We have been to Hakodate, Hokkaido (the north island) many times, but are usually too tired in the evening to drive up the mountain to view the city at night, even though it is famous! Too much fishing, I guess! Well, this time we did and it was a beautiful site--the city is on a strip of land between the main part of the island and a mountain that juts out into the sea, so the night lights make an interesting shape. We could also see the professional squid fishermen out fishing with their nets and bright lights.
On a "darker" note, I forgot to mention that I got my first speeding ticket in Japan on our trip with the grandparents. I was trying to listen very carefully to Grandpa's stories and wasn't paying attention to my speed. Well, I was 22 km over and got a nice fine. After the fact, Grandpa remembered that the strip of road we were on is famous for speed traps--a bit late, Gramps! Oh well!