Date

2022-11-10, Thursday

Distance

43.88 km (1829.65 km in total)

Today we said goodbye to seaside landscape because the road linking Mori and Hakodate was inland. It's a strange feeling to switch from seeing the wide open ocean all the time to being surrounded by forest all the time, but we adapted well.

We made into Hakodate in the afternoon. Before checking in, we went to a few post offices to add more pictorial cancellations to my collection, and to the ferry terminal to purchase our tickets. My first impression of biking in this harbour city is quite good. I feel that its living pace is that of a moderate-sized urban centre — not too fast, not too slow, just about right. The number of people outside and the traffic too balance well: it's not too much to threaten my sanity, not too few to give me the impression of a ghost town.

The night view from Mount Hakodate ranks as one of the top 3 in Japan. However, to get to the summit we would have to take the shuttle bus, the last of which operates at 8:36 pm. Given our tiredness and the small amount of time that prevents us from enjoying (and photographing) the scenery, we decided to pass on it this time.