Hokuryu Town Sunflower Longevity Association Federation Kanpukai 2024 Mayor Sasaki talks about children's future longevity. A friendly and fun exchange event!

Thursday, November 14, 2024

The "Kitakyushu Sunflower Longevity Association (Chairman Koji Kawada) Maple Viewing Meeting" was held at Sunflower Park Kitakyushu Onsen from 11:00 a.m. on Monday, November 11th.

Hokuryu Town Sunflower Longevity Association Federation Kanpukai

More than 80 energetic elderly people (aged 65 and over) from each neighborhood association in Hokuryu Town participated in the event, and the friendly atmosphere and laughter filled the air throughout the event, allowing people to deepen their connections.

Shuttle bus around the town

To get to the venue, Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen, a hot spring shuttle bus will take you to and from each home! Thank you so much!!!

Moderator: Michito Nakamura, Secretary General of Hokuryu Town Social Welfare Association

Opening remarks: Koji Kawada, Chairman of the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Longevity Association

"Hello everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic that has plunged people around the world into fear has finally subsided, and this Kanpukai event is being held for the first time in five years.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for attending this event. Thank you very much.

Hokuryu Town is a town where agriculture is the main industry, and the Sunflower Longevity Association has felt that the Maple Viewing Event is of great significance as it marks the culmination of a year's harvest.

This year, the first event in a long time has been held, and we have been blessed with good weather since spring. Thanks to the farmers' hard work and skills, the yields and quality of each crop are high, and rice has also risen from the low price range, bringing a brighter economic outlook for farmers. We are very pleased that this is leading to the prosperity of Hokuryu Town.

Thank you very much to Mayor Sasaki for attending today.

I hope you will all enjoy this time together as we look back on this fruitful year.

Please enjoy your time here. Thank you very much," said Chairman Kawada.

Greetings from Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki

"Hello everyone. This is my first time attending the Kanpukai meeting.

Eight months have passed since I took over the role, carrying on the passionate aspirations of the previous Mayor, Mr. Sano. It has only been less than a year, so I am literally a "rookie" mayor, just as the season suggests.

We would like to hear your opinions on various aspects and use them in town development. Thank you in advance.

Very good harvest

As Chairman Kawada just mentioned, we have had a very good harvest this fall. People say that rice prices are high, but as expected, we have harvested a good amount of rice and it has been of high quality, so I think this is the "true price of rice."

We would like to listen carefully to your requests so that these good things can continue.

It doesn't matter if it's small

Yesterday, the Sapporo Hokuryu Association held a year-end social gathering. Thirty people from Sapporo who miss their hometown participated. Mr. Ryoji Kikura, an honorary citizen of Hokuryu Town, also attended.

At that time, I was asked, "The population of Hokuryu Town is also decreasing. What will you do?" and asked to say a few words. Indeed, the current population of Hokuryu Town is 1,606. This morning, a town hall employee registered his marriage with his wife. Last month on October 1st, the population was 1,596, falling below 1,600.

However, in the past week or two, families have moved in and young people from the town office have registered with their wives, bringing the total number of people living there to over 1,600.

Increasing the population is extremely difficult, but the members of the Hokuryu-kai who live in Sapporo told us, "It doesn't matter if your town is small. If your town has clear aspirations and intentions, that's a wonderful thing, so do your best."

I had imagined that the members of the association would tell me to "do more and more to revitalize the town and increase the population," but instead they greeted me with a very warm greeting: "That's not the case! Hokuryu Town has many good points, so please develop them."

Today we had over 80 people in attendance.

A wonderful name: "Hokuryu Town Sunflower Longevity Association"

I spoke to Mr. Yotsutsuji, who previously served as the president of the "Seniors' Club," and said to him, "The term 'Seniors' Club' doesn't really fit the active elderly people of this town, so could you please consider changing the name somehow?" I have since heard that the association has been renamed the "Hokuryu Town Sunflower Longevity Association." I think it's a really good name.

Children's Future Longevity

Hokuryu Town will be undergoing "organizational reform" in various areas.

It would be great if migration and settlement could lead to an increase in population, but we would like to aim for the current scale.

As we implement organizational reforms, we are considering a proposal called "Longevity for Children's Future."

It is about thinking about the children who will be born and how to ensure that they live long, long lives.

During this time, we would like to have various discussions with you all, listen to your opinions, and progress and change the content in order to implement new measures, moving forward carefully, step by step.

The place I least want to go to is the town hall.

One time, a townsperson told me, "The place I least want to go to is town hall!"

This is a problem, so I told the staff, "When the townspeople come to town hall, first of all, smile and greet them properly! And let's make it easy to go to each department!" I'm thinking of gradually changing the organization so that town hall becomes a place where townspeople can easily go and ask for advice.

I want to listen to various opinions and give shape to them.

In the future, we would like to listen to your various opinions and put them into shape.
Today, I will pour each of you a drink, so please feel free to speak at that time.

"I hope you all enjoy today's maple viewing event. I look forward to working with you. Thank you for coming today!" said Mayor Sasaki.

Introducing Naohiro Hosokawa, Chief of the Resident Affairs Division

Toast: Kazuo Shibasaki, Vice Chairman

"Hello everyone, I am very happy to see so many of you gathered together today and looking so healthy.

This is the first Maple Viewing Event in five years, and we have not been able to hold it very often until now, but it is great to see everyone looking so healthy in this event.

We are now in an ageing age, but I am well aware that you are all doing your best, working at the forefront of your fields and in your respective positions.

In any case, being able to participate while having a positive influence on those around you is best done while staying healthy both physically and mentally. With that in mind, I would like to raise a toast to your continued good health.

Cheers to the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Longevity Association! Cheers!'

Delicious bento

banquet

Get toilet paper by playing the dice game!

Throw the dice and get toilet paper depending on the number you roll!
Aim for a perfect score and take on the challenge!

Closing remarks: Ms. Etsuko Aoki, Vice President of the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Longevity Association

"Thank you everyone for your hard work! Please be careful on your way home!

We will also be having a New Year's party in January, so we would like to close out the year with a "ippon-jime" ceremony!

Well then, here we go, Pon! Thank you very much!"

We all boarded the hot spring shuttle bus and headed home.

With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers, the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Longevity Association Federation Maple-Watching Club held its first bright and lively social gathering in five years, enjoying the passing autumn weather and engaging in harmonious and fun conversations before the harsh winter arrives.

YouTube videos

Other photos

Photos (84 photos) from the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Longevity Association Federation Maple Viewing Association 2024 are here >>

　
◇ Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi (Photography and editing assistance: Noboru Terauchi)