Matsumae 松前

Separated only 20 kilometers from the main island of Honshu by the Tsugaru Strait, Matsumae, ruled by the clan of the same name, constituted the northern limit of Edo period Japan.

The castle and its park

Matsumae Castle (also known as "Fukushima Castle") was the only castle built on the island of Hokkaido. Built in 1606 by the chief of the Matsumae clan , Matsumae Yoshihiro, it was several times destroyed and then rebuilt. Its keep perished in a fire in 1949. The current building, three stories high, dates from the early 1960s. It houses a history museum including, among other things, items that belonged to the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido.

See: The Ainu minority

To the north of the site of the old castle now extends a vast park famous for its thousands of cherry trees . There are more than 10,000 of more than 250 different kinds , which has earned the park to be listed as one of the “100 places to view cherry blossoms in Japan”. There is even a small museum of sakura (cherry blossoms) there. Thanks to the many varieties of cherry trees planted there, the flowering season is much longer and the famous sakura can be admired from late April to late May. During this period, the castle is illuminated and many events are organized.

Also read: Goryokaku Park

The old temple district

At the foot of the castle grounds, in the northwest quarter, were about fifteen Buddhist temples . There are currently only five left but they are worth the detour and give the city a little air of yesteryear. Some of them were built before the castle and are among the oldest constructions on the island of Hokkaido.

Don't miss Kozenji. Built in 1533, it was repeatedly destroyed and then rebuilt authentically. Its wooden buildings and its garden are a real delight.

Ryuun-in Temple , founded in 1625 , has had five of its buildings designated as Important Cultural Properties.

In the same district is the open-air museum of the residence of the Matsumae clan as well as their family tomb. You can also admire a 200-year-old cherry tree , Kechimyaku Sakura (the Blood Pulse Cherry), the ancestor of many of the cherry trees that adorn the park.

Matsumaehan Yashiki

In Edo times, the city was prosperous and attracted many merchants who engaged in maritime trade. This atmosphere of yesteryear, with its merchants' houses and various administrative buildings, has been recreated in a small theme park, the Matsumaehan Yashiki, located to the west of the castle grounds. It is possible to rent period costumes to survey the premises.

If you find yourself in Matsumae at cherry blossom time, head to the northern end of the park at the foot of Mount Shogun , where there is a great view of cherry groves all the way to Tsugaru Strait . From there, the more athletic can access the Hachijuhakkasho hiking circuit which climbs the side of Mount Shogun.