🗺️ Hakodate City Regional Exchange Center函館市地域交流まちづくりセンター

The "Hakodate City Regional Exchange Center," characterized by its circular roof, has been designated as a building of scenic significance in Hakodate City. The building, which has been in use since Taisho 12 (1923), underwent extensive renovations and was redesigned to resemble the exterior of the former Marui Imai Gofukuten Hakodate branch from that era. Inside, it retains a manually operated elevator that has been in use since the department store days, making it the oldest in the Tohoku region and northward. Visitors can ride and take photos as needed. To use the elevator, simply inform the staff. The manual elevator is completely different from modern automatic elevators, and just from its operation and appearance, one can feel a strong sense of nostalgia. The exchange center serves as a hub for regional activities and urban development, functioning as a consultation space for local citizens' activities, a tourist information center, and a consultation window for relocation and settlement, among other uses. It also features conference rooms and a hall available for rent, where lectures, events, and NPO seminars are sometimes held.

The biggest highlight is the reproduction of Western-style architecture from the Taisho era, along with the oldest manual elevator in the Tohoku region. It serves the local residents and tourists, acting as a multifunctional hub for regional activities and urban development. The facility also includes a café space and free areas.