The star shape
From the tower.
掬茶 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · bryan... — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Goryokaku-Tower — CC BY 4.0 · ぽん吉 — CC BY 3.0 · 663highland — CC BY 2.5 · 663highland — CC BY 2.5 · Yamaguchi Yoshiaki from Japan — CC BY-SA 2.0 · 掬茶 — CC BY-SA 4.0
A five-pointed star fort in Hakodate, designed in 1855 by the scholar Takeda Ayasaburō after studying modern European fortifications, and completed in 1866, two years before the end of shogunate rule. The star shape allowed more guns on the walls and fewer blind spots that cannon could not reach. In 1869 it became the headquarters of the short-lived Republic of Ezo and saw the last battle of the Boshin War; most of its buildings were then torn down and it lay unused. It became a public park in 1914 and a Special Historic Site in 1952. Its great beauty is the cherry trees along the moats, which usually bloom in late April and early May. At its centre the Hakodate Magistrate's Office was rebuilt with traditional methods in 2010, and next door Goryōkaku Tower shows the full star from above. The park is free. The tower costs 1,200 yen, according to its official site, and the Magistrate's Office about 500 yen, per visitor guides. It is about a 15-minute walk from Goryōkaku-kōen-mae tram stop.
From the tower.
Late April.
Rebuilt in 2010.
Goryōkaku-chō, Hakodate
From the deck of the neighbouring Goryōkaku Tower, 1,200 yen according to its official site; the park itself is free.