Hakodate Museum of Art, Hokkaido

The Hakodate Museum of Art, Hokkaido opened in 1986 as the region's principal public art institution, and it remains the best place in the city to see serious painting, sculpture and calligraphy under one roof. It sits in the Goryokaku district beside the prefectural offices, only a short walk from the famous star-shaped fort and its observation tower, which makes it an easy and civilised addition to a day spent in that part of town.

The permanent collection has a clear regional identity. It focuses on artists connected to southern Hokkaido and the Do-nan area, including works by Kakizaki Hakyo, an eighteenth-century painter and retainer of the Matsumae domain whose refined bird-and-flower pictures link Hakodate to the wider currents of Edo-period art. The museum is also notably strong in calligraphy, built around the works of Kaneko Otei, a towering figure in modern Japanese calligraphic art, and it maintains one of the better collections of East Asian brushwork in the north of the country. Alongside these are modern and contemporary pieces by painters and sculptors with ties to the region, giving a sense of how artists here absorbed both Japanese tradition and Western influence flowing in through Hakodate's open port.

In truth, the permanent galleries are compact, and the museum's real energy comes from its programme of special exhibitions. Several times a year it hosts substantial touring shows — everything from ukiyo-e masters and European modernists to design, photography and popular-culture retrospectives — and these are what draw locals back. Checking what is on before you go can transform a pleasant stop into a highlight of the trip, and admission for special exhibitions is priced separately from the modest permanent-collection fee.

The building is calm and well-lit, easy to navigate in an hour or so, with comfortable galleries that never feel crowded. There is a shop with art books and postcards, restrooms, and cafes nearby in the Goryokaku shopping area for afterwards. English signage is limited, so the visual arts carry the visit, but that is little obstacle in a museum where painting and calligraphy do most of the talking.

Because of its position, the museum pairs perfectly with the neighbouring attractions: Goryokaku fort itself, glorious under cherry blossoms in spring and snow in winter; the Goryokaku Tower for an aerial view of the fort's geometry; and the reconstructed Magistrate's Office within the park. A logical route is to tour the fort and tower, then step into the art museum to slow down and warm up — especially welcome in Hakodate's long, cold winters. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays, and its central location and low entry price make it one of the city's most accessible cultural experiences.