Trappistine Monastery

Trappistine Convent (officially, Our Lady of the Angels Trappistine Convent) is Japan’s first contemplative convent for women, located near Yunokawa Onsen in Hakodate. It is also commonly called "Tenshien." Under a strict way of life, the convent has been women-only since its establishment in 1898, and the sisters still live in self-sufficiency while dedicating themselves to prayer. The front garden is open to the public, and even men may enter up to the museum/shop area, but access beyond that is strictly prohibited. A major highlight for visitors is the convent’s handmade cookies and madeleine cakes, which are famous and highly appreciated as souvenirs. The sisters structure their days around prayer, work, and sacred reading, praying to God seven times a day and maintaining a disciplined routine. On special occasions such as Christmas, Easter, and memorial prayers for the end of the war, the convent sometimes accepts public participation—and only at those times can visitors enter areas that are normally off-limits. Walking the straight 800-meter poplar-lined path toward the brick convent building is said to bring a calming, reflective feeling. Access is about 40 minutes by bus from Hakodate Station.