Hakodate

Hakodate häkō´dä´tā [key], city (1990 pop. 307,249), extreme SW Hokkaido, Japan, on the Tsugaru Strait. Opened (1854) to U.S. ships and a little later (1857) to general foreign trade, it was the chief port of the island until recently replaced by Sapporo . It is linked with Aomori on Honshu by the Seikan Tunnel. A commercial and industrial center, the city's main industries are fishing, shipbuilding, and food processing. Of interest is the Goryokaku, the fort where the Tokugawa shogun made his last stand.

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