Hakodate Park

Western-style park in Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan

41°45′21″N 140°42′53″E / 41.755972°N 140.714667°E / 41.755972; 140.714667Operated byHakodate Housing and City Facilities Public CorporationOpenNovember 1879 (1879-11)StatusOpenWebsiteOfficial website (jp)

Hakodate Park (函館公園, Hakodate Kōen) is a large Western-style park in Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan, at the foot of Mount Hakodate. Opened in 1879,^[1] it is a registered as a "place of scenic beauty" in Japan's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. It contains the Hakodate City Museum, as well as a small zoo and children's theme park ("Kodomo no Kuni"), and is a popular site for cherry blossom viewing.^[2]

History

In 1874, a simple park was established at the current site of Hakodate Park. It was not until the year leading up to 1879, however, that the park took on its current unique form through a proposal of Richard Eusden, the British Consul of Hakodate, and with the support of the citizens of Hakodate. Eusden brought the influence of European culture and early concepts of city planning, with strong involvement of the inhabitants of Hakodate. It is these unique origins that bring Hakodate Park its distinct character among public parks in Japan.

At the suggestion of Horace Capron, advisor to Japan's Hokkaidō Development Commission, a museum (Hakodate City Museum) was opened in the park in 1879. This is the oldest of all museums located in Japanese parks.^[3]

Shirakawa Bridge
Cherry blossoms in spring
Ferris Wheel at Kodomo no Kuni theme park
Hakodate City Museum
Former Hakodate Museum Building 1
Former Hakodate Museum Building 2

References

^ TRAVEL Hakodate - The first step into a modern city
^ Hakodate Cherry Blossom Spots
^ Tawara, Hiromi (1987). "Origin of Hakodate park and its historical feature". Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architects. 51 (2): 73–83. doi:10.5632/jila1934.51.73.