A new building of "Portside Inn Hakodate" opens on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in Hakodate's western district (西部地区). The three-story wooden building has 8 guest rooms and a dining space, "PSI Table", that is also open to people who are not staying at the inn. The project is led by Staple (株式会社Staple), a "soft developer" that nurtures walkable neighborhoods with a hotel at their core.
Staple began working in the western district in 2023. It has so far created a whole-building rental inn in a restored brick warehouse (opened in January 2024), taken over a café that was loved by locals for many years ("Homm", opened in February 2026), and held a Bon dance festival ("LOOOP") that drew more than 3,000 people. With the new building, lodging, a café and a dining space will be connected within walking distance, creating a way to stay in which travelers can settle into the everyday life of the town. Staple is also planning a hotel-centered complex on the waterfront, targeting 2028.
Reservations (official site): https://www.portside-inn-hakodate.com/ja/
Steps Taken in the Western District: Building Relationships With the Town Before the Inn
Staple's business is not only developing buildings but also nurturing the lives and the comings and goings of people that grow around them. In Hakodate, it has been adding bases and relationships in the western district little by little for about three years, with two aims: that people living in Hakodate can be proud of living in the town, and that the town is opened up to travelers.
Portside Inn Hakodate (January 2024)
A whole-building rental inn created by restoring a brick warehouse built in 1885, which was once a shipping agency (廻漕店). It has welcomed travelers from more than 10 countries, and about 40% of its guests come from overseas. It will be renamed "HOUSE SUITE" and continue to serve as the whole-building rental part of Portside Inn Hakodate. Together with the new building, it becomes an inn with 9 rooms in total.
LOOOP (2025 onward)
A summer festival centered on a Bon dance (盆踊り) that was revived after more than 40 years. The second edition, held in July 2026, drew more than 3,000 visitors.
Homm (February 2026)
Staple took over the café "water", which had been loved by locals for many years, under its own management. It reopened as a café where both locals and travelers can drop in casually.
Portside Inn Hakodate New Building (October 31, 2026)
8 guest rooms and the dining space "PSI Table". This is the new building opening this time.
Through these steps, more travelers have come to stay as if living in the town, rather than only visiting sightseeing spots. The new building is the next base to support such stays.
LOOOP (August 2025)
Homm
Three Features of the New Building
1. Architecture: A Modern Reinterpretation of Hakodate's Blend of Japanese and Western Styles
Hakodate is a port town that has developed its own townscape since the port opened, as different cultures and architectural styles met. The exterior of the new building combines regularly spaced wall columns reminiscent of Western architecture with the texture of Japanese plaster.
The interior features details that deliberately show the boundaries between different materials, as well as arches and curves inspired by the streetscape.
2. Room Design: Hakodate Seen From Outside, and Felt From Within
The rooms bring together the perspectives of two artists: エリザ・デフォッセ・菊地, who has roots in Hakodate and views the town from the outside, and BOTAN&sumire, who live in Hakodate and are familiar with the nature of the area.
エリザ・デフォッセ・菊地: A designer from Belgium, born in 1996. After gaining experience at Hermès, the designer founded a studio in 2021. With color, texture and comfort as themes, the work covers colors, textiles and products. The designer's grandfather lived in Hakodate, which gives the designer roots in the city.
BOTAN&sumire: Based in Hakodate, they create plant-based spatial compositions and installations. They make works that bring plants back into human spaces, using plants that grow in places that people have left, for reasons such as depopulation, and that are returning to nature.
エリザ・デフォッセ・菊地 walked around Hakodate and drew inspiration from its blend of Japanese and Western architecture and townscape, as well as the colors and curves of its stained glass, to create a motif for each of the 8 rooms. The motifs are made into block-print fabrics and used for items such as bed throws.
During the design process, the team also held discussions with local makers, reflecting in the space the landscapes and culture of Hakodate as each of them sees it. The rooms are one Loft Suite, one Group Room, one Medium Double, one Corner Double, one Loft Corner Double and three Doubles, and each has a different look. This also adds the pleasure of choosing a different room on each visit.
Room 201 | Medium Double
Room 303 | Loft Suite
The streetscape that provided the inspiration, and the block-print bed throw
Art inside the building made with locally sourced materials (by BOTAN&sumire)
3. PSI Table: Bringing Travel and the Town to One Table
PSI Table is a small seaside dining space open not only to guests but also to locals and people stopping by on their travels. In the morning it serves freshly baked crêpes. At lunch it serves galettes baked from a batter of Hokkaido-grown buckwheat flour, rested for several days. In the evening it serves small plates made with seafood from Hakodate's markets and seasonal ingredients, together with wine.
Locals come for their usual meals, and travelers join that daily life. Following Homm, the aim is to nurture a new relationship between the inn and the town by creating a place inside the inn that locals visit regularly.
- Breakfast: 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM (last order 9:00 AM), guests only
- Lunch: 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM (last order 2:30 PM)
- Dinner: 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM (last order 9:00 PM)
Seats and reservations: 8 seats. Advance reservations are not accepted for the time being. For inquiries about using PSI Table, call 050-8882-5586.
Opening Event "All Welcome / Housewarming"
To mark the opening of the new building, an event welcoming people from the town will be held. During the day, visitors can browse a mini marché and enjoy an exhibition and talk themed on kelp. From the evening, there will be DJ music and wine, and conversation over drinks. It is a day for meeting people and culture, open not only to guests but also to neighbors who want to drop in casually.
Saturday, October 31, 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM
- Mini marché: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Talk themed on kelp: 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
- Housewarming Party (DJ and wine): 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Drinks at the evening party are paid for as you order.
The latest information will be announced on the official Instagram.
Facility Overview
- Name: Portside Inn Hakodate New Building
- Opening date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
- Address: 8-29 Omachi, Hakodate, Hokkaido
- Structure and size: Three-story wooden building, total floor area 223.59 m²
- Rooms: 8 (1 Loft Suite, 1 Group Room, 1 Medium Double, 1 Corner Double, 1 Loft Corner Double, 3 Doubles). Together with the whole-building rental HOUSE SUITE, there are 9 rooms in total.
- Capacity: 2 guests per room (up to 4 for the Group Room only)
- Rate: from ¥13,200 per room per night (2 guests, no breakfast, tax and service charge included)
- Facilities: Guest rooms, dining space "PSI Table"
- Check-in / check-out: 3:00 PM / 11:00 AM
- Planning, design and space design: 株式会社Staple / staple studio
- Construction: 佐藤木材工業株式会社
- Access: About 20 minutes by taxi from Hakodate Airport. About 20 minutes by car from Hakodate IC. About 15 minutes by streetcar from JR Hakodate Station, then a 3-minute walk from the Omachi stop.
- Parking: Available (2 spaces, priority given to guests)
- Reservations: https://www.portside-inn-hakodate.com/ja/
- Instagram: @portside_inn_hakodate
