Located about a 10-minute walk from Hakodate Station, I had a luxurious breakfast at the Free Market. Normally, I go to the Hakodate Morning Market, but a friend recommended the Free Market so I decided to give it a try. There are various shops, so you can buy your favorite items from your favorite shop. There is an eat-in space where you can enjoy your meal. The charcoal grill corner is available for 400 yen per person (1 hour). I had grilled silver cod, salmon, oysters, and scallops, which were delicious. It takes about 15 minutes to start the charcoal, so it might be a good idea to make a reservation in advance. They also offer white rice (200 yen) and miso soup (100 yen), which are perfect accompaniments to the seafood. It was a luxurious breakfast. For a family of four, including the cost of ingredients and the charcoal grill corner, it was around 10,000 yen. Seafood in Hokkaido is just too delicious.

The sashimi at the free market is incredibly fresh and delicious. There are so many shops to choose from, it's hard to decide. This time, I had sashimi of fatty tuna, eel offcuts, pickled mackerel, and fresh squid. The squid from Hakodate is a must-buy because you can only get it there. It's seriously delicious. The texture is great too. And the squid from Maehama in Hakodate, living in fast ocean currents, has an amazing flavor. It's hard to find such delicious squid elsewhere. The pickled mackerel is made with local mackerel from Hakodate, so it has a unique flavor and is really tasty. It's amazing. I plan to go back again soon!

The next morning, when you think of the morning in Hakodate, you might think of the Hakodate Morning Market, but since I have been there several times, this time I went to Hakodate Jiyu Ichiba, which was recommended by a local. It is a bit far from the station. The Hakodate Morning Market opens early in the morning and has a wide variety of food and beverage options. Hakodate Jiyu Ichiba is smaller compared to the morning market, but seafood is reasonably priced. It seems to be popular among locals as well. On days with the number 8 in them, there is a special sale! The market opens at 8 o'clock, a bit later. There are a few eat-in restaurants. They sell sashimi inside the market, and you can eat what you buy at the eat-in space inside the market. They also sell rice, miso soup, bottled beer, and more! This time, I enjoyed tuna offcuts and squid sashimi that I purchased inside the market with rice and beer! There is a charcoal grill space inside where you can use it for 500 yen per hour, and you can grill dried fish, clams, and more that you purchased on the spot!

Booty - Hokkaido red salmon sweet salt half body 5 cut drop - the same, harasu bento cut drop - Toi fried bluefin tuna medium fatty tuna fence - Hakodate fried dried squid - the same, overnight dried - Hakodate fried true cod kelp closing - Hokkaido scallop dried scallop I've been buying here since my student days when I worked part-time at a shop. It's been over 30 years now. I buy groceries here as I age. I have not used Hakodate morning market.

Hakodate Asaichi market is popular among tourists, but I heard that the Hakodate Jiyu Ichiba market is recommended for locals, so I decided to check it out. And it turned out to be the best memory I had in Hakodate! The market is filled with numerous seafood stalls, it's overwhelming. I had heard about the eat-in corner offering rice and miso soup, so I wandered around to buy sashimi. I got a platter of maguro with chu-toro, akami, and toro for about 2,000 yen. Surprisingly, 3 red clams were only 1,800 yen. I also wanted to try sea urchin, so I got some saltwater sea urchin for about 4,000 yen. I ordered rice and miso soup, and it was such a luxurious breakfast. The eat-in corner also had soy sauce and wasabi, it was perfect. The miso soup with snow crab was a bit lukewarm, which was a bit disappointing. But the sashimi was incredibly fresh, the red clam had a great texture and flavor, and the maguro was sweet and fatty. The sea urchin was so luxurious, I enjoyed it on top of rice. The Hakodate Jiyu Ichiba market is amazing! They also have a corner for grilling, so next time I definitely want to try grilling some seafood. I also bought some dried goods as souvenirs, and even had a whole cut of red salmon sent to my home. The red salmon that arrived later was incredibly delicious, I was so excited. I really enjoyed the Hakodate Jiyu Ichiba market, highly recommended!

I bought and had sent a souvenir of hairy crab, and enjoyed abalone, oysters, and sashimi. There was only non-alcoholic beer available, but I also bought some rice and had a delicious meal. It's nice to have places like this in the local area. Highly recommended.

Hakodate Station is a bit far from the market. There is a dining area where you can buy rice for 200 yen and enjoy the sashimi you bought at the market. I recommend trying the shrimp (1000 yen), tuna (500 yen), squid, and surf clam. It's great value for money. Surprisingly, there are also plenty of vegetables for sale, including delicious ones.

I revisited the citizens' kitchen, the Free Market, for brunch on the last day. I also came here to buy seafood to take back to Yokohama. The list of "spoils" will be attached at the end, but my tuna box was full! For brunch, there are tables set up in a corner of the market where you can enjoy your purchases. In the past, there was soy sauce, chopsticks, and even wasabi, but this time I couldn't find any wasabi. Also, there used to be a delivery service for rice and miso soup from the market's cafeteria, but it seems like that wasn't available this time. I discovered some slight issues with a few of my purchases later, but they promptly addressed them. Thank you and bon appétit. Taking into account my previous experience, this time I brought along: 1) paper plates and bowls, soy sauce containers, glass containers, etc. 2) a simple cooler box to keep drinks cold 3) a tumbler, hot water, and instant miso soup for a warm option 4) wet wipes for cleaning hands after handling shrimp 5) salt and lemon because fresh squid tastes better with salt and lemon (or sudachi) rather than wasabi. Spoils list: - 8 button shrimps (Kawakami Fish Store) for 1000 yen - 1 slab of medium fatty tuna (Takahashi Fish Store) for 2000 yen - 3 abalones (Sato Store) for 2000 yen - half a flounder for 1500 yen - tuna belly for 500 yen - 3 live squids for 1700 yen - squid sashimi pack for 500 yen - grilled scallops for 800 yen - kelp for 500 yen - a sea bream for 1500 yen, and so on.

Head to the Hakodate Jiyu Market near the Hakodate City Tram Shinkawa-cho Station. Unlike the crowded touristy morning market near the station, this market is rooted in the local community. They have a shared eat-in area with soy sauce and chopsticks provided, so you can buy sashimi and eat it on the spot. You can also buy alcohol from a nearby convenience store. Enjoy a morning feast of fresh fish with beer and sake. It's the highlight of a train trip. - Scallop: 800 yen - Spear squid: 500 yen - Local tuna: 500 yen - Aomori Strait salmon: 500 yen The scallops are large and come in two full pieces, very filling. The raw scallops have a blackish tip, but when cooked, they turn into the vibrant red color we're used to seeing. They have a rich, sweet taste without any fishy smell. Beer alone won't do them justice, so the sake was a great choice. Local tuna from the Tsugaru Strait, on the other side of the famous Oma in Aomori, is also well-known. It's incredibly tender and melts in your mouth. The Aomori Strait salmon is domestically farmed in the rough waves of the Tsugaru Strait. It has a similar fat marbling to Norwegian salmon, but the firm, plump flesh is a result of being tossed by the rough waves.

They gave me a discount because the portion was a bit smaller. Much appreciated.

The sashimi was fresh, especially the medium fatty tuna and salmon were delicious with their rich flavors.

I love this rice bowl restaurant. You can choose your own ingredients and they are fresh and delicious.

I buy sashimi and souvenirs here. There is a dining area. You can also go squid fishing. They can cook grilled dishes, so you can eat hokke and shellfish on the spot. There are no aggressive sales tactics like at Hakodate Morning Market, and you can leisurely shop without feeling pressured to buy anything.