It’s sakura time again in Japan! It’s time again for people to enjoy this iconic image of springtime Japan!

So I have been to many places in Japan with beautiful cherry blossoms in springtime and one of the sakura places that really stood out for me is the Fort Goryokaku. It is located in Hakodate, a city at the southern tip of Hokkaido.

Considered as one of Hokkaido’s best cherry blossom spots, there are about more than a thousand cherry trees planted along the moats of Fort Goryokaku. But what made Goryokaku special though is its shape.

Fort Goryokaku is actually a massive star-shaped citadel built in the last years of the Edo period as a defense against the Western powers in Hakodate. It is a special historic site where the Battle of Hakodate took place about 150 years ago.

In the 1910s, the fort was converted into a public park after losing its military importance. Since then, it became a main tourist spot in Hokkaido on springtime.

Although I had fun viewing the cherry blossoms by walking around the park, it was nicer to see the whole park from the observation platform of the Goryokaku Tower nearby. The 107 meter tall tower allows a bird’s eye-view of the huge pink star-shaped fortress.

Entry to the park is free except for the Goryokaku Tower which costs 900 yen. The best days to visit is in May when the sakura usually blooms in Hokkaido.