Hakodate, Japan

Today we were in Hakodate, our last port of call on this fourteen night sailing. We took a ship excursion which went to three places. First stop was to the Red Brick shops. I thought this was going to be a touristy spot with cheap souvenir shops. Instead it had a lot of higher end stores in addition to other local shops. I saw so many interesting things. Hakodate is famous for squid and they have it for sale in many different ways from dried and shredded to salted and vacuum packed to squid gummies. There also seems to be a fascination with corn and potatoes. So many places had vacuum sealed corn and potatoes that were in a butter sauce.  

While we were there we also tried the famous hamburger place called Lucky Pierrot. 

 I tried what I believe is the signature "Lucky" burger. It was an interesting flavor combination.

 The burgers are actually hamburger steaks instead of a patty. Hamburger steak is ground beef mixed with other ingredients such as onions and bread crumbs. Closer to a meat loaf but not as firm. They are popular in Japan because they are a less expensive way to feed a family. It came with some yellow mustard on the bottom, a slice of tomato, American cheese and a marinara-like tomato sauce. The marinara made a lot of sense considering it was similar to a meat loaf.  

We headed back to the bus and it was time to visit Mount Hakodate. The tour was supposed to use the ropeway (tram) but the high winds (gusts up to 60 km/h) suspended operation. Luckily they had a plan B and the bus drove up the winding switchbacks. And what a glorious view from the top observation deck!!   

Plus we saw great cherry blossoms on the drive up the mountain.

It was time to head to our third destination which was the Morning Market. Every port we have been to has one. The market was directly next to where the ship was docked. Our tour guide had us put our name and cabin number on a list if we were going to walk back to the ship on our own. Which is what we did. We walked around a bit and saw such amazing seafood. In addition to squid, Hakodate is also known for scallops. I've never seen shells so big!! And so much crab!!  

We decided to get some lunch. The place we went had a twenty minute wait. They provided us a map to their secondary location which was about five minutes away and would have minimal wait. The hostess even walked us out into the street and pointed us in the right direction. The Japanese continue to be so kind in so many ways. We got to the restaurant and were seated immediately. They had tanks you could see as you walked in with all the seafood including the giant scallop shells. 

 We knew we would be ordering some scallops and squid. We also ordered a chef's choice sashimi. Angie saw the chef pull the scallop from a tank. The scallops came out first. 

 Without a doubt it was the freshest and tastiest scallop I have ever had. Simply cooked with butter and its own brine. The chefs sashimi had squid, more delicious scallops (raw this time) and a mystery sashimi. It might have been some kind of eel. It didn't have the fleshy quality of a fish and was a bit chewy. It was all very tasty.   

By far the best dish was yet to come!! A magnificent grilled squid!! With just a little sweet soy sauce. And a dipping sauce which we think was Japanese mayo and yuzu juice. That sauce really brought out the flavor of the squid. And I don't know how they managed to keep the squid so tender. 

 Much like the fatty tuna sushi I had at Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, this squid may have spoiled me from any other squid or calamari I order in the future. We also had a couple of Sapporo drafts which went so well with the squid. I also have to mention again the amazing attention to detail there has been to pouring the perfect pint. Each and every beer we order has the perfect head of foam. And is served at an appropriate temperature. In the right kind of glassware. The Japanese know what they are doing. And there have been some very good local beers. I expected to come to Japan and perhaps sample some different styles from Asahi, Sapporo or Kiriin. Instead I've been overwhelmed by the quality of the other local beers.  

One last stop in our last port of call in Japan. Why not go to a brewery? So we did. The bus had driven by Hakodate Beer earlier in the morning so I had it on my radar. It was a short walk from the restaurant. We sampled a few of their beers which were all true to style. Our favorite was called "Luxury Beer" on the menu. I'd say it was an Imperial Ale since it was 10% ABV. Plus, it came in a very fancy mug. 

 That was delicious without being boozy. The amber, pale ale and altbier were all very good. We also tried some beer flavored soft serve. It was interesting. A bit malty and sweet with a slight hop flavor. It lives up to the description and I enjoyed it.

It was then rime to head back to the ship. It was about a 15 minute walk. But took a bit longer with the gusty winds. It is good preparation for the next part of our adventure. No spoilers. More to come on that soon.  

Tomorrow we have our last sea day. We had unpacked two weeks ago. Now it's time to repack everything. We'll get our last batch of laundry back tonight. Having the unlimited laundry package has been a huge help. And inexpensive at only $7.95/day per cabin. We know all the stuff fit on the way here, so it will fit now. Just have to remember how we packed it.