A seafood bowl in Hakodate · Photo: hasano_jp / CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
JapanHakodateHakodate Morning Market and Seafood Bowls: How to Use the Old "Citizens' Kitchen"
Step out of Hakodate Station and the Morning Market is right there, the place for your first meal in town. Here is how it grew from postwar vegetable stalls, how to choose a seafood bowl, when to go and how to avoid overpaying.
A Market That Began With Vegetable Stalls by the Station
Hakodate Morning Market (Hakodate Asaichi) began in 1945, right after the war, when farmers from the surrounding area started laying out vegetables to sell in front of Hakodate Station. In the chaotic postwar years, controlled goods such as rice also came in on the Seikan ferries from Aomori, and part of the market was regarded as a black market. After moving three times, the market settled at its current site in 1956. By the early 1960s it had about 400 shops and was known as the "citizens' kitchen". Today, counting several cooperatives and surrounding shops, around 280 businesses still cluster here, forming a huge food district just a short walk from Hakodate Station.
What Time and Which Day to Go
Despite the name, it is not a dawn-only market. Hours vary by shop, but most open from around 6 a.m. to around 2 p.m., and some restaurants stay open into the evening. For the freshest seafood and the liveliest atmosphere, though, early morning is best. The later you go, the more popular dishes sell out and the more shops close. Check the closing day too. Many shops in the market take Wednesdays off, so it can be quieter than you expect midweek. Being right next to Hakodate Station, it is easy to visit on the morning you arrive or before your train out. Leave big bags in a station coin locker and the narrow aisles become much easier to navigate.
How to Choose a Seafood Bowl
The star of the market is the seafood bowl (kaisendon). The market even has Donburi Yokocho, a lane of rice-bowl restaurants where you can compare menus before choosing. The standard is a combo bowl with two or three kinds of Hokkaido seafood such as sea urchin (uni), salmon roe (ikura), scallop, crab and squid, and some shops let you pick your own toppings. Remember that each ingredient has its own season. Items like sea urchin, whose price and quality swing with the seasons, are often listed at "market price" (jika), so always confirm the cost before ordering. On a first visit, a combo with classic Hakodate ingredients such as ikura and squid is a safe bet. Bowls usually come with miso soup.
Crab, Dried Seafood and Souvenir Shopping
Walk the aisles and you will see boiled hairy crab, snow crab and king crab piled high outside the shops. Some shops will prepare a crab for you to eat on the spot, and many offer delivery within Japan. If you plan to take seafood overseas, check your home country's import rules first. Dried seafood such as dried squid, kombu and processed salmon is light and keeps well, so it is a popular souvenir. Since 2003 the market has also had a corner where you can catch a squid from a tank and eat it as sashimi, a big hit with families. Seasonal fruit such as Hokkaido melons fills the shopfronts too.
Market Etiquette for a Smooth Visit
Touting is common at the market, with staff calling out to passers-by. If you are not interested, a smile and a shake of the head is fine. For items without price tags, ask the price before buying. With expensive items like crab, check the weight and price, and feel free to look around several shops before deciding. It is polite not to handle goods casually and to ask before taking photos, because the market is still a place where locals do their everyday shopping. In narrow aisles, wearing a large backpack on your front helps you avoid bumping into others. After a seafood bowl, take a stroll along the waterfront near the market and enjoy the morning view of Hakodate Port.