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Learn by looking and touching about a history of Hakodate with an exotic atmosphere developed with the time between the arrival of Perry and opening port.
The Former British Consulate was established when Hakodate port opened as an international port in 1859. Following several fires and rebuildings, the current building completed in 1913 opens to the public as the Opening-Port Memorial Hall. In 2009, exhibits in the facility were updated in conjunction with the 150th anniversary celebration of the opening of Hakodate’s port, and the Hall became a symbol of the opening port of Hakodate City.
The Hall is composed mainly of the Exhibition Room and Hakodate Open Museum , and a scene of the Consultate is recreated in the Exhibition Room. The consul's office provides an introduction to a former consul, Richard Eusden. There are a Time Slip Scope, through which you can look at a landscape at that time, and more experience items. The British tea time scene is recreated in the Family’s Room.
In the Hakodate Open Museum , the history of Hakodate open-port are introduced by exhibition panels, and some experience items such as barrels playing sound are exhibited.
The world map depicts the Hakodate port at time of the opening with graphic in stained-glass style at the Opening-Port Memorial Hall, An eastner visiting Hakodate after the Opening-Port is exhibited by cut out panel at the Hakodate Modern Street and, the other, Hakodate Haikara Square is located.
A building of the former British Consulate designed by the British government is used the way it was.
A Consulate, Richard Eusden, loved by citizens appears in the Exhibition Room.
“Haikara-Emaki” at the Haikara Square depicts the former scenery of the Open-Port time in the Ukiyo E style, taking pictures is available with face-cutout panels.
Some reviews are AI-translated.
The Former British Consulate of Hakodate is also located around Motomachi Park, so you can easily visit it after touring the Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward. The nearby attractions are clustered together, making it very convenient to get around on foot. The historical museums in the Motomachi area also offer a combination ticket that lets you visit several attractions and is a better value. The first thing you'll see when you enter is the gift shop, which has many cute British-style items featuring flowers and plants from the countryside. These are not often seen in Japan.
The exhibits inside introduce the history of Hakodate and the British Consulate, including the consulate's former offices, scenes of daily life, and related artifacts. The furnishings in the different rooms give you a more tangible sense of what life was like back then. It was more interesting than I expected〜
It's about a 1-minute walk from Motomachi Park, on the right side of Motoi-zaka Slope heading toward Hakodate Port. This consulate experienced two fires and was later rebuilt during the Showa era. It is now a Tangible Cultural Property of Hakodate City.
I originally expected the consulate to feel like a very formal government building, but up close, it actually looked more like a large European-style estate. There are double gates at the front, and a simple landscaped garden in the courtyard, giving the whole place a distinctive look. What caught my attention most was the roof. It uses traditional Japanese roof tiles paired with a blue-and-white color scheme, which unexpectedly gives it a Mediterranean feel and makes it very different from the typical image of an old Japanese building.
We stopped here briefly to take some photos, then continued walking toward the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse〜As you stroll through Hakodate's Motomachi area, every building has its own character, making it a nice place to explore and take photos along the way.
There's a café inside the British Consulate where you can enjoy afternoon tea and try some British tea. It really feels like being in Europe! Before you leave, check out the shop for some tea sets or souvenirs.
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