While it is a monastery, the thing it impresses me most is the ice-cream they sell there. It is the best ice-cream I have taken in Japan. Note that this is Hokkaido and all ice-creams sold there are of very high quality. The fact that this monastery' s ice-cream can stand out among all is worth all the effort getting there. At the back of the monastery, you can hike uphill and the scenery there is very nice and mind-soothing. We did not manage to see the cherry blossom as we went there too early but I can imagine it will be a great picture if they blossom. Another thing to say is the cypress trees on both sides of the road leading to the monastery, it reminds me my trip to Tuscany last year. This row of cypress trees are more beautiful. 雖然它是一座修道院，但它給我印象最深的是他們在那裡銷售的冰淇淋。 這是我在日本吃過的最好的冰淇淋。 請注意，這是北海道，所有在那裡銷售的冰淇淋質量都很高。 這座修道院的冰激凌在所有這些事情中脫穎而出的事實值得所有努力到達那裡。 在修道院後面，您可以徒步上山，那裡的風景非常好，令人心曠神怡。 當我們過早地去那裡時，我們並沒有設法看到櫻花，但我可以想像，如果它們開花，這將是一個偉大的圖景。 另一件要說的是通往修道院的道路兩邊的柏樹，這讓我想起去年去托斯卡納的旅行。 這排柏樹更美麗。

In 1896, French priests from the Citeaux Order established this monastery. It is located a little away from Hakodate proper. It took us about 40 minutes of slow driving to get there in the Tobetsu region of Hokuto City which is right next to Hakodate to the west. There is a small parking lot good for probably a few buses plus ten or so cars. A hut is found at one corner of the parking lot where they sell ice cream, butter, and some other dairy products produced by the monks at the monastery. What you can see here is extremely limited; a ten-minute walk up to the main gate where there is a tiny room with a dozen or so photos about the monastery and the iron gate that is firmly shut. They say an arranged visit is possible with a prior reservation in writing and it is only for men. We drove a few minutes further up from the parking lot as there was a sign about a Lourdes Grotto up somewhere. But we gave up the idea of reaching it because it required another fifteen or so minutes on foot, plus a warning of wasps and higuma bears (Hokkaido version of grizzly bear). Here we were able to see some agricultural activities by the convent’s members, but no more.