The melon direct sale event "Hokuryu Town Melon and Watermelon Festival 2024" was held! It was a huge success! Almost everything was sold out in about 30 minutes!

Monday, August 5, 2024

On Saturday, August 3rd from 8:30am, the melon direct sale event "Hokuryu Town Melon and Watermelon Festival 2024" was held at the JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch's agricultural product collection and shipping facility sorting facility. Many people attended and it was a great success!

Melon direct sales event "Hokuryu Town Melon and Watermelon Festival 2024"

A long line formed from 5:30

Even though the event was scheduled to start at 8:30 AM, there were so many people lining up that there was a long queue even before the event started, with some customers lining up from 5:30 AM.

オープン前から長蛇の列!
Long lines before the opening!

800 boxes sold out within 30 minutes of the start of the direct sale

The 800 boxes of melons prepared were almost all sold out within 30 minutes.

Hokuryu melons are extremely popular for their refreshing sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth texture!
This year's sugar content is 17.2 degrees, a rare sweetness seen in recent years, and it has been very well received!!!

800箱を用意
800 boxes prepared
ひまわりメロン1箱(秀5玉)6,000円、1箱(特優4玉)4,000円
Sunflower melon 1 box (5 excellent melons) 6,000 yen, 1 box (4 special melons) 4,000 yen
ギフト箱(2玉大)3,500円
Gift box (2 large balls) 3,500 yen

Buy several boxes at once

People bought several boxes at once to share the local seasonal flavors with their relatives and friends! Quantities were limited, so everyone rushed to get them!

The stacked boxes of melons were quickly gone, and a line of customers continued to queue up to process their deliveries.

送付手続き用紙記入
Fill out the shipping procedure form
我先にとお買い求め
They rushed to buy it
数箱まとめ買い
Buy several boxes at once

Staff from the Hokuryu Melon Producers Association and agricultural cooperatives helped with the transportation.

箱を車まで運ぶ人々
People carrying boxes to their cars
運搬手伝いをする北竜メロン生産組合生産者
Producers from the Hokuryu Melon Producers Association helping with the transport

Nationwide shipping available

発送手続きコーナー
Shipping procedure corner

Special sale on seafood from Hamatonbetsu Town

Hamatonbetsu Town's seafood, such as frozen hairy crabs and frozen scallops, are on sale and are sold out one after another.

浜頓別町の毛ガニ & ホタテ
Hamatonbetsu Town hairy crab and scallops
冷凍毛ガニ
Frozen hairy crab

JA Okinawa Tankan processed products (juice, jelly, etc.)

In addition, there were also products unique to Okinawa, such as JA Okinawa's processed products "Shikuwasa Juice" and "Pineapple Konjac Jelly."

JAおきなわの加工品
JA Okinawa processed products
蒟蒻ゼリー(パイナップル・マンゴー・シークワーサー)
Konjac jelly (pineapple, mango, and shekwasha)
ジュース(タンカン・パイナップル・シークワーサー)
Juice (Tankan, Pineapple, Shikuwasa)
ヒマワリの種のプレゼント
sunflower seed gift

Oversized Melon - Limited to 5 boxes - 1,500 yen each

お〜きくなりすぎたメロン 
A melon that's grown too big

Garapon Grand Lottery

In the "Garapon Grand Raffle" where you can win Hokuryu Town specialties, you can spin the raffle for 5,000 yen, and the grand prize is the "Hokuryu Town Special Set" which includes 5kg of Yumepirika Sunflower Rice, two Hokuryu melons, or two Hokuryu watermelons!!!

ガラポン抽選会場
Garapon lottery venue
当たりますように!
I hope I win!

Mayor Sasaki visits to encourage us & helps transport melons for our customers

Mayor Sasaki Yasuhiro also visited to offer encouragement and helped carry customers' luggage to their cars!

佐々木町長自ら荷物運びのお手伝い
Mayor Sasaki himself helped carry the luggage
お客様をお出迎え
Welcoming guests

Actively communicating with everyone

He actively communicated with many people, including people from Hamatonbetsu Town, JA staff, and townspeople.

浜頓別町の方々と会話もはずんで!
Enjoy conversations with the people of Hamatonbetsu!

A nostalgic conversation with JA Kitasorachi Managing Director Hirotaka Okubo

JAきたそらち・大久保浩隆 常務(元JAきたそらち北竜支所長)との懐かしい会話もはずんで!
We also had a fun, nostalgic conversation with JA Kitasorachi Managing Director Okubo Hirotaka (former JA Kitasorachi Kitaryu Branch Manager)!

Greeting Mr. Teppei Kobayashi, a trainee at Honoka Agricultural Cooperative

農事組合法人ほのかの研修生 小林徹平さん(農業土木科 大学院2年生)とご挨拶
Greeting Mr. Teppei Kobayashi (2nd year graduate student in agricultural engineering), a trainee at Honoka Agricultural Cooperative

By 9 o'clock, almost all 800 boxes were sold out!

9時過ぎには、ほとんど商品が売りさばかれた会場。。。
By 9 o'clock, most of the merchandise had been sold out.

With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers, we offer the Hokuryu Sunflower Melon Festival, where you can savor the exquisite flavor of the Hokuryu Sunflower Melon, the king of summer fruits and a Hokuryu town specialty, when the beautiful sunflowers are in full bloom at Hokuryu Town Sunflower Village.

稲魂の生命力あふれる田んぼ
Rice fields filled with the vitality of rice spirit

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◇ Photography and editing: Noboru Terauchi Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi