Exchange meeting between Shimokawa Town and Hokuryu Town (exchange of opinions) Part 1

Monday, October 25, 2021

The exchange (exchange of opinions) between Shimokawa Town and Hokuryu Town was realized through the introduction of Mr. Noboru Terauchi (34 years old, currently in the Corporate Planning Department of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), who is a junior colleague of Mr. Noboru Terauchi (former head of Corporate Planning Group, Nippon Foundation, concurrently serving as NPO), former Vice President of the NPO CANPAN Center (Tokyo, Japan).

Shimokawa Town is an "Environmental Future City" (population approx. 3,200) with 90% of its area surrounded by forests, and was one of the first towns to establish a recycling-oriented forest management system.

Shimokawa Town Hall

Seki Oosan (third highest of the eight hereditary titles)

Mr. Sekio visited Shimokawa-cho as an intern during his college years. He was so fascinated by the town that he has been coming to Shimokawa for the past 13 years and continues to call it his second home.

Mr. Seki currently works in the Corporate Planning Department of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and is in charge of promoting sustainability management. As a demonstration of his working style, he proposed "remote work and contribution to the local community in Shimokawa Town," which was approved and resulted in a two-month work vacation in Shimokawa Town. During the work vacation period, the two towns discussed an exchange program between Shimokawa and Hokuryu, and the program was implemented.

Exchange of opinions between Shimokawa Town and Hokuryu Town

The schedule includes a visit to Shimokawa Town Hall at 10:00 on the day of the meeting to exchange views in the conference room.

Shimokawa Town Hall Policy Promotion Division

From Shimokawa Town, Mr. Yasushi Tamura, Manager of the Policy Promotion Division, Mr. Shinji Kameda, Chief, Mr. Tatsunobu Endo, Chief, Ms. Hitomi Shimizu, and Mr. Yu Seki participated in the meeting.

Noboru Terauchi, community support worker, Hokuryu Town

Noboru Terauchi, Hokuryu-cho community support staff member, introduced himself, the town of Hokuryu, and explained the efforts of the Hokuryu-cho Portal.

1. Our Thoughts
   The people of Hokuryu Town must live brightly and cheerfully."
   Information dissemination ⇒ Sympathy for excitement and joy ⇒ Cheering and support ・Information dissemination is to shed light on the way of life cultivated by the people of Hokuryu Town.
   Connecting and expanding with people who share our excitement and joy
   Pulsating, breathing information is transmitted every day.
2. Overview of the Hokuryu Town Portal
   Develop annual plan
   Daily updates from Hokuryu Town
   Sunflower blooming status will be sent out every day during the Sunflower Festival.
   Several topics per month in the town
   Daily Facebook and Instagram articles by town residents
   News about Hokuryu Town
3. View of Hokuryu Town(Youtube video screening)
   interpoint (interword separation)To thank the town of Hokuryu for the past 10 years.
   
interpoint (interword separation)Four Seasons in Hokuryu Town

We are very concerned about how much our thoughts and feelings are conveyed in our information dissemination. We hope to connect with people who share our thoughts and feelings.

We will continue to send out information as long as our minds and bodies can move, hoping that our love for Hokuryu-cho, our life-giver, will be well conveyed.

We strive to send out information in a way that makes the recipients of our information feel cheerful and energized," he said.

exchange of opinions

Then, the staff members exchanged opinions with each other about the current situation and initiatives in their towns.

• The Hokuryu Town Portal is characterized by the fact that information is disseminated quite frequently and continuously. I felt that the information is disseminated in a way that brings a smile to the faces of the townspeople.
• Hokuryu Town is the kind of town that makes you want to live there just by hearing about it!
• Receiving and introducing messages of support for Furusato is something we have not noticed before and would like to incorporate in the future. I have a strong idea of summarizing and informing the use of Furusato tax donations. If we can transmit the messages of support we receive to the townspeople, their awareness may change!
• In response to the question, "What methods are you using to get more townspeople to view the Hokuryu Town portal site?"

  　Some town residents, such as the elderly, do not have access to the Internet. Therefore, we have been bringing my projector to meetings of neighborhood associations, senior citizens' clubs, and community support centers at every opportunity, explaining feature articles and event information on the Hokuryu Town Portal. The people who receive our explanations say, "I didn't know this was going on in town!　I didn't know! I didn't know that!

• Smiling faces of Hokuryu townspeople and photos of their pets would be nice.
• It's a very thoughtful information transmission.
• When I read the Hokuryu Town Portal, I can feel that everyone in Hokuryu Town is united in their efforts to create a town with a united spirit.



Town Hall Lobby

After the exchange of opinions, Mr. Seki explained about the chainsaw art displayed in the lobby of the town hall and specialty products from Shimokawa Town.

chainsaw art



Furusato Tax Returns BEST15

Flour Haruyutaka, Asparagus (white and green), Tomato juice, Shimokawa Udon noodles, Shiitake mushrooms, Haruka Eight (mini tomatoes), Yukifuri pudding, Shimokawa Roku○ enzyme eggs, Super fruit tomato "Kita no Kyoku", custom made tables, Gomi Onsen, Shirakaba business cards, Todomatsu business card mount.



Photo exhibit of the movie "Restart" set in Shimokawa-cho



Town Hall General Counter



Iteza no Machi Shimokawa (Entrance mat)



Lunch: Harukoro Cafe

Lunch was at Harukoro Cafe, located in Maru Sasaki's Information Dissemination Cafe. The pasta with Shimokawa udon noodles cooked with love and care by Kinuyo's mother, a 12-year Shimokawa resident, is very popular!



Wooden tables and chairs set in the garden



menu

noodles with bits of deep-fried tempura batter

Shimokawa udon noodles boiled from fresh noodles are popular!　White sauce udon, curry udon, Shimokawa tomato sauce udon, bukkake vegetable tempura udon, etc.



Harukoro Bread Set

Homemade bread with 3 toppings (honey, butter, red bean paste, onion miso, cream).



Kinuyo Mama's thoughtfulness

Kinuyo Mom kindly provided us with "freshly baked homemade focaccia & honey (honey from Shimokawa)! We tasted "freshly baked homemade focaccia & honey (honey from Shimokawa)!



Today's Order

Warm tomato sauce udon noodles with enoki mushroom chips and simmered vegetables



Udon noodles with white sauce



Tomato sauce flavored udon and white sauce flavored udon were very delicious. Thank you for the treat!

Specialty souvenirs corner lined up on store shelves

Honey from Shimokawa, Udon noodles made of 100% Shimokawa wheat Haruyutaka, etc.



Hometown Genki Tomato Juice



Wooden single-flower vase, pincushion wood holder



It is a wonderful cafe where you can relax and enjoy a delicious lunch while listening to various stories about the town of Shimokawa-cho.

Sakuragaoka Park

After lunch, we went to Sakuragaoka Park.



The Great Wall of China surrounds the park. This path has become Mr. Seki's morning walking course.



Easy walking paths paved with wood chips



chainsaw art

Chainsaw art is displayed in the park square. In Shimokawa Town, where forestry is flourishing, chainsaw art using forest resources is being planned and implemented.

The "Chainsaw Art Masters Competition" held in Shimokawa Town is a three-day (17 hours in total) event in which participants carve a single log (50 cm in diameter and 3.65 m in length) with a chainsaw to create a work of art. Chainsaw artists from Japan and abroad gather to participate in this event.



An impressive lineup of previous award-winning works





Gardening Forest "Frepée"

A multi-purpose event space and rest area located on the grounds of Sakuragaoka Park.



Spacious and bright space

A spacious and bright space with high ceilings and the scent of wood. The tree truss structure provides good acoustics and is suitable for music concerts.



Aroma oil, herb tea, etc.

Various products such as aroma oil and herb tea are created and sold from organic herbs grown without pesticides in the town's fields.



SORRY KOUBOU

Sells herbal tinctures, herbal oils, herbal cosmetics, herbal soaps, and herbal teas.



Board game store "Asobeya

Kenichiro Nasu, a native of Nagoya, moved to Shimokawa-cho in 1999 and opened a board game store, Asobeya. Board game tournaments (social gatherings) are held once a month in Shimokawa Town.

Several board games are on display in the museum.



Handmade workshop "Yushin

A variety of lovely ceramics.



Furniture workshop "Fox in the Forest

Cutlery that makes use of the bark of wood (oak, white birch, walnut, etc.).



It is a very pleasant spot, with the trees turning autumn colors and a refreshing breeze blowing through.

Memorial Plaza and Hometown Exchange Center



Great Wall of China

The 2km-long wall was built over 15 years from 1986 by piling up more than 150,000 stones. It is a sightseeing spot handmade by the townspeople.



Shimokawa-cho mini ski resort/jumping ground

Free ski slope using ski rope lift. In the past, Takanobu Okabe, Noriaki Kasai, and Yuki Ito all practiced on this ski slope for the normal hill jump.



While savoring the beauty of the forests tinted with autumn leaves, we realized the vastness of Shimokawa Town (total area: 644.2 km²), which is about four times the size of Hokuryu Town (total area: 158.7 km²).

After this, we headed to the "Town Development Center Komorebi" where we met up with Mr. Kameda.

More Photos

▶Click here for 242 photos of the exchange meeting between Shimokawa Town and Hokuryu Town >>

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

Shimokawa Town

Shimokawa Town Hall
　63, Saiwai-cho, Shimokawa-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido
　Tel: 01655-4-2511
Area] 644.2k㎡.
Population] 3,124 people, 1,687 households
Number of visitors in 2028: 92,390 (Gomi Hot Springs, Great Wall, etc.)
Events, etc.] 2028: 16,200 visitors (Udon Festival, Ice Candle Museum, etc.)From the Town Handbook document (2020 edition)"
Website]Shimokawa Town -A Town of "Excitement" in Northern Hokkaido