Hakodate & Our Best Meal in Japan

Day 11 aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner (Alaska to Russia to Japan).


Today’s port of call was Hakodate at the southwestern tip of Hokkaido island. This was a major fishing and trade port during the Meiji-era and is still a bustling, important city for Japan. In fact, it’s home to the north end of the Seikkan Tunnel where trains pass to and from the main islands. It’s too far for daily commuter train traffic to Tokyo, but it’s still the major transportation method the Japanese now use to get around.

The weather today was sunny and warm; perfect for exploring the area. After talking with some locals and visiting the outdoor morning market and Hakodate History Plaza, the city quickly became one of our favorite ports on this itinerary. We really had a great time here, mainly because the people are so nice and friendly!

Once again we decided to tour independently and took Regent’s complimentary shuttle bus to the center of town. From there we walked to the morning market where we watched families fishing for large squid in a tank. When a squid was caught, it was handed off to a knife-wielding woman who cleaned the squid, sliced it up and put it on a plate. The families then sat at picnic tables and ate the squid while it was still flopping around. I was not courageous enough to try any of the squid myself!

Fishing for morning squid.

Got 'em!

Breakfast is served.

Another local delicacy is sea urchin. You cut them open and scoop out the innards. Again, I was not nearly brave enough to sample this gourmet treat, although we did run into Phil Butterworth, the Mariner’s Travel Concierge and he was enjoying a sea urchin snack. He said it’s definitely an acquired taste.




We then walked to the Hakodate History Plaza and Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse district. This is an area of old warehouses by the waterfront that have now been modernized and turned into a lovely shopping district. We bought some beautiful handmade wooden toys here and then had the best meal of our trip (soup, crab rolls, a braised venison dish, a curry dish and seaweed ice cream).


We then walked for a bit near Hakodate-yama (Mount Hakodate). (Time prevented us from going up in the cable car, but it looked like you’d have a great view from the top.)

When we returned to the Mariner, we decided to sit on our balcony and have a few drinks. Our room overlooked the pier. While it was a very industrial area, there was a carnival of some sort going on in a nearby field and we were people watching with our binoculars.

As departure time approached, we settled back in our room to watch a DVD before dinner. As we curled up on the sofa, I thought I heard The Eagles. Yes, we definitely heard The Eagles’ “Hotel California” and it was getting louder and louder. What the…? We opened the sliding glass doors to our balcony and saw a crowd of Japanese families gathered on the dock. The local chamber of commerce had turned out to see the Mariner off and part of the entertainment included the playing of this particular Eagles song. For some reason, we found this so incredibly endearing!

When “Hotel California” ended, an MC took the mic and described a special song and dance the locals would perform for us. It turned out to be the official song of Hakodate. It was quite catchy and a troupe of dancers got everyone on the Mariner tapping their toes! The song was repeated several times and by the second go-round, all of us were dancing out on our balconies and waving to the crowd. It was wonderful seeing little children, their parents and grandparents all doing the Hakodate dance! Finally, the Mariner’s horn bellowed and we gently pulled away from the dock as the townspeople continued to sing and dance. What a special memory! We love you, Hakodate!

Photos by Leonard Hospidor

Otaru's Market & Meiji-Era Historic Canal on Hokkaido

Day 10 aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner (Alaska to Russia to Japan).

After two more sea days, we were anxious to get to Japan. This is our first time here and we’re looking forward to exploring. My sister taught English in Japan for a year or two after she graduated from Harvard in the early 1990s and she always raves about how beautiful the country is and how incredibly nice the people are. We were about to find out just how right my sister was!

We docked in a fairly industrial area of Otaru Canal (Otaru Unga) on the island of Hokkaido. With our binoculars we could see quite a bit of the city and the surrounding hillside. After spending a day here, we decided that it’s a lovely little town, even if there isn’t too much to do.


We started the morning with a tour of an indoor market with Quinn McMahon (executive chef of the Mariner) and the Le Cordon Bleu chef and teacher, Frank Jeandon. This was a terrific bonus offered to the participants of the Le Cordon Bleu cooking class and their spouses. Private taxis (watch those automatic doors!) took us from the dock to the market and waited while we were inside.

If you’re in Japan, you must visit one of these spectacular markets! We were amazed at the wide variety of foods and the just-caught freshness of all the seafood. You know the smell of an American fish market? It sometimes smells, well, fishy or fishy with a hint of bleach. That was not the case here. In fact, there was no scent at all other than the hint of sweetness from cut flowers and the bread in the bakery! So fresh!


Hokkaido is known for crab and you’ll definitely find it at this market! There were dozens of kiosks with row upon row of crab! It was a sight to behold! The market offered dozens of types of fish and shellfish, as well as fish eggs, seaweed, fresh fruit and vegetables, bakery items, sweets and other items I couldn’t identify.

We purchased several sweet bean cakes, skewered meats and rice balls. Our group then stopped for lunch at the sushi counter. (I’m not much of a raw fish eater but my husband raved about the quality and freshness of the sweet shrimp, tuna, eel, scallops and other items we were served.)
We then piled back into the taxi and asked the white-gloved driver to drop us off near the Sakai-machi Street Historic District so we could do our own thing for the rest of the day.


Once a busy port known for its herring trade, the highlight of Otaru is now its Meiji-era canal and brick warehouses which have been converted to gift shops and restaurants. This historic (i.e., tourist) area is outfitted with tree-lined cobblestone streets, brick buildings and old-fashion gas lamps. While we explored, we saw several strolling violinists and horse-drawn carriages were available to ferry tourists around town.



Unique gifts to be had in Otaru include music boxes (you’ll find several stores offering ready-made and customizable music boxes) and hand-blown glass items.

We spent our day eating, shopping and walking through the canal area. (Don’t miss the chocolates filled with melon wine sold throughout the city and the ale at the Otaru Brewery, both specialties of the area.)

Other highlights in the area include Goblin Hall, a small museum filled with tengu (long-nose goblin masks); Aoyama Villa with intricately painted sliding doors and lacquered floors; the Herring Mansion (Nishin Goten), the 1897 home of a fishery boss which now contains memorabilia of the herring boom time; and the Otaru Aquarium.

Regent offered several shore excursions in Otaru and also one to Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido. That tour included quite a long bus ride so we were glad we decided to tour this port independently.

Back on the Mariner, we were treated to an authentic tea ceremony in the Horizon Lounge and some local folklore entertainment from The Yosakoi Soran Team. This local troupe of children, teens and adults were dressed in traditional Japanese costumes.

Later as the Mariner prepared to leave Otaru, The Yosakoi Soran Team raced along the pier, waving, to bide us a fond farewell. What a fantastic day!

Photos by Leonard Hospidor

Cruising the Kuril Islands & the Rough Sea of Okhotsk

Days 8 and 9 aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner (Alaska to Russia to Japan).



After sailing out of Avacha Bay, we headed toward the Kuril Island and then sailed across the Sea of Okhotsk toward Otaru, Japan. Here's where the waters got a bit rocky and we had the roughest seas of the entire cruise.

Captain Phillipe was wonderful about keeping everyone informed and the crew even posted detailed weather maps so guests could understand exactly what was in store. Voyage and weather maps were updated daily in the Observation Lounge.


On this particular evening, the boat rocked port to starboard all night long. It was tough to sleep because you'd roll one way, get comfortable and then the ship would pitch and you'd roll the other way! It was so turbulent that I actually got out of bed to secure all the stemware that was rattling around in our bar setup!

Luckily this only lasted for a little while and the next day was smooth sailing once again!

Photos by Leonard Hospidor