Mt. Hakodate and Juujigai District

This camera frames Mt. Hakodate alongside Juujigai, the tram district at its base bordering the historic Motomachi neighborhood. Mt. Hakodate's summit view, looking down over the narrow waist of the peninsula, is often ranked among the world's best night views.

Juujigai itself is a streetcar junction lined with Western-style buildings from Hakodate's era as one of Japan's first treaty ports, an easy walk from the Motomachi churches and old consulates.

The night view works because of the shape of the land rather than the height of the hill. Mount Hakodate is only 334 metres, but the city below it narrows to a thin isthmus with sea on both sides, so the lit area reads as a bright hourglass between two areas of black water. The ropeway from the base takes about three minutes, which is why a cloud check on this camera is worth doing before making the trip up.