Chacha-nobori-zaka

Chacha-nobori-zaka is the steepest of the celebrated slopes of Hakodate's Motomachi district, and it runs beside the cluster of historic churches that give this part of the hillside its unmistakable, storybook silhouette. The playful name is said to derive from the local expression for the way the slope's severe gradient forces people, especially the elderly, to hunch forward as they climb, chacha being a dialect word for an old person; in other words, this is the slope so steep it bends your back. That very steepness is what makes it such a rewarding viewpoint.

Motomachi is Hakodate's historic foreign quarter, and nowhere is its cosmopolitan heritage more concentrated than around Chacha-nobori-zaka. Within a few steps stand the Hakodate Orthodox Church, with its distinctive Russian Byzantine domes and white walls, the Gothic Motomachi Roman Catholic Church, and the Episcopal church, an extraordinary gathering of Christian architecture that reflects the influx of foreign missionaries and communities after the port opened to international trade in the nineteenth century. Climbing the slope, these spires and domes rise around you, and near the top, looking back, you catch the classic Hakodate view of the church rooftops set against the blue of the harbour and bay below.

The combination of steep street, European ecclesiastical architecture, and glittering sea is quintessential Motomachi, and Chacha-nobori-zaka delivers it more intensely than any of the district's other slopes because of how tightly the churches cluster along its course. The scene is beautiful in any season, but the crisp clear air of autumn and winter often gives the sharpest views, while snow on the church roofs in the depths of the Hakodate winter creates a particularly magical, almost European tableau.

Because it is genuinely steep, the slope is more of a climb than its neighbours, and the effort is part of the experience, each upward step changing the angle of the churches and gradually revealing more of the sea behind. Benches and pauses along the way let you catch your breath and admire the scene, and the surrounding lanes are dotted with cafes and shops where you can rest afterward. In winter the incline can be slippery with ice and packed snow, so careful footwear and a slow pace are essential.

The slope forms a key part of any walking tour of Motomachi, linking the church precinct to the wider network of historic streets, the old public hall, the former consulates, and the neighbouring slopes with their own framed views of the harbour. Visiting the churches themselves, several of which welcome respectful visitors, naturally combines with the climb.

Practically, Chacha-nobori-zaka is reached in a few minutes on foot from the Jujigai tram stop, in the heart of the walkable Motomachi quarter and close to the Mount Hakodate ropeway for the famous night view. It is a free, always-open public street; allow around twenty minutes to climb it, admire the churches and the sea view, and take photographs, longer if you tour the churches or linger in the cafes.

For visitors, Chacha-nobori-zaka offers the single most iconic view in Motomachi, a steep historic street rising past a remarkable trio of churches toward the shining sea, the very image that has come to symbolise Hakodate's romantic, cosmopolitan hillside.