50 Years of the Tourism Association's History [1980s]
| Year number | 月 | Major Events |
| 1980 1980 |
4 | Susumu Yotsutsuji, an agricultural cooperative employee who participated in a European study tour, saw the sunflower fields around Belgrade Airport in the former Yugoslavia, and was impressed not only by the beauty of the scenery but also by the potential of the sunflowers as a health food, which was the purpose of their cultivation. This led to the launch of a "one household, one are" sunflower planting campaign in Hokuryu Town as part of a self-sufficient dietary improvement campaign led by the women's division of the agricultural cooperative. |
| 5 | The 11th Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Festival was held (Konpirayama Park) | |
| 7 | Shipments of melons and sweet corn, which were being produced as prototypes, begin. | |
| 8 | The 16th Town Festival was held | |
| 8 | The agricultural cooperative installed a sunflower oil press and began extracting oil in October. | |
| 🌻 | The Chinese Consulate-General opens in Sapporo (the fourth after the US, South Korea, and Russia). | |
| 1981 1981 |
5 | The 12th Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Festival was held (Konpirayama Park) |
| 6 | Six households in the Mitani district begin producing "Yellow Small Watermelons" (now known as Himawari Watermelons). | |
| 8 | The 17th Town Festival was held | |
| 1982 1982 |
5 | The 13th Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Festival was held (Konpirayama Park) |
| 7 | Construction of agricultural product collection and shipping facility No. 1 (813nf) | |
| 8 | Introduction of sunflower nut processing facility. Sunflower nut production begins in October. | |
| 8 | The 18th Town Festival was held | |
| 🌻 | The Hokuryu town tree "Onko" and the Hokuryu town flower "Sunflower" are designated. | |
| 1983 1983 |
3 | 1st place in the 1982 "Our Village is Beautiful" competition and received the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award |
| 5 | The 14th Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Festival was held (Konpirayama Park) | |
| 8 | The 19th Town Festival was held | |
| 🌻 | Permission to manufacture sunflower oil and sunflower nuts is granted, and Hokuryu Town Agricultural Cooperative begins full-scale production. | |
| 1984 1984 |
5 | The 15th Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Festival was held (Konpirayama Park) |
| 8 | The 20th Town Festival was held | |
| 🌻 | Noboru Takeuchi ships out "Sunflower Pigs" that are raised on sunflower oil cake. | |
| 🌻 | ．With the resort boom caused by the bubble economy, the "Edai-dake Development (Ski Resort) Plan" was also proposed in Hokuryu Town. This plan was created in response to environmental issues and the "Sunflower Concept Plan" established in 1990. It will be stopped |
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| 1985 1985 |
5 | The 16th Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Festival was held (Konpirayama Park) |
| 7 | A flush toilet was installed in front of the agricultural cooperative direct sales store as part of a regional tourist route development project (the mosaic mural was designed by town hall employee Naoto Yamada). | |
| 7 | Construction of agricultural product collection and shipping facility No. 2 (632rrl) | |
| 8 | The 21st Town Festival was held | |
| 1986 1986 |
5 | Lions Club plants 52 20-year-old cherry trees in Konpirayama Park |
| 5 | The 17th Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Festival was held (Konpirayama Park) | |
| 5 | The "Hokuryu Ondo," "Hokuryu Koi," and "Sunflower Wind" songs were produced and made by the Board of Education staff and used in the Hokuryu Ondo Parade at the Sunflower Festival and various events. The following year, sweets were produced and sold under the names "Hokuryu Koiuta" and "Sunflower Wind." | |
| 8 | The 22nd Town Festival was held | |
| 🌻 | National urban greening fair "Sapporo Flower and Green Exposition" held in Sapporo | |
| 1987 1987 |
2 | Manufacture and sale of famous sunflower sweets "Hokuryu Renka" and "Sunflower no Kaze" |
| 4 | Ryutopia Association established | |
| 4 | Ken Matsumoto appointed as chairman of the Tourism Association | |
| 5 | The 18th Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Festival was held (Konpirayama Park) | |
| 6 | The NHK Tower of the Sun, which was used at the Sapporo Flower and Greenery Exposition, was received free of charge and the "Sunflower Tower" was constructed in front of the agricultural cooperative as a symbolic tower. | |
| 8 | The first Sunflower Festival was held (the traditional town festival was renamed the Sunflower Festival). The event was held by the Executive Committee (the main venue was the Agricultural Cooperative Sunflower Square). |
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| 1988 1988 |
2 | The Hokuryu Town Agricultural Cooperative Women's Division received the Hokkaido Industry Contribution Award (for activities using sunflowers as a symbol) |
| 4 | High-speed Rumoi service (between Sapporo and Rumoi) begins (Hekisui stop only) | |
| 5 | The 19th Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Festival was held (Konpirayama Park) | |
| 7 | The 2nd Sunflower Festival was held (at the Agricultural Cooperative Sunflower Square) and Nobue Matsubara's song show was held. | |
| 8 | Ryutopia Association created Seiryu (male 20m) and Hakuryu (female 17m) | |
| 8 | The sudden downpours, totalling over 400 mm, that occurred on August 25th and 26th caused serious damage to agricultural land, agricultural products, and facilities. The damage was so severe that it was recognized as a severe disaster. |
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| 🌻 | ．More and more people passing by on the national highway take photos in the sunflower fields, and the The group started cultivating sunflowers as part of a dietary improvement campaign, but they are now also being used as a tourist attraction. The idea of utilizing the NHK Hokkaido Nakahizakurige (Dragon Dances in the Sunflower Village) aired |
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1989 |
1 | Ryujin no Onko is recognized by the Ministry of the Environment as the 9th best tree (yew) in Japan |
| 1 | Himawari Land Hokuryu recognized as one of Hokkaido's top 100 urban development projects | |
| 5 | The birth of Sunflower Village. Mr. Kazuichiro Sawayama, the landowner of the Kitaame Farmland Development field on the western hillside along National Route 275, was elderly and in poor health. He asked young people to take over the management of the field, and Sunflower Village was born. | |
| 5 | The 20th Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Festival was held (Konpirayama Park) | |
| 5 | Development of "Sunflower Healthy" organic fertilizer made from sunflower oil cake | |
| 5 | Yasuhiro Sasaki, head of the Young Commerce and Industry Association, and other members installed sunflower-themed "Sunflower Designs" at various stores and public facilities. | |
| 7 | Takamasa Hatta, former Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce, opens Himawari Koubou and begins selling Kumiki products. | |
| 7 | The 3rd Sunflower Festival was held (main venue was the Agricultural Cooperative Sunflower Square). | |
| 7 | The Dragon Dance will be performed at the town athletic meet on July 2nd, the Sunflower Festival on August 2nd, Performing the Dragon Dance at the Bon Odori Festival on August 25th |
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| 10 | Winner of the New Frontier Festival's local government hometown song competition, promoting sunflowers |
