Hakodate-yama

This small mountain (334m) offers a great view of the city, especially at night. You can catch the cable car or a summit-bound bus (around 360, 30 minutes) that leaves directly from the station, is cheaper and stops at several viewing places as it winds to the top. Those wanting to rough it old-style can take the hiking track (from May to late October).

A 10-minute walk from the summit is Tsutsuji-yama carpark, a hot date spot at night, but relatively crowd-free by day. At its far end there is an overgrown path that leads to moss-covered walls and buttresses, the ruins of an old fort, Hakodateyama Yōsai. Unlike so many of Japan's historic sites, this one is refreshingly deserted and you can clamber around, Indiana Jones-style, among ferns with fronds the size of palm leaves.