Monday Gull Blogging

Gulls, Japan Coast Guard Boat (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Last of my Hokkaido gull photos.

Monday Gull Blogging

Gull (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

For some reason I don't have any Tokyo animal photos. Not even some token crows! Luckily I have some gull photos taken in Hakodate. This one was hanging around some restaurants, looking for a handout I'd guess. 

Leaving Hakodate

Houses from Air (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

JAL Windows (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Although the security setup at the Hakodate airport was a little convoluted, it didn't take us that long to get through. But apparently a large crowd showed up at the checkpoint just as the plane was getting ready to depart, so the takeoff was delayed quite a bit. Didn't bother us though.

Very nice seating arrangement, with excellent views out the windows!

Monday Eurasian Tree Sparrow Blogging

Tree Sparrows (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

"Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) is most popular sparrow in Japan. They are called 'スズメ (suzume)' in Japanese.

"They hop on the ground restlessly. Also, they cry 'chun, chun!'. It's very familiar sounds for Japanese people."

I just managed to take a few pix before they flew away. (Didn't hear them cry "Chun chun" alas.)

I liked this painting seen in Wikipedia:

Ink on silk painting by Huang Quan c. 965 CE 

Hakodate Sunset

Clouds, Sunset (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Cranes, Sunset (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

More photos taken from our hotel room. Because of the extra nights we stayed in Hakodate we had to cancel our plan to visit Morioka via shinkansen. Instead we decided to fly from Hakodate to Haneda Airport in Tokyo, thus giving us an extra day in Tokyo.

Hakodate Sightems

Worker, Boat (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Photographing Ivy on Wall (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Some random photos taken during our walks. We stopped by the train station for some tea one afternoon.

Train Station (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Lunch at Ikuratei

Ikuratei Restaurant (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Hali's Lunch (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Mike's Lunch (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Ikuratei is a popular seafood restaurant in Hakodate's Morning Market. Hali said that her lunch was quite good . . . certainly looks good! Mike's lunch - a bowl of miso soup - was good as well! 

Of interest was the television set tuned to one of the U.S. World Series games between the Dodgers and the Yankees.

World Series Game (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Hakodate Danshaku Club Hotel

Cranes (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Evening Clouds (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Photos taken from our room in our new - unplanned - hotel (Danshaku Club Hotel). A nice place, close to the Hakodate Train Station and the Morning Market. I was quite pleased to find that our room had views of the old-fashioned cranes at the port and Mount Hakodate in the distance.

And for the next several days my diet was very bland indeed.

Banana, Tea, Bread: Mike's Breakfast (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

October 28, 2024 - Mike Is Sick

Digital Thermometer (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Was it the raw chicken served at the Osaka Food Tour? Was it the dicey hamburger served at Lucky Pierrot? Was it the seafood restaurant they ate at that night? Hard to say, but Mike was up all night with some kind of intestinal bug. Plus chills and a fever.

So the scheduled day trip to Onuma National Park just north of Hakodate had to be canceled. No photos that day either. 

We were going to travel to Morioka on the 29th via shinkansen, but that had to be canceled as well due to Mike's lingering tummy problems. We ended up staying in Hakodate an extra two nights, changing hotels to do so. 

Anyway, now we have a cool Japanese thermometer showing temperatures using centigrade units.

Territorial Dispute

Northern Territories Sign (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

"Even after Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration and made it clear its intent to surrender, Soviet forces continued its offensive against Japan and occupied all of the Four Northern Islands from 28 August 1945 to 5 September 1945.The Northern Territories have been under illegal occupation by the Soviet Union, and then Russia."

- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

I saw this sign as I was walking back from my ocean view walk. 

Monday Gull Blogging

Gull (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Detail from yesterday's ocean visit. Bird was observing a lone tourist taking photos in a deserted section of town located on the coast.

Ocean View

Ocean (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

I leaned over the sea wall to take a few photos of the surf crashing onto the shore. No cranes or ships, just the ocean and the waves. After I spent some time enjoying the view I turned around and headed back to the hotel through oddly vacant streets and weather-beaten structures.

No crowds here! 

Street near Ocean (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

House near Ocean (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Walk to Ocean

Temple (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

House, Ocean (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

That morning we visited some shops that were adjacent to the harbor. While strolling around I could see some interesting cranes and ships in the distance, so I decided to take an afternoon walk down to the port for photos.

Somehow I got turned around! I wandered through a deserted temple, then down some empty streets with older weather-beaten houses. The sound of waves gradually became louder as I came upon an ocean-facing sea wall.

Sea Wall, Ocean (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Lucky Pierrot

Lucky Pierrot (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Lucky Pierrot Interior, Self-Portrait (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Fairly well-known hamburger place; we had dinner there our first night in Hakodate. Alas, can't give it a good review since the sauce they used turned the bun into a soggy mess. Of interest: the only beer they had was Budweiser in a can. (?)

We walked around a bit, then I returned for one of their soft-serve ice cream cones. That was good.

Lucky Pierrot Cone (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Trams, Tracks

Tracks (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Tram (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Top: some evening photos of the Hakodate rail tracks for their tram service. Possibly quite extensive and convenient . . . but we never got around to using it, alas.

Below, a daytime photo of one of their colorful trams.

Tram (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Hotel Views

Buildings, Ocean, Afternoon (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Buildings, Ocean, Sunrise (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Views from the balcony of our hotel. There were chairs for sitting and enjoying the view, but this was late October, so pretty chilly.

Our reservations included breakfasts! We normally don't bother with hotel breakfasts, but this was the exception. Very nice.

Hotel Breakfast (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Villa Concordia

Villa Concordia (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Villa Concordia Room (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Our room(s) at the Villa Concordia were undoubtedly the most spacious of our trip. Two bathrooms! Plus the nice furniture pictured above. 

By the way, the original photo of the hotel exterior shown above had perspective issues due to vertical convergence. Photoshop could redo the perspective, but had to cut out the lower corners (see below). So I used Photoshop's AI tool to fill in the blanks (top image). Interesting, I guess.

Villa Concordia (missing corners) (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Monday Large-billed Crow Blogging

Large-billed Crows (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Our friends the large-billed crows, last seen in Tokyo in 2023. Somehow not quite as scary here as they were in Tokyo.

Arrival in Hakodate

Hokkaido Fields - Japan  2024

Airport Sign (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

We were intrigued by all the languages used in Hakodate Airport's signs. Russian! Wouldn't think there would be that many Russians visiting Hakodate.

Welcome to Hakodate - Japan  2024

Xmas Eve!

Santa (Hakodate) - Japan  2024

Taken in Japan earlier this year. History of Hakodate* on the wall posters, along with Santa, of course. Some Santa photos taken in Osaka also found on the blog.

*Hakodate: city located in Hokkaido, the large northernmost island of Japan. More pix in 2025.