Hakodate boasts numerous attractions, among which the Hakodate Night View and Hakodate Morning Market are must-visit spots for first-time visitors.
However, this is probably my third or fourth visit.
The last time I wrote an article was in 2009. After a decade, it’s time to document any changes.
The Hakodate Morning Market is conveniently located next to Hakodate Station, making it a must-visit for all travelers.
On the way to the market, you can spot large maps along the roadside.
You can also view the market map on the official website (click here to view).
This is the Donburi Yokocho Market.
I started my walk through the Naka-dori of the morning market.
Since I came for breakfast, I chose this famous morning market restaurant – Kikuyo Shokudou.
Counter.
Inside the restaurant, it was fully packed when I arrived.
This photo was taken after I finished eating around 11 AM.
There aren’t many seats, so you might have to share a table with others, especially in winter when everyone is bundled up.
Kikuyo is famous for its seafood donburi, offering three, four, five, and seven types.
You can choose from sea urchin, salmon roe, scallops, crab, shrimp, and salmon.
For a three-type seafood donburi, you can select any three from the six ingredients above, priced at ¥1780 (excluding tax).
If you want to add squid, it costs ¥1880.
A four-type donburi is ¥2080 (excluding tax).
There are “Hakodate Dialects” posted on the table, which I couldn’t understand at all.
After ordering, the staff served hot tea.
There were also instructions on how to eat.
Salmon roe and salmon can be eaten directly.
Sea urchin and crab already have a bit of wasabi sauce, so you can eat them directly.
Scallops, shrimp, and squid can be eaten with a bit of soy sauce.
I ordered a three-type seafood donburi with sea urchin, scallops, and crab.
My wife ordered a four-type seafood donburi with sea urchin, scallops, crab, and shrimp.
My three-type seafood donburi was served with two slices of pickled radish and a bowl of miso soup.
I have to say, this seafood donburi is quite small XD
For the three-type seafood donburi, the raw scallops had wasabi on top.
Scallops are usually very fresh and sweet when eaten directly.
You can also add a bit of soy sauce.
The crab meat portion was minimal.
The chef’s knife skills are impressive.
The scallops were sliced so thinly, probably around 0.3 cm.
I suspect this donburi only had the equivalent of one scallop, just sliced into many pieces.
Because the portion was so small, I finished it quickly.
Receipt.
After finishing the seafood donburi, I continued to browse the shops in the morning market.
This shop, Konishi Foods, offers relatively cheap dried scallops, with 450g priced at ¥2700.
At New Chitose Airport, the same weight would cost around ¥4500.
(At New Chitose Airport, 300g is sold for ¥3000, and 500g for ¥5000)
Other shops.
Many stores in the morning market sell “scallop adductor muscles” (dried scallops).
A whole dried fish costs only ¥800.
The shop on the right, Takaoka Store, sometimes gives a small snack when you make a purchase.
Inside the morning market, there’s also a Daikoku Drugstore.
Continuing along Naka-dori, heading further back.
I’m not sure why there’s a flag here?!
Continuing further back, there’s an AL ROAD.
Next to it is Building No. 1 “Murakami Sea Urchin”, with a surprisingly long queue!!
Later, I wandered to O-dori in the morning market.
Still feeling a bit hungry and craving crab, I randomly chose Fukuda Store.
Their frozen red king crab is very cheap, only ¥8000 per kilogram.
In the outer market, it costs ¥12000 per kilogram, a significant price difference.
Fukuda Store’s environment isn’t great, with just two small tables for customers to sit and eat.
It’s not like Sapporo’s outer market’s Kaisen Shokudo Kita No Gourmet Tei, which is a dedicated restaurant.
There are also tanks with other seafood.
And shellfish.
My wife ordered a scallop, but it was extremely salty. Totally inedible…
Grilled red king crab.
The crab was a bit dry, and the meat was somewhat salty.
Although it was a third cheaper than the one at the outer market, the taste was still better at “Kita No Gourmet Tei” in the outer market.
However, I finished it anyway, considering that red king crab isn’t cheap after all.
This sums up my experience of strolling through Hakodate Morning Market and eating seafood bowls and red king crab in February 2019.
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the food this time…
Kikuyo Shokudo is a bit pricey, with a small portion of rice bowl costing ¥1780 (excluding tax).
Fukuda Shoten’s king crab was cheap but a bit salty and not very tasty, which was a pity…
Hakodate Morning Market (Official Website)
Address: 〒040-0063 Hakodate-shi Wakamatsu-cho 9-19
Business Hours: 05:00~14:00 (06:00~14:00 from January to April)
Map:
『Original Source：https://nicklee.tw/2621/hakodate-asaichi-seafood/』
