The Super Hakucho #15 train had left JR Aomori Station in Aomori prefecture in northern Honshu of Japan more than an hour ago.

The scenery flying past the window had not changed much - farmland, small towns and more farmland growing fainter in the fading light.

The fast train was heading for Hakodate at the southern tip of Hokkaido. I was going to see the city's famous lights.

The night views from its highest point, Mount Hakodate, are among the finest in the world, after Naples in Italy and Hong Kong.

"That's Hakodate," said the girl next to me. We were arriving at the right time; the city was just turning on its megawatt smile.

From Hakodate Station, I boarded a tour bus that lurched up Mount Hakodate's 334m incline.

It was pitch-dark and freezing but that didn't matter because every now and then, through the window, came tantalising glimpses of the extremely bright and beautiful landscape below.

At the summit, busloads of people were making their way to the observation platforms, which are on several levels. From any one of them, you get spectacular, unobstructed views of the city (above) - which spreads out across an anvil-shaped peninsula - and Tsugaru Strait.

The Russian Orthodox Church is one of the classical Western-style buildings in Hakodate.

Hoping to get another perspective on the romantic night views, I lined up for a place on the cable car (the Mt Hakodate Ropeway, it is called) going down to the bus park. Unfortunately, it got pretty crowded and only those lucky enough to be pressed against the windows saw anything of the lights.

Boarding the bus to my hotel, I caught glimpses of chic apartment buildings, charming houses and hotels perched on the slopes.

There were a number of classical buildings too, a testament to Hakodate's long history of contact with foreign cultures as Japan's first port of international trade.

Morning market

The following morning, I headed for Hakodate's renowned morning market, which is open daily from 5am to noon.

About 400 stalls sell various types of fresh seafood such as crabs (kani), squid, salmon eggs (ikura) and sea urchin (uni), arranged neatly in rows, chilled by crushed ice.

Seafood is in abundance here because three currents meet in the sea around Hakodate, bringing a bounty of marine life with them.

Guess who's the beauty at the morning market?

As I was passing by a stall selling the largest crabs I have ever seen, its proud owner came up to me, waving a set of crab legs that were over 30cm long.

"You very beautiful!" he exclaimed in halting English, gesturing that we take a picture.

That must be the sales patter he tried on Hakodate housewives, who probably told him to save it for tourists like me!

Feeling a little foolish holding up the humongous crab legs in the air, the crab guy and I smiled for the camera.

And I'm still not sure whether he had showered the compliment on me or his prized crustacean.

I next went in search of the famous Hokkaido ice cream.

I was lucky. Tucked away in a corner, away from all the fish, was an ice cream shop run by two young women.

Although it was chilly, I wasn't going to let a little thing like the weather stop me from biting into a scoop of Cookies 'n' Cream. The ice cream was delicious - smooth and creamy but not overly rich.

A must-try is Hakodate's squid because it is so fresh. Eat it with ramen for a simple yet flavourful meal.

You won't go hungry at the market - a number of restaurants are ready and waiting to feed you all the fresh seafood you can eat!

Merlion Park

Homesick Singaporeans will feel at home at the Merlion Park.

The last place I'd expect to find a slice of home would be Hakodate, but in a park a short distance from the morning market were no less than three Merlion statues. The big one was even spouting water like the one on Marina Bay!

Merlion Park was set up by the late Masaru Yanagisawa, the honorary tourism consul of the Singapore Tourism Board and chairman of the Hakodate Singapore Society.

He admired Singapore so much that he took the city's icons back with him to Japan.

Besides the Merlions, he installed a trishaw in the lobby of his hotel, the Hakodate Royal, offered Singapore Slings at its bar and named the souvenir shop Sentosa. So if ever you are homesick in Hakodate, you know where to go for a quick fix.

Photos: Paula Grosse, Jamie Koh and Hakodate Tourism Board

This article was first published in the Special Projects Unit, The Straits Times on Mar 25, 2008.