Noboru Terauchi & Ikuko Terauchi (Chair, Himawari University, Hokuryu-cho)

Tuesday, February 26, 2020

On February 13 (Thu), Noboru Terauchi & Ikuko Terauchi, community support staff of Hokuryu-cho, gave a lecture titled "In Appreciation of 10 Years of Hokuryu-cho" at the Hokuryu-cho Himawari University lecture (hosted by the Board of Education) held in the main hall of the community center.

Lecture at Himawari University "With gratitude for 10 years in Hokuryu Town

Venue

This March marks 10 years since we moved to Hokuryu Town, Hokkaido. Looking back over the past 10 years, we would like to share with you the excitement of the many wonderful events that have taken place, and together we would like to dream of an even brighter future for Hokuryu Town.

Valentine chocolate

In honor of Valentine's Day on February 14, we have prepared small chocolates on the table.

Looking back over the past 10 years

After being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in September 2009, I had a fateful encounter with Dr. Isao Hiraba (from Hokuryu Town, former head of "Saisei no Kai," a family group for young people with dementia) in November, and was referred to see Dr. Kumiko Utsumi at Sunagawa City Hospital in December 2009. She denied having Alzheimer's disease. However, if he continues to live in his current environment, there is a possibility that his symptoms will progress and worsen in the future. We decided to change our environment and moved to Hokuryu Town in Hokkaido in April 2010.

After listening to Mr. Hiraba's story, I was inspired to visit Hokuryu Town. I dared to choose to experience the harshest season, midwinter, instead of midsummer when sunflowers bloom. The first time I visited Hokuryu-cho, it was a silver world with blizzards dancing in December.

However, those of us who live in the city were welcomed with warm hot pots of food by the "Young Dementia Family Association Sorachi Himawari" of Hokuryu Town. The warmth, compassion, and kindness of the people at that time still come back to me with a passion. This precious experience inspired me to make the decision to move to Hokuryu Town.

In Hokuryu Town, I worked for three years as a member of the Hokuryu Town Community Development Cooperation Corps of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, making use of my experience in information transmission from my previous job. After that, I continued to serve for seven years as a community support worker for Hokuryu Town, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

As these ten years have passed, our life in Hokuryu Town, surrounded by rich nature, is still a daily search for treasures that thrill our hearts. Our encounters with the warm-hearted people of Hokuryu Town have given us the courage and strength to live.

Words cannot express our infinite gratitude for your warmth, support, and encouragement to us over the past 10 years. Thank you very much.

As we celebrate our 10th anniversary this year, we are grateful for all that we have done and will do our utmost to transmit information to the best of our ability over the next 10 years as a way of repaying our debt to the people of Hokuryu Town.

Today's Content

The goal of the Hokuryu Town Portal
Access for the past 10 years
The decade in a nutshell
Looking back at articles about events over the past 10 years.
Slide video introduction of landscape photos from the past 10 years

The goal of the Hokuryu Town Portal

By shining the light of information dissemination on the charms of Hokuryu Town and letting the world know how wonderful the town is, Hokuryu Town will be recognized by the world and Hokuryu Town will be connected to the world.

Renewal of Hokuryu Town Portal 2020

Number of information disseminated over 10 years

Hokuryu Portal: 4,400
Facebook page: 1,200
Hokkaido Shimbun approved blogs: 500
Currently 1,000 articles have been updated.
──────────────────────────
　　　　　　　　Total: 7,100

9-year access (2011~2019)

1.33 million (240,000 in FY2018)
4.07 million pages (610,000 pages in FY2018)
47 prefectures in Japan
83 countries

Most Read Categories

Himawari no Sato: 980,000 times
Feature article: 230,000 times
Sunflower Hokuryu Onsen: 220,000 times
Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative: 50,000 times
Hokusho Road Race: 40,000 times
Sunflower Rice, Hokuryu Town rice: 30,000 times

Nationwide access: 1.9 million times

Access from around the world: 55,000 times

Correlation between Sunflower Village and Hokuryu Town Portal Information Dissemination

The number of visitors to Sunflower Village in 2017: 356,000, a record high!

Sunflower Village, image courtesy of -77 times (8 years)

Books, monthly magazines, travel brochures (JTB, HIS, JAL, ANA, AIRDO)
Film PR video (Photo Koshien)

The World's Greatest Scenery Experience! The World's Greatest Scenery Experience" (Japanese only)

Japan: A Journey of Great Views (New Earth Discovery Journeys)

The Best Views of Japan" (Japanese only)

Kotripu Magazine Vo.5 Summer 2015 Edition"

Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, monthly women's magazine "Riburu

Tobu Top Tours (Tokyo) Hokkaido 2017 Travel and Brochure Cover

Our immigration history

September 2009: Diagnosed with juvenile dementia (53 years old at the time), met Isao Hiraba, the head of the Young Dementia Family Association.
March 2010: Moved to Hokuryu Town
Mr. Isao Hiraba is our life saver. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone at Sorachi Himawari, the Young Dementia Family Association.

Ten years in a nutshell.

The spirit that Hokuryu Town has inherited and nurtured from its predecessors has been recognized throughout Japan and abroad for the past 10 years.

9 years (102 months) of Hokuryu Town Portal feature articles: 735 (61 articles/year)

Here are 45 that we found impressive.

July 2010: As a member of the Japan Regional Development Cooperation Volunteer Association, he began posting information on his blog!
July 2011: Hokuryu Town Portal opened. Full-scale dissemination of information on Hokuryu Town begins!

2011 (Heisei 23)

Coverage from sowing to harvest

（Kenichi Doi, Representative, Farm Tomorrow, Inc.

Masayasu Kikura, President, Natural Farm Kikura

（Minoru Sato, Representative

September: Autumn Festival at Shinryu Shrine

November: JA Kino Pappio Sales Promotion

2012 (Heisei 24)

May: Visited Honno Village (now Inzai City, Chiba Prefecture)

Year of the Dragon: 120 years ago, Shoichiro Yoshiue broke ground in Hokkaido, the land of the north, and it is still being passed down today.

The soul of agriculture is to nurture life, and food is the spirit of life.

Experienced the words that Ryoji Kikura always speaks, "History is a conversation between the past and the present.

September: Hokkaido Regional Creation Forum in Hokuryu

2013 (Heisei 25)

March: National Soba Excellent Production Award "Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize" for the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Soba Production Group.

The entire organization, from production to sales, is working together.

April: start of referrals for Hokuryu Town residents (as of December 2019: 369)

A beautiful smile in Hokuryu Town.

July: Hokuryu Fire Company 100th Anniversary Celebration

Safe and secure life of the town's residents, which we have continued to protect.

November: 25th anniversary concert of Hokuryu-cho Himawari Chorus, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony "Ode to Joy" resounds

A song of joy that resonates with the joy of the townspeople

December: Mr. Masami Kitakiyo, 2013 Autumn Conferment of Decoration

The "Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star" celebration. The greatness of people who devote their lives to serving the people of the town.

Since the article was published, it has been accessed 42,500 times (an average of 19 times daily)!　The people of Hokuryu-cho will always live on in the hearts of people all over Japan.

2014 (2014)

June: "Minoricchi Hokuryu Grand Opening," an agricultural and livestock direct sales shop in Hokuryu Town.

The love of the mothers of Hokuryu-machi that goes into the vegetables

August: 480 run through Hokusho Town in the 50th Hokuryu Road Race

The sporting spirit of the townspeople has been passed down for half a century.

November: Hokkaido Fair at Farmers Market Itoman-Umanchu Market (Itoman City, Okinawa)

Passion for Delicious Rice from Hokuryu-cho to Okinawa

2015 (2015)

March: Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative 10th Anniversary Celebration

The spirit of mutual support among producers is embodied in the Kuro Sengoku soybeans.

June: More energy for the town with flowers, Royal Hanging Basket Master of England, Mayor Yutaka Sano

Mayor Sano loves flowers and his town.

July: Commemorating the 3,000th day of zero traffic accident deaths, Hokkaido Police Band performance and Jampo human wave movement held

The united efforts of Hokuryu Town residents to achieve 5,000 days of zero deaths from traffic accidents

2016 (2016)

February: Yukio Takada, President of Hokkaido's only Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative, certified at the 15th Regional Specialty Products Meister Gathering (Tokyo).

Hokkaido's only regional specialty product master

February: Hekisui Neighborhood Association Women's Club Activities and Processing Center @ Shokunin Koubou Palm (Hokuryu Town)

Mothers in Hokuryu-cho who show their love to their families

April: First participation of Hokuryu-cho in Togoshi Shopping Street joint event "Togosupo" (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)

Producers take action to promote their specialties in downtown Tokyo.

October: The Mayor is a bus guide - Mayor Yutaka Sano of Hokuryu Town - CB Tours

The town's mayor, Mr. Sano, has a vision to promote the splendor of Hokuryu Town himself. This bus tour has been held annually since that year, and this year, 2020, will mark the 5th time.

November: Participation in the 24th Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF 2016, Taiwan), Beilong Town

Start of promotional activities in Taiwan

December: Celebration! Hokuryu Land Improvement District, 100th Anniversary Celebration

The soul of a land improvement district that has been protecting "water, land, and greenery" for a century

2017 (29th year of normality)

January: Marumoto, Community-wide Vigor Up Program (Hokuryu Town)

Hokuryu Town residents who enjoy life with healthy bodies and cheerful minds.

February: 30th YUUKINKO Festival 2017 - full of children's smiles!

Connecting Children's Smiles through the Activities of Hokuryu Town's Youth

February: Product development of Brilliant Sunflower Oil (Hokuryu Town x Nissin Oillio Group)

Sunflower oil is back!

March: 46th Japan Agricultural Award Ceremony at NHK Hall "Hokuryu Town Sunflower Rice Production Cooperative" awarded Grand Prize!

Thanks to! Japan Agricultural Award Grand Prize Winner: Hokuryu Town Sunflower Rice Production Association!

June: "Sapporo Hokuryu-kai 2017," an association of people from Hokuryu-cho with a 50-year history (Sapporo)

A native of Hokuryu who loves and supports his hometown

July: "Dementia Farewell in Hokuryu," a project to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Sorachi Himawari, a family association for young people with dementia, was held.

Caring for people with dementia and disabilities in the town of Hokuryu

July: Public wedding ceremony "Yoshiaki Suda & Satoko Watanabe" at Himawari no Sato

Celebrating the whole town with a public wedding ceremony at Sunflower Village

December: Beiryu Town product exhibition "Rice, Kuro Sengoku Soybeans, Sunflower Oil" held at Yuh Mao Ya (Taichung, Taiwan)

Safe and Secure Hokuryu Town Specialty Products Delivered to Taiwan

2018 (2018)

March: Team North Dragon receives the Kitashin "Hometown Promotion Fund and Hometown Revitalization Grand Prize" in 2009.

Youth activities to promote the town's specialties beyond organizational barriers

April: COCOWA, a commercial revitalization facility in Hokuryu-cho, opens.

Rescuing Shopping Refugees Commercial Revitalization Facility Cocowa

August: Hokuryu Town Planning Opinion Exchange Meeting, Project to Revitalize Hokuryu Town by Design

Exchange with experts on connecting the dreams of the Sunflower Village.

September: 2008 Gathering of the elderly in Hokuryu-cho, Sorachi

The elderly who live with a cheerful and bright smile 2018.

November: Discover the treasures of rural villages

The 5th Certificate of Excellence was awarded to Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative (Hokuryu-cho, Hokkaido) (at Prime Minister's Official Residence) & Marche (Tokyo Nihonbashi Tower).
Activities of Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative recognized by the government

2019 (the first year of the 2021 calendar year)

January: Hokuryu Town indoor park golf club activities

The gymnasium is filled with smiling faces!　Hokuryu residents enjoying sports with smiles even in winter

July: Courtesy visit to users of Himawari Rice in East Hokkaido, traveling about 1,000 km in 3 days

Courtesy visit to Sunflower Rice users

Oct : 2028 : Amateur Soba maker 4th Dan Skill Test in Hokuryu Town

Hokkaido Branch Hokuryu Certification Association (Hokuryu Town) held the first "Amateur Soba Making 4-Dan Proficiency Test" in Hokuryu Town.

October: Kengo Kuma & Terutaka Suzuki

Lecture on town development in Hokuryu Town, "From the New National Stadium to Hokuryu Town. Kengo Kuma's Focus on Town Development in Hokuryu Town

October: 4th Sunflower Village Basic Plan Formulation Committee meeting with town residents with Kengo Kuma

December: Kengo Kuma-designed Yawara Nursery School in Hokuryu Town under construction.

Completed construction of Yawara Nursery School in Hokuryu Town, designed by Kengo Kuma.

2020 (2020)

Jan : Celebration! Yutaka Sano won uncontested election & Mayor Hokuryu's election, street speeches

Mayor Yutaka Sano, in his third term, is promoting the creation of a town where people can share in the joy of life!

Video Appreciation

Smiles in Hokuryu Town

Colorful scenery of Hokuryu Town

Four Seasons in Hokuryu Town

Thank you for your attention.
We will continue to search for the treasures of Hokuryu-cho and do our utmost to disseminate information with all our hearts.
We look forward to working with you for many years to come.

Thank you very much for your cooperation today.

Related Articles

interpoint (interword separation)Click here for all 124 slides from the lecture >>
interpoint (interword separation)Index of featured articles from 2011 to 2019

◇ Photography and Editing: Noboru Terauchi Reporting and Writing: Ikuko Terauchi