Choose Matsumae when you can give it a full day of travel: from Hakodate Station there is no direct service, and rail plus route bus with one transfer at Kikonai takes about three hours. This guide covers the approach, the walk to the Castle Museum, fees and the winter closure, the temple quarter, cherry walks and lodging.
Getting to Matsumae from Hakodate via Kikonai
There is no direct service between Hakodate and Matsumae. The usual way is to take rail to Kikonai, change there to a route bus, and allow about three hours for the whole journey from Hakodate Station. That figure shapes the rest of the day.
- By route bus and rail from Hakodate Station to Matsumae takes about 3 hours, with one transfer at Kikonai and no direct service
- By route bus from Kikonai Station to Matsumae takes about 1 hour 30 minutes
- By rental car from Hokkaido Shinkansen Kikonai Station, Matsumae is about 1 hour away
- By car from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station to Matsumae, the distance is about 90 km and takes about 1 hour 50 minutes
- By sightseeing taxi from the area around Hakodate Station to Matsumae takes about 2 hours
- Hakodate Bus says the initial fare for its route buses is 250 yen for an adult and 130 yen for a child
A rental car picked up at Kikonai Station cuts the last leg to about one hour, which is worth weighing against the longer ride by route bus. If you are starting from Hakodate with time to spare, the districts covered in Hakodate's Motomachi and Goryokaku pair naturally with this trip.
From the Bus Stop to the Castle Museum
Get off at the Hakodate Bus stop marked 松城 and continue on foot, since the Matsumae Castle Museum is about ten minutes away. Drivers who use the visitor parking lot have a shorter walk of about five minutes. The items below cover the walk, the parking and the town-only route.
- It is about a 10-minute walk from the Hakodate Bus stop marked 松城 to the Matsumae Castle Museum
- It is about a 5-minute walk from the visitor parking lot to the Matsumae Castle Museum
- The parking lot for historic site visitors and worshippers within Matsumae Park Teramachi (about 40 cars) is free of charge
- The Hakodate Bus Matsumae office business hours are 9:00-17:00
- The Hakodate Bus Matsumae office is closed on January 1, and all bus services are suspended that day
- The Tairyo-kun Bus, a town-only route, costs a flat 100 yen however far one rides
The parking lot inside Matsumae Park Teramachi is free of charge for historic site visitors and worshippers, which removes one cost from arriving by car. On foot from either starting point the museum is the natural first stop, and neither walk is long enough to need planning around.
Castle Museum and Domain Residence: Fees, Hours and Winter Closure
The Matsumae Castle Museum and the Matsumae Domain Residence keep the same opening hours, and a combined ticket covers both buildings. The table below lists the admission fees, the last-admission times, the museum's winter closure and the opening period of the Matsumae Town Local History Museum.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Castle Museum adult admission (high school students and older) | 360 yen |
| Castle Museum child admission (elementary and junior high school students) | 240 yen |
| Combined ticket for the Castle Museum and the Domain Residence, adult | 620 yen |
| Combined ticket for the Castle Museum and the Domain Residence, child | 420 yen |
| Domain Residence admission | 360 yen for adults, 240 yen for junior high school students and under |
| Castle Museum and Domain Residence opening hours | 9:00-17:00 |
| Castle Museum last admission | 16:30 |
| Domain Residence last admission | 16:30 |
| Castle Museum winter closure | December 11 to April 9 |
| Local History Museum opening period | April 10 to December 10 |
| Local History Museum hours | 9:00-17:00, last admission 16:30 |
| Domain Residence walk from Matsumae Castle | about 20 minutes |
The Matsumae Castle Museum is closed for the winter from December eleventh to April ninth. The Matsumae Town Local History Museum is open from April tenth to December tenth, the same seasonal calendar. Last admission at both the museum and the residence is at half past four.
Where to stay
Places to stay near Matsumae, Hokkaido →
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The Temple Quarter on Foot from the Castle
The temples of Teramachi stand within a short walk of Matsumae Castle, close enough to string together after the museum. Walking times from the castle are listed for each temple and for the graveyard of the Matsumae clan, the resting place of the domain's ruling family.
- Ryuunin-in is a 4-minute walk from Matsumae Castle
- It is about a 5-minute walk from Matsumae Castle to Hodoji
- It is about a 5-minute walk from Matsumae Castle to Kozenji
- It is about a 6-minute walk from Matsumae Castle to Hogenji
- It is about a 6-minute walk from Matsumae Castle to Aunji
- It is about a 5-minute walk from Matsumae Castle to the Matsumae clan graveyard
Ryuunin-in, a four-minute walk, is the closest of the group to the castle. Hogenji and Aunji, each about six minutes away, mark the longest walks in the list. That spread is small, so the order of visits matters less than the time kept for the museum.
Cherry Garden, Avenue and Other Walks
The cherry walks around Matsumae Castle begin at the castle itself. The cherry sample garden is about three minutes from the castle on foot. The items below add the blossom avenue, the Second Park, a war memorial and a cape reached by car rather than on foot.
- It is about a 3-minute walk from Matsumae Castle to the cherry sample garden
- The cherry blossom avenue is a straight road that continues for about 450 m
- It is about a 20-minute walk from Matsumae Castle to the Second Park
- It is about a 10-minute walk from Matsumae Castle to a memorial to the war dead of the former shogunate army
- It is about 14 minutes by car from Matsumae Castle toward Hakodate to Shirakami Cape
Most of these walks take a few minutes, and the longest on foot is the Second Park at about twenty minutes. Shirakami Cape is the only entry that needs a car. For another castle set among cherry trees, look at Hirosaki Castle Park in Aomori Prefecture.
Staying Overnight in Matsumae
The journey from Hakodate Station to Matsumae takes about three hours one way, with the change at Kikonai. The Matsumae Castle Museum stops admitting visitors at half past four. Together, those limits leave a narrow window for the castle, the residence and the temples.
In winter the museum itself is closed, from December eleventh to April ninth, so a stay in that season centers on the town and the temples rather than the museum. A bed in Matsumae also separates the Kikonai transfer from the sightseeing, which makes the day easier to plan. If you would like more time in town than the last admission at half past four allows, browse places to stay near Matsumae Castle.