Wednesday, February 14, 2024
The 3rd Hokuryu-cho Ice Candle 2024 was held at Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen on February 10 (Sat.) and 11 (Sun.). Approximately 400 ice candles lit up the area with fantastic light.
- 1 The 3rd Hokuryu-cho Ice Candle 2024
- 1.1 Ice Pillar Art and Swedish Torch Lighting
- 1.2 Organized by: Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen
- 1.3 Lined with ice candles handmade by elementary and junior high school students
- 1.4 Planning: Mr. Nobuyuki Murakami and Ms. Yui Sasaki, Hokuryu-cho Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers
- 1.5 Sweet Potato Potage & Baked Sweet Potato: Using sweet potatoes grown by the women's farmers' group "Uzura
- 1.5.1 Members of the women's farmers' group "Uzura
- 1.5.2 warm baked sweet potato
- 1.5.3 Mellow sweet potato potage soup
- 1.5.4 Sweet potato chip topping!
- 1.5.5 The sweet potato potage is seasoned with "Yonago-chan," the former Yonago-chan, a 258 pickle produced in Imosegyu
- 1.5.6 I am in a happy and smiling mood after my grandfather bought it for me!
- 1.6 Swedish Torch: log bonfire by Mr. Tatsuya Kamii (representative of the self-supporting forestry company "Shizen shita")
- 1.7 Baked marshmallows: "Baked marshmallows" roasted over the flame of a Swedish torch
- 1.8 Frozen Flower: Yumi Komatsu's original work
- 1.9 Ice Pillar Art: Created with large icicles hanging from the roof of Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen
- 1.10 Warm lights" twinkling softly in the softly falling snow
- 2 Youtube Video
- 3 More Photos
- 4 Articles related to Mr. Murakami and Mr. Sasaki
The 3rd Hokuryu-cho Ice Candle 2024

Ice Pillar Art and Swedish Torch Lighting

Organized by: Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen
- Sponsored by:Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen
- Project:Nobuyuki Murakami and Yui Sasaki, Hokuryu-cho Regional Development Cooperation Team
- Cooperation:Hokuryu Town Sunflower Tourist Association, Hokuryu Town Board of Education, Hokuryu Town Hokuryu Junior High School, Hokuryu Town Manryu Elementary School, Hokuryu Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry Youth Club, Women Farmers Group "Uzura
- Children under junior high school age will receive candy!
Lined with ice candles handmade by elementary and junior high school students
Prior to this event, on Thursday, February 8, 200 handmade ice candles were lined up along the road by students from Hokuryu Town's Manryu Elementary School (Sadao Kamata, principal; 62 students) and Hokuryu Junior High School (Akihiro Uesugi, principal; 34 students).
These ice candles were transported to Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen on February 10 and lit up the front entrance of the hot spring.


Planning: Mr. Nobuyuki Murakami and Ms. Yui Sasaki, Hokuryu-cho Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers
This project, the third of its kind, was organized by Mr. Nobuyuki Murakami and Ms. Yui Sasaki, members of the Hokuryu-cho Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers.

Nobuyuki Murakami's Story
The centerpiece of the event will be a "Swedish Torch." It is a log fire and burns for about two hours.
And we are setting up the icicle art.
This year, about 120 people, including elementary and junior high school students and volunteers from the town, helped make ice candles.
In addition to the ice candles, we made about 30 snow candles, so we set up a total of about 400 candles.
My activities as a Hokuryu-cho Regional Development Cooperation Volunteer will come to an end this March. Thanks to the cooperation of many town residents, this ice candle project has become widely known. I have worked hard with passion every time.
I love Hokuryu-cho, and I hope to continue to support it in some way in the future," he said.
Story by Yui Sasaki
We are discussing with you how to continue this event in the future.
We have been able to continue this project for three years. The number of people helping us has gradually increased, and I hope that we can continue in a positive way if possible.
We are enjoying very delicious baked potatoes from the women's farmers' group "Uzura," who supported our participation in this event. I hope that this kind of relationship will lead to various exchanges on other occasions in the future," she said.


Sweet Potato Potage & Baked Sweet Potato: Using sweet potatoes grown by the women's farmers' group "Uzura
This year, "Sweet Potato Potage" & "Baked Sweet Potatoes" grown from sweet potatoes by the women's farmers' group "Uzura" will be sold in a limited number of 50 servings per day!
The sweet potato potage soup is made from carefully cultivated sweet potatoes, with soy milk and milk added, and flavored with Yoneko-chan, the original 258 pickled vegetables from the town of Seyoshigyu!
Members of the women's farmers' group "Uzura

warm baked sweet potato
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Mellow sweet potato potage soup

Sweet potato chip topping!

The sweet potato potage is seasoned with "Yonago-chan," the former Yonago-chan, a 258 pickle produced in Imosegyu

I am in a happy and smiling mood after my grandfather bought it for me!

Swedish Torch: log bonfire by Mr. Tatsuya Kamii (representative of the self-supporting forestry company "Shizen shita")
The Swedish torch, which appeared for the first time this year, is made of logs dried for a year from Abies sachalinensis trees felled in the mountains of Hokuryu-cho, owned by Tatsuya Uei, the head of the self-supporting forestry company "Shizen shita".
We sell firewood, birch bark, woodwork, Swedish torches, and fodder wood produced by sustainable forestry practices that preserve nature. Self-cultivated foresters. ...
The Swedish torch burns by standing its log vertically and cutting into the tree trunk. Birch bark is used as an igniter, and air is fed through a fireblower stick to strengthen the fire.
And "roasted marshmallows" roasted over the fire of a Swedish torch are also available!




Baked marshmallows: "Baked marshmallows" roasted over the flame of a Swedish torch



Frozen Flower: Yumi Komatsu's original work


Ice Pillar Art: Created with large icicles hanging from the roof of Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen


Children having fun climbing the snow sculpture
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

Warm lights" twinkling softly in the softly falling snow

We pray that the fantastic ice candles will be a new "light of hope" for the recovery of the disaster areas, as well as for the repose of the souls of those who suffered from the disaster, and may they light up the hearts of many people with bright and warm light.

The mysterious ice candles that fantastically decorate the night of the new moon are lit by gentle light with endless love, gratitude and prayers.


Youtube Video
More Photos
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◇ Reporting and writing by Ikuko Terauchi (Photography and editorial assistance by Noboru Terauchi)