The terminal facilities are quite comprehensive, with clear flight information boards, crowds lining up to check in, and large windows offering views of various passenger planes parked on the apron and the ground crews at work.
Before leaving on your flight, you can also catch sight of the planes on the apron through the windows in the waiting area while reminiscing about this wonderful vacation in northern Japan.
I highly recommend making Hakodate Airport the final stop on your Hokkaido itinerary. Whether it’s the efficient departure procedures, the comfortable terminal environment, or getting ready to board with plenty of souvenirs and a reluctance to leave, it’s sure to provide the perfect ending to the entire trip!
Hakodate Airport | Review by Jk
Other Reviews by Jk
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Don Quijote Dotonbori Store
Known for its late-night hours, quirky shelf displays, and handwritten promotional signs, Don Quijote is a beloved all-in-one discount store. The Dotonbori branch is especially eye-catching thanks to its iconic yellow Ferris wheel attached to the building’s façade-now a well-known landmark along the Dotonbori River in Osaka’s Minami district.
Right beside Osaka’s Dotonbori Canal, there’s absolutely no way to miss the Don Quijote Dotonbori Store, with its giant yellow Ferris wheel and penguin mascot. This place is truly a late-night shopping paradise for all night owls and shopaholics! Every floor is packed with all kinds of extremely popular products, from the overwhelming selection of snacks, instant noodles, and matcha sweets at the first-floor entrance to beauty and skin care products, medicine, electronics, household goods, and even funny cosplay costumes upstairs. There are so many products stacked to the ceiling that it feels like a maze. Pushing a shopping basket through the narrow, bustling aisles while hunting for treasures, with the catchy signature theme song and lively checkout calls ringing in your ears, sends the thrill of shopping and your adrenaline straight through the roof!
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Dotonbori Giant Ferris Wheel Ebisu Tower
A giant Ferris wheel attached to the large discount store “Don Quijote” Dotonbori store along the Dotonbori River, one of the liveliest spots in Osaka’s Minami area, where buildings with flashy signs line both banks. Facing the river, this striking Ferris wheel is the world’s first oval shape, unlike typical circular wheels. Its four-person gondolas also feature a unique mechanism that rotates horizontally mid-ride-the first of its kind in the world.
Along Osaka’s Dotonbori Canal, it’s absolutely impossible to miss the massive yellow Ferris wheel built right into the exterior of the Don Quijote building—the Dotonbori Giant Ferris Wheel, “Ebisu Tower”! In the center is a huge statue of Ebisu, the god of fortune, holding a fishing rod and grinning from ear to ear. Together with the eye-catching yellow-and-black track, it perfectly captures Osaka’s over-the-top, humorous, and energetic character. Even just taking photos from across the canal makes for an impressive sight!
The wildest thing about this Ferris wheel is that it’s one of the world’s rare “oval-track Ferris wheels”! As the gondola slowly rises, your view gradually gets higher along the track, putting the entire Dotonbori Canal, sightseeing boats cruising back and forth, the famous Glico Running Man sign, and the dense sea of neon lights below you. Especially when it lights up at night, the dazzling cityscape and reflections on the river blend together. Looking down over the entire sleepless city from high above inside the gondola, with such a wide-open view, is an absolute thrill! -
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Tamatsukuri Onsen
One of Japan’s oldest hot spring resorts among mountains upstream of Tamayu River from southern Lake Shinji. An ancient book, Isumo-no Kuni Fudoki, states “Bathing here once will make you beautiful and bathing here twice will heal any illness.” Sei Shonagon praised the beautifying quality of the hot spring in her classic “Pillow Book”.
The entire hot spring town immediately surrounds you with a strong sense of old-world charm and relaxation! This is an ancient hot spring with over 1,300 years of history. Since ancient times, it has been highly praised as the “Bath of the Gods” in the Izumo no Kuni Fudoki. After just one soak, your skin feels as smooth and delicate as if you had just used a top-of-the-line skincare treatment, and after two, even all kinds of ailments are said to disappear. It’s renowned throughout Japan as the premier destination for beautiful-skin hot springs!
Stroll slowly along both sides of the Tamayu River, and you’ll see rows of traditional Japanese hot spring inns arranged harmoniously. In spring, both banks are covered in delicate pink cherry blossoms, making the area look like a secluded paradise. One of the best little pleasures while walking around town is the free natural footbaths found everywhere. Take off your shoes and socks and dip your feet into the steaming hot spring water, and the warmth instantly melts away the aches and fatigue in your feet. There’s even a “Hot Spring Water Jizo” along the street where you can fill a bottle directly. Many travelers bring small spray bottles and take home the freshest hot spring facial mist to keep their skin hydrated anytime, anywhere!
Continue up through the hot spring town, and at the end you’ll find Tamatsukuri-yu Shrine, which is associated with beautiful skin and matchmaking. Pick up your own special “wish stone” (kanai-ishi) at the shrine office, carry it to the sacred stone within the grounds, carefully wash it with the spring water, hold it close as you make a wish, and then place it in an amulet pouch to carry with you. It’s said to be extremely effective for finding love and making wishes come true. The whole ritual leaves you feeling both calm and full of anticipation. -
