Amazing view from the 107 meter tower and provides views of the Goryokaku Fort. The Tokugawa Shogunate, the Japanese government during the Edo period (1603-1868), closed the country to foreign commerce, except for the Netherlands and China. However, in 1854, Japan signed a friendship treaty with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia one after another. Hakodate became a port town open to foreign commerce. In 1858, Ayasaburo Takeda was designated to design the fort. He studied the fortified cities of Europe in the early modern period to design a fort that could protect against battles using guns and cannons. It took nearly seven years for the construction. The star-shaped fort was nearly completed in 1864. This is one example of European influence in Hakkadote and the island of Hokkaido. At the top of the tower is multiple exhibits depicting battles and history of the fort including the survey by 5 fleets of five ships in 1854 under the conditions of the Convention of Kanagawa, as negotiated by Commodore Matthew Perry. It’s a absolutely. fascinating.