Hakodate Highlights 5 hours with Fumiko

Hello, I'm Fumiko. I was born and raised in Hakodate. My grandparents moved into Hakodate from Sado Island of Niigata Pref. more than 100 years ago. After studying at college, I worked in Tokyo for about 20 years. Then I studied in the USA, returning to my hometown in the turn of the century. I started working as a tour guide in 2014. Working as a guide, I have learned a lot about history of Hakodate, Hokkaido and Japan, especially in the 19th century. I also found Hakodate has a lot to offer to tourists. I'd like to share attractions of my hometown with you. Hakodate is a medium-sized city with a population of 240, 000, lying on a unique landscape formed by a small land-tied island. The landscape is what attracted people, developing a small settlement into one of the most popular tourist cities in Japan. We can have a fine panorama of the city from the top of Mt. Hakodate. The small land-tied island is now called Mt. Hakodate, which is symbolic of Hakodate. In the mountain, about 600 kinds of plants grow and 30 species of birds live around the year. We can enjoy walking the path up to the top while finding seasonal birds and flowers. Hakodate has a history of more than 200 years as a town of Japanese people, rather long compared with other major cities in Hokkaido. The full-fledged development of Hokkaido started only 150 years ago. During the 200 years, Hakodate saw the inflow of Western culture, and then the last battle between the samurai and the modern government forces. You can see the star-shaped fort constructed 160 years ago to protect the samurai government's office at Goryokaku. Buildings in the Motomachi area tell what Hakodate was like at its height. Hakodate is famous for its fresh seafood. At the Morning Market, you can taste seashells and squid that are cooked in front of you. Or you can get Konbu kelp that is Hakodate's specialty and that makes basic broth for Japanese food. My interests are history, plants and birds, especially bonzai, sake or Japanese rice wine tasting, and sumo wrestling. Please feel free to contact and tell me what you expect from Hakodate. I can surely meet what you want to make your stay in Hakodate really special and enjoyable. Licensed National Guide (English) Certificate of Achievement in Teaching English To Speakers of Other Languages from Western Washington University, USA Education: B.A. in Agriculture from Utsunomiya University B.A. in Linguistics from Western Washington University, WA, USA None