Hakodate Station 函館駅
Hakodate Station is a major station and point of access in Hakodate in Hokkaido with trains to Sapporo, Otaru and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.
Hakodate Station is a major station and point of access in Hakodate on the south east coast of Hokkaido.
The Hokkaido Shinkansen runs to the more recent Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station which connects to Hakodate Station on the Hakodate Main Line.
Lines
Hakodate Station is the terminus of the Hakodate Main Line operated by JR Hokkaido.
Hakodate is easily reached from Sapporo, 260 km to the north west. There are roughly hourly Hokuto and Super Hokuto trains from Sapporo Station to Hakodate Station, taking 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Trains on the Hakodate Main Line also run to Otaru, Niseko, and after Sapporo to Bibai and on to Asahikawa.
If you are traveling from Hakodate to Asahikawa, change in Sapporo.
There are trains from Hakodate to Onuma-koen Station (40 minutes) on the Hakodate Main Line to visit Onuma Quasi National Park.
Super Hokuto express trains to the ferry port of Tomakomai (on the Hakodate Main Line and Muroran Main Line) for ferries to Nagoya and Sendai take 3 hours.
The third-sector railway company South Hokkaido Railway Company runs trains from Hakodate Station to Kikonai on the former Esashi Line. Traveling on a local train takes just over an hour. You can change to the Hokkaido Shinkansen at Hakodate-Hokuto Station which would reduce journey time to 41 minutes but at over three times the cost.
There was also a night train, the Hokutosei service which used to run from Sapporo to Tokyo's Ueno Station via Hakodate. This was discontinued in 2015. A hostel using carriages of the original train opened in Nihonbashi, Tokyo in 2016. You can book the Train Hostel Hokutosei here.
Station Facilities
Hakodate Station has a Tourist Information Center restaurants on the second floor, a Midori-no-madoguchi booking office, a lost property office and coin lockers.
Hakodate's Tourist Information Center is at Hakodate Station and has brochures and maps in English and other languages.
The first station opened in the city in 1902 with the present station constructed in 2003.
Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station
The Hokkaido Shinkansen from Shin-Aomori Station runs to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. From Shin-Aomori Station the Tohoku Shinkansen connects to Tokyo. Total journey take from Tokyo Station to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto is 4 hours, 2 minutes. From Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to Hakodate Station is about 20 minutes on the Hakodate Liner or Super Hokuto Limited Express.
Hakodate Trams
There are two Hakodate Municipal Transit tram lines in Hakodate with a combined length of 10.9 km: tram #2 goes from Yunokawa to Yachigashira while tram #5 goes from Yunokawa to Hakodate Dock. Both trams go via Matsukazecho, Hakodate-Ekimae (the stop outside Hakodate Station) and Jujigai.
A one day pass for the trams is 600 yen, or 1000 yen for buses and trams. A 2-day pass for buses and trams costs 1700 yen. Hakodate's buses and trams take the Ikasunimoka Card.
Highway Buses from Hakodate Station
There are regular highway buses from Hakodate to Sapporo (Journey time around 5 and a half hours) operated by Donan Bus Hokkaido Chuo Bus and Hokkaido Kotsu. There is one over night bus on the route. Buses to Esashi take about 2 hours, 15 minutes.
The overnight bus from Sapporo Bus Terminal goes to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, Nanaecho-narukawa, Kikyo, Showa 4-chome, Goryokaku, Hakodate Ferry Terminal, Hakodate Bus Terminal, Yumoto Takubokutei and Yunokawa Onsen.