Nov 3 - Goryokaku, Seikan Bullet Train, Nakano Momiji Yama

In the morning, we went to Goryokaku Tower (五稜郭) which is a western-style fort completed almost 150 years ago. A magnificent panoramic view of the entire star-shaped estate and surrounding moat unveils itself to visitors from the observation platform of the 107-meter Goryokaku Tower, which stands adjacent to the fort. The moat is surrounded by some 1,600 cherry trees, making the Goryokaku one of Hokkaido's top cherry blossom viewing spots in springtime. In summer the moat is fringed with lush greenery, which turns into a blazing scene of crimson foliage in the fall that is then blanketed with snow in the winter, creating an extremely beautiful vista for all seasons.

It was raining when we walked around the fort, however the fall foliage was so beautiful and we all didn't mind to use umbrella to walk around and still had a lot of photo opportunity.

After Goryokaku Fort, our guide took us to Hakodate Morning fish Market.  The vendors there like talking to foreign tourists, love explains their produces, and don't mind foreigners poking around their booths.  They sell dried goods, fresh produce, fresh fish, live seafood, and souvenirs at very affordable prices.  

Then we went to train station to purchase our lunch boxes to be consumed as lunch on the Underwater Tunnel Bullet Train (北海道新幹線) from Hakodate Asaichi (函館朝市) through Seikan Underwater Tunnel )青函海底隧道) to Aomori (青森).  

In Aomori, our itinerary called for visiting 城倉大橋 (Shirogakura Bridge) in Towada-Hachimantai National Park (十和田八幡平國立公園). However the weather impacted the road condition and we changed the itinerary to visit the Nakano Momiji Yama(紅葉山) in Minaminakano(南中野).  It was the last moment change suggested by our tour bus driver.  I guessed he is a local and knows his territory.  Nakano Momiji Yama had the most gorgeous fall foliage.  Nakano Momoji Yama has been home to over 100 different varieties of Japanese maple since they were brought from Kyoto by the Tsugaru feudal lord in 1802. It envelopes the Nakano Shrine, which is also home to several amazingly large cedar trees aged from 500-700 years old. It is also has some hiking trails offering great views of the surrounding mountains and areas. We spent a whole hour there just click our camera away like crazy taking photos from every possible angles.

After that we walked to nearby apple farms to take a close look of the Aomori apple trees (with a lot of apples on them). Apple is one of the famous produce in this area. Having a chance to check them out closely is very interesting.