A visit to the Hakodate Morning Market (Hakodate Asaichi) is a morning ritual for many locals. Join the crowds of vendors and shoppers that flock to this buzzing marketplace each morning to begin the day with a vast array of fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood. Stroll through the inner-city marketplace and experience a treat for the senses as you peruse colorful displays of ripe produce. Pick up made-to-order breakfasts and traditional Hakodate dishes that feature the city’s magnificent local seafood.
The Hakodate Morning Market is comprised of approximately 300 stores spanning four city blocks. See the latest arrivals of fruit and vegetables from local farms piled high in neat stacks and crates. Pick up fresh items for a picnic or shop for ingredients for a home-cooked meal. You’ll find a wide selection of traditional sweets and souvenirs. Craft sake is also available for purchase at some stalls.
Be sure to check out the Morning Market’s seafood section. This area has an enormous array of seafood, from the daily catch hauled in by local fishing boats to intriguing preserved delicacies.
Examine crabs (kani), sea urchin (uni) and salmon caviar (ikura). See the rows of fresh scallops in shells, as well as abalone and crab. Watch squid swimming around in tanks or try your luck at hooking one. After you’ve hooked one of the translucent creatures, a chef will expertly prepare fresh squid sashimi for you. Try a local-style fresh seafood breakfast, such as uni-ikura donburi. These steaming-hot rice bowls are topped with delicious raw seafood. Alternatively, visit the market’s food court to find a wider selection of snacks and treats.
Hakodate Morning Market is located a few steps from the city’s main railway station. The market usually opens at 5.00 a.m. and closes at midday. The market is free to visit and easy to access via the JR and South Hokkaido railway systems. From this area you’ll see views of the Hakodate Dock, as well as the traditional red-brick warehouses of the Motomachi District.
