Zipair to Tokyo, Hakodate 去东京，函馆

Apr 22, 2024: Early in the morning, an Uber driver picked us up for our ride to the airport. In the car, we noticed the driver’s self-written autobiography, titled The Okoboji Kid, hanging on the back of the seat. This 75-year-old gentleman, who grew up by Lake Okoboji in Iowa, now drives in the early hours to earn a living—truly admirable. We shared our experiences of Iowa, had a great conversation, and before we knew it, we were at the airport to catch our Southwest Airlines flight to San Francisco.

At the San Francisco airport, we transferred to Zipair, a low-cost subsidiary of Japan Airlines, for our flight to Tokyo. This was our first time flying with Zipair, which offers reasonably priced flat-bed seats. Aside from the bed, nothing else is provided—not even blankets, pillows, or bottled water, all of which cost extra. When we booked our tickets, we opted for a package deal that included all these items. Being able to sleep flat on a flight lasting over ten hours from the U.S. to Japan was worth it. We woke up in Tokyo feeling refreshed. Since we arrived in Tokyo late, we stayed at a hotel near the airport for the night.

In the morning of Apr 24, before catching the train, we wandered around the neighborhood near the hotel. Then we took the Shinkansen to Hakodate. We purchased a seven-day JR Pass for convenience before this trip started. The train ride was smooth and we arrived in Hakodate, Hokkaido, around 2 in the afternoon.

The weather wasn’t in our favor, with wind and rain making us shiver, but we still managed to take a long walk around the bay area, visiting sights such as the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses, Hachiman-zaka Slope, Hakodate Orthodox Church, and the Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward.

In the evening, we dined at a small restaurant in Hakodate Daimon Yokocho. This area has over twenty small bars and restaurants, each seating fewer than ten people. We sat around the bar, eating, drinking, and chatting with others occasionally. Although we couldn’t understand their conversations, we enjoyed the lively atmosphere.

We had originally planned to visit the mountaintop for the night view but decided against it due to the cold weather. Instead, we enjoyed the night view from the hot springs on the rooftop of our hotel, which offered a unique and memorable experience.

去东京，函馆

四月二十二日：一早Uber司机来接我们去机场，车上放着他自己撰写的自传书 “The Okoboji kid”。在爱荷华州Okoboji湖边长大的七十五岁大伯早上二点外出开车赚钱，真不容易。因为有爱荷华的共同经历，我们一路谈得投机，不知不觉就到了机场，搭坐西南航空去旧金山。

在旧金山机场转机搭乘日航的廉价子公司Zipair航空去东京。这是我们第一次尝试这家航空公司，它提供价格还能接受的躺平舱。除了给床铺外，什么都没有，连毯子，枕头和瓶装水都要花钱买的。我们当初买票时索性一起买了个package, 这样所有的东西都有了。从美国到日本十几个小时的飞机，能一路躺平睡着去东京还是值得的，一觉醒来已到达东京。因为很晚才到机场，我们先在机场边的旅馆住了一晚。

第二天一早坐高铁去函馆，我们买了七天的JR通票，乘坐火车会方便些。下午二点多就到了北海道的函馆。

天公不作美，刮风下雨，把我们冻得瑟瑟发抖。但还硬撑着出去走了一大圈，把湾区里的景点金森红砖仓库，二十坡，哈利斯特斯东正教堂，旧函馆区公会堂等通通扫了一遍。

晚上在函馆大门横丁的一家小店里用餐。大门横丁里二十几家小酒店，每家就只能坐上不到十人，大家围坐在吧台边喝酒吃饭聊天，虽然我们听不懂他们对话，但觉得气氛有点意思。

原本想去山顶看夜景，实在冻得不行，就去旅馆房顶上泡温泉看夜景，别有一番风味。