan - Issa

Goryokaku, Hakodate

Can't help but read some irony into the presence of sakura trees in Goryokaku, a place so historically linked with the Bakumatsu. To the Japanese psyche, the sakura blossom is a timeless symbol. The ephemerality of the sakura blossom symbolises the transience of life - evoking both the concept of mono no aware, the life of the samurai, the warrior, and the spirit of Japan.

Somei Yoshino, Goryokaku, Hakodate

It's very clear why Goryokaku is a favourite sakura-viewing spot in Hakodate. The entire fort/park is covered with some 1,600 sakura trees, planted within and around the fort, and which (almost) all bloom around the same time. Among the many sakura trees are the Somei Yoshino (染井吉野), or the Yoshino cherry, the Prunus yedoensis. The Somei Yoshino is a hybrid cherry tree that is popular and widely planted in Japan.

Goryokaku, Hakodate

Yui enjoying the sakura at Goryokaku, Hakodate

Somei Yoshino, Goryokaku, Hakodate

Somei Yoshino, Goryokaku, Hakodate

Yui loves sakura!

Picture perfect sakura everywhere at Goryokaku, Hakodate

Somei Yoshino, Goryokaku, Hakodate

The blossoms of the Somei Yoshino are coloured with the palest of pinks, almost white. Moreover, as the flowers bloom before the leaves emerge, the tree in full bloom looks like a tree wreathed in fluffy clusters of clouds.

Somei Yoshino, Goryokaku, Hakodate

Somei Yoshino, Goryokaku, Hakodate

One sakura tree in full bloom was already a beautiful sight. A grove of sakura trees all in full bloom was just too hard to put into words. Or pictures.

Hanami under the sakura, Goryokaku, Hakodate

Hanami under the sakura, Goryokaku, Hakodate

We saw several hanami parties - both in the day-time and at night. And I have to say, I was so tempted to set up a hanami picnic! The mouth-watering aroma of Jingisukan wafting through the mild fragrance of the sakura blossoms, the warmth from the hotplate against the spring chill, the sounds of laughter and the sight of the drifting sakura petals. It would be an experience.

Goryokaku, Hakodate

How aptly stated by Motoori Norinaga: "If I were asked to explain the Japanese spirit, I would say it is wild cherry blossoms glowing in the morning sun!"

Shidare-zakura, Goryokaku, Hakodate

Shidare-zakura, Goryokaku, Hakodate

Shidare-zakura, Goryokaku

There was a shidare-zakura tree (weeping cherry tree) outside the Hakodate Magistrate's Office in the park.

It was beginning to flower, with many double-petaled intense pink bossoms, but it did not look like it was in peak bloom yet. The graceful arching branches of the shidare-zakura, studded with bright pink, was also beautiful in its own way.

I was admiring the pendulant blossoms hanging off the branches, swaying slightly in the spring breeze.

It was a refreshing change of sight after the countless Somei Yoshino cherry trees. (Not that I'm complaining about their beauty....)

Taking a few steps back to admire it from a short distance, the scene looked like a Chinese/Japanese brush painting. There is something about the way its arching branches look against the sky (whether one a fine day or overcast day). Like a painter's playful brush has danced across the canvas sky.

There were other spring flowers around Goryokaku other than sakura. Although they were far and few compared to the sakura there, I don't think they were any less beautiful, though perhaps overshadowed.

The flowering Japanese quince (boke), Goryokaku, Hakodate

I saw some flowering quince shrubs (ぼけ, boke) that were beginning to bloom. To be more precise, the Japanese flowering quince 'Simonii' (Chaenomeles speciosa 'Simonii'). I was taken by the intense scarlet colour of the blossoms. They stand out so boldly, like a bright and intense herald of spring, compared to the ephemeral beauty of the sakura blossoms.

On seeing the quince blossoms, some part of my mind can't help but think about stewed quince and a cheese platter.

Narcissus (suisen), Goryokaku, Hakodate

Close to the flowering quince shrubs was another green space of spring flowers. It was like a miniature glade of flower people: tall and bright narcissus vied for attention and shy pink and white daisies peeped from the lush grass.

Narcissus (suisen), Goryokaku, Hakodate

Elsewhere in Goryokaku, under the arching branches of cloud-like sakura blossoms, there was a cluster of narcissi standing tall against the stone wall of Goryokaku. Even the vainglorious narcissi have to compete with their delicate spring counterparts!

Yui and a patch of muscari, Hakodate

Along the main road towards Goryokaku, we chanced on a patch of muscari (ムスカリ) (also, grape hyacinth) in a small flower patch. The vivid purple and small, almost bubble-like flowers were so pretty that we couldn't pass them by without at least one photograph. Okay, actually I took more than one.

Hakodate Park

Yaezakura, Hakodate Park

Next stop was Hakodate Park. After Goryokaku, the sakura trees there were rather anti-climatic. But on closer look, the yaezakura blossoms didn't disappoint. Fuller and pinker than their pale relatives, they looked like showy pompoms.

Sakura Matsuri at Hakodate Park

Sakura Matsuri at Hakodate Park

Apparently, every spring, Hakodate Park has a Sakura Matsuri. And of course, a matsuri in Japan means food stalls, game stalls, etc.

Sakura Matsuri, Hakodate Park

I especially love looking at the oden stalls, with the skewered morsels and wrapped parcels in steaming broth. I love the soft-stewed daikon, stewed until it is so soft that it can be cut with chopsticks, packed full of the flavours of the broth.

The one problem I have with Japanese matsuri: the lack of rubbish bins. (A trait that exists all over Japan.) We bought a bottle of ice-cold Ramune soda and used the plastic bag to carry our trash back to our ryokan. Somewhat inconvenient.

Yui and the sakura-patterned screen at Boro Noguchi, Hakodate

After a full day chasing sakura, we headed back to our ryokan, the Bourou Noguchi Hakodate (望楼NOGUCHI函館). It has an amazing spacious lobby with a cafe, bar and library. After settling our things for the night and washing up, we had a relaxing dip in the private indoor onsen bath.

I think my favourite onsen experience is still the ones at Yumedono and Bessho Sasa at the Fuji Five Lakes. There's something about relaxing in an outdoor onsen bath facing a view (even an overcast one), rather than facing the white ceramic tiles of a bathroom with a window overlooking the tops of cement block buildings. That's not to say our stay at the Bourou Noguchi Hakodate wasn't enjoyable - it was.

Grilled cod and spring vegetables

And the kaiseki dinner was also delicious - possibly even more enjoyable than the ones we had at Yumedono, though the dishes were lighter as it was spring time. (We were in Yumedono in winter, where the focus of the seasonal menu is hot, comforting and slightly heavier food.)

Sakura onigiri wrapped in pickled sakura leaf with seaweed and spring sprouts

The kaiseki meal at the ryokan we visit is always a highlight for me, something that I look forward to with anticipation. (Hubby interjected: "That's because you're a glutton.")

Seared Onuma beef with spring vegetables

Being from a tropical country where the only seasonal changes experienced are the wet and dry seasons, and where we are able to enjoy most foods all-year-round (as most of our food is imported from the Northern and Southern hemispheres), I feel quite keenly the seasonal and regional aspect of cuisines from other countries. To me, food speaks of the country's identity and culture, its relationship with its environment, traditions, changes and progress. But then again, I just like to eat.

Pickles (tsukemono), Boro Noguchi, Hakodate

Every kaiseki meal that we have had at a ryokan has, by far, been prepared with seasonal ingredients and local/regional specialities. Bourou Noguchi Hakodate included - with tender spring vegetables and sprouts from the region, and Onuma beef, Hakodate's regional speciality. It was a great way to conclude this leg of our sakura-chasing trip.


Golden Week 2016
- Golden Week 2016 I: Sakura in Hakodate
- Golden Week 2016 II: Sakura in Sapporo
- Golden Week 2016 III: Kyoto, Uji, Osaka