Goryokaku
Goryokaku, A Star Shaped Western Style Fort In Hakodate Built In The 1860s, The Last Stand Of The Shogunate'S Forces In The Boshin War, Now A Park With A Tower That Shows The Star From Above And Cherry Blossom In April. · Hakodate, Hokkaido
Goryokaku is a star-shaped fort in the middle of Hakodate in southern Hokkaido, built between 1857 and 1866 to a Western design by Takeda Ayasaburo - confirm the dates. It never served the shogunate for long. In 1869, in the last battle of the Boshin War, Enomoto Takeaki and his men held it as the short-lived Republic of Ezo before they surrendered to the new government. Today it is a large park with moats, grass banks and old stone walls, and the rebuilt Magistrate's Office, finished in 2010, shows what the inner compound looked like. The best view is from the Goryokaku Tower, about 107 m tall, where the five-pointed star lays out below you. Cherry trees bloom in late April, and in winter the moat is lit at night. It suits history readers and anyone already in Hakodate. Allow two hours with the tower. It is worth it for the view and the story, less so if you only want a castle keep, because there is none. Trams run from Hakodate Station.
44 Goryokaku-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido, a tram ride and short walk from Hakodate Station; the Goryokaku Tower is beside the fort, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
The park itself is open all day and costs nothing to enter. The Magistrate's Office and the Goryokaku Tower keep daytime hours, commonly from about 9:00 to 18:00 in the warm months and a shorter day in winter, with last entry earlier - confirm times and any closing days. The tower may stay open later for the winter lights or cherry blossom nights. Take a tram from Hakodate Station to Goryokoen-mae, then walk about 15 minutes, or a bus; confirm the route. IC cards work on most Hakodate transport but bring cash for small shops. Nothing needs booking, apart from busy blossom evenings.