2023 Sorachi Block Commerce and Industry Association Women's Club Members Exchange Meeting (hosted by the Hokkaido Sorachi Area Commerce and Industry Association Women's Clubs Federation) was held in a gorgeous setting with smiles and laughter!

Monday, October 2, 2023

After the 2023 Sorachi block workshop for women members of commerce and industry organized by the Federation of Women's Clubs of Commerce and Industry in Sorachi, Hokkaido, a social gathering was held at Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen, 1st floor banquet hall, in a new location.

2023 Sorachi Block Chamber of Commerce and Industry Women's Club Members Exchange Meeting

Moderator: Ms. Miki Miura, Director of Women's Club, Numata Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Toast: Mr. Masahito Fujii, Chairman of the Hokuryu Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry

I would like to congratulate you on today's workshop for women members of the Sorachi Block Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

We would like to thank all the members of the Women's Club for their very understanding and cooperation in the activities of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

I am very pleased that President Hirono and the women's club members of each town have united to hold such a grand event in Hokuryu Town.

I think Mr. Terauchi's lecture at the workshop just mentioned was also a very excellent workshop. Since the beginning of Mr. Terauchi's visit to Hokuryu Town, he has been providing us with a variety of information about the town, businesses, and group activities in Hokuryu Town. I pray that today's workshop will be of use to all of you in your towns and businesses.

I would like to make a toast to the continued success and development of the Sorachi Women's Club and to the good health and success of all of you who are participating today!　Cheers!

Gorgeous dishes

The table will be filled with a variety of sumptuous dishes from Sunflower Park Hokuryu Hot Springs.

Opening Ceremony: Hokuryu Town's local hero "Agri-Fighter North Dragon" show!

Visitors are excited by the powerful hero battle!　The appearance of "Agri-Fighter North Dragon," a local hero who fights against evil, will promote the appeal of agriculture in Hokuryu Town and convey the great power of rice.

The story of "Drago Yellow," the warrior of the sun and sunflowers, "Drago Blue," the warrior of water, and "Drago Brown," the warrior of earth, who fight and defeat the villains, "Imochi King," "Baron Seagull," and "Novie.

Agri-Fighter North Dragon," Hokuryu Town's Local Sentai Hero, Protecting Food Peace - Hokuryu Town Portal (Hokkaido) / The Sunflower Village that boasts the best sunflowers in Japan

Thanks to nature's bounty, we will keep the peace in our town! Batcrap will be defeated by us, North Dragon! Delicious rice from Hokuryu Town, Hokkaido "Himawa...

Commemorative photo with Agri-Fighter North Dragon

Introduction of each town's pride and specialties

Women's Club of Sorachi Block Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Women's Club of North Block 5 towns full of "love for our town" will introduce their pride in their town and its specialties.

Women's Club of Amaryu Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The town of Amaryu celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1989. The population was 2,108 at the end of August, and it is a lonely rural area. The population has been declining at an alarming rate. Amaryu is a town with abundant nature and is full of attractions, such as high-quality specialty products and marshlands with magnificent scenery.

Uryu Marsh" comes to mind in Uryu Town. In 1990, the entire Uryu Marsh was recognized as a registered wetland under the Ramsar Convention, and is a representative of the nature of the Shokanbetsu Amari-Yakijiri National Park. Uryu-numa Marsh is recognized worldwide as a precious natural environment, and is visited by many tourists. We invite you to visit Uryunuma Marsh.

The region is mainly engaged in rice farming and produces "Yumepirika and Nanatsuboshi" Uryu rice, which ranks highest in the national eating quality rankings.

In addition to rice, other specialties include melons, tomatoes, and asparagus. Among them, the Uryu melon, with its elegant green flesh and sweetness, is as delicious as the Yubari melon, if not more so!

We brought a sake called "Uryu. This sake is made from 100% "Ginpu" rice grown in the town of Uryu, which is deliciously grown in the clear streams of the Shokanbetsu mountain range, and has a rich flavor with impact from the moment it enters the mouth, and a light aftertaste.

We hope you will win the bingo and take it home. Best regards."

Chichibubetsu Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry Women's Club

Chichibubetsu Town is home to the Cubic Connection, the largest outdoor playground in Japan. Adjacent to it is Kids Square "Chikkuru", an indoor playground for children where they can play safely.

The specialties are "Dried Noodle Pasta" with a glutinous texture made with broccoli powder kneaded into the dough using wheat flour from Hokkaido and rice flour from Chichibubetsu Town, a thick sauce made with tomato juice "Akazukin-chan" from Chichibubetsu Town, and "Yumepirika Rice Flour Financier" from Chichibuubetsu Town.

We use Hokkaido ingredients for our potato chips, and we hope you will try them, too.

Imosegashi-cho Chamber of Commerce and Industry Women's Club

Seosegashi-cho is a nice, peaceful, disaster-free place.

This time, we brought "Nigohachi-zuke, Yoneko-chan", an ingredient for asazuke (lightly pickled vegetables). It is a fermented food without additives, using rice produced in Seosyuchi-cho as ingredients, so it is a very good source of asazuke for the body.

I believe that next year we will unveil the new peper of the hot springs. It will be the best hot spring in the area, so please come and take a bath.

This is Daikokuya in Seosyugi Town. For this giveaway, we have set the Halloween cookies as the centerpiece, since Halloween is coming soon. Enjoy!" .

Numata Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry Women's Club

Numata Town, the northernmost town in the Sorachi region, is known for its "Yotaka Andon Festival! Yoiya-sa!" The town is located in the northernmost part of the Sorachi region.

And the tomato juice is grown in the open air by contract growers, without any support poles, and turns red in the full sun with plenty of gurgling. The juice is high in sugar content and full of lycopene, and is packed with seasonal delicacies. We are proud of our ketchup, which utilizes ripe Hokkaido tomatoes and is slowly simmered for 3 hours with spices and onions.

We also include "Yukimachi Coffee," which is made by maturing high-quality green Arabica beans in Numata-cho's own snow chambers, where they are stored for over 1,500 hours. The maturing process in the snow chamber has moderately reduced acidity and bitterness, resulting in a mild and easy-to-drink flavor.

The set also includes aronia drink, beautiful ruby red shiso drink, and carrot juice made from Hokkaido carrot Aroma Red. We hope you will enjoy them. Thank you".

Hokuryu Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry Women's Club

Welcome everyone to Hokuryu Town today!
My name is Nakayama from the Hokuryu Town Women's Club. I am a commercial person, but I am also an agricultural girl. Originally a farmer, I am employed by Honoka, an agricultural cooperative in Hokuryu Town.

Today, we would like to introduce various specialties of Hokuryu Town.

• Tagara Mochi" produced by a glutinous rice complex in Hokuryu-cho is a "rice cracker" made from glutinous rice cultivated with reduced agricultural chemicals.
• The craft beer "HOKURYU CRAFT" is a very tasty craft beer developed by local volunteers.
  Some of the ingredients are recycled from "sunflower seed oil scraps for sunflower oil," "Kuro Sengoku soybean scraps after sorting," and "yellow sunflower watermelon peelings," all of which are specialties of Hokuryu Town.
  This craft beer named "Sunflower Biscuit" contains petals of sunflowers we grew!
• Okome Chips" are rice snacks made with Hokuryu-machi rice and sunflower oil.
  These very tasty rice chips are made from rice grown with reduced agricultural chemicals, flavored with Hidaka kelp, and seasoned with salt only. They come in a cool North Dragon package.
  Please purchase them at the store in Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen!

• The oil is made from sunflower seeds that we grow without pesticides.
  Sunflower oil is also used in the "Kuro Sengoku Soybean Sunflower Oil Dressing" that you will find in your souvenirs today!
• Hokuryu Comet" is made from 100% Hokuryu-machi "Comet" rice suitable for sake brewing. It is a delicious special junmai sake with a rice polishing ratio of 55%, produced by Kinjitake Shuzo (Shintotsukawa Town).

We hope you will purchase many delicious souvenirs from Hokuryu-cho and enjoy them with your family. Thank you in advance for your cooperation."

Attraction Bingo Game: The winning prize is a gorgeous specialty product from each town!

Everyone was all smiles at the fun bingo game!　Gorgeous specialties from the five northern block towns were the prizes.

Hokkaido Bon Dancing with Everyone: Bon dancing with original happi coats from each town.

Quintessence! The fluent and gorgeous dancing of the veteran women's club members!

Greeting from the next venue: Ms. Izumi Hirono, Director of Women's Club of Naka-Block Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Women's Club of Tsukigata Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Next year, the women's clubs of five towns (Naie, Urausu, Shintotsukawa, Ebeotome, and Tsukigata) will participate in a workshop as the women's club of the Naka Block Chamber of Commerce and Industry. We will make plans and proceed with them carefully.

Up until now, the host site has rotated every 15 years, but now it will be in units of 3 blocks, and the host site will rotate every 3 years. We will continue to implement this program on a trial-and-error basis, thinking about what is next for all of you. Please look forward to it!

Thank you very much for your time today!" .......

The Women's Club of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who love our town very much!
With boundless love, gratitude and prayers for the great training session of the bright, vibrant and energetic women's club members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Thank you for a most enjoyable and wonderful time!

Hokuryu Town Portal

The 2023 Sorachi Block Women's Workshop for Members of the Sorachi Block Commerce and Industry Associations (hosted by the Hokkaido Sorachi Prefectural Federation of Commerce and Industry Women's Clubs) was grandly held in Hokuryu Town! Lecture by Terauchi: 13 years of information transmission in Hokuryu-cho

Monday, October 2, 2023 On Wednesday, September 27, at 15:00, in the multipurpose hall of Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen (Hokuryu Town), Hokkai...

Youtube video "Workshop & Social event" (Japanese only)

More Photos

Click here for 118 photos of the 2023 Sorachi block workshop for women members of the Women's Division of the Sorachi Block Chamber of Commerce and Industry (hosted by the Women's Division Federation of the Hokkaido Sorachi Prefectural Chamber of Commerce and Industry) >>

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◇ Reporting and writing by Ikuko Terauchi (Photography and editorial assistance by Noboru Terauchi)