Face-to-face sales of Hokuryu Town's specialty products: New Sunflower Rice, Kuro Sengoku Soybeans, Sunflower Oil, and Rice Crackers at Sorachi Fair 2020 (Hokkaido Dosanko Plaza Sapporo Store)

Monday, October 19, 2020

Sorachi Fair 2020, featuring new rice and other specialty products from Sorachi, the largest rice-producing region in all Hokkaido, is being held at the Hokkaido Dosanko Plaza Sapporo Store (North Exit of Sapporo Station). Organized by the Sorachi General Promotion Bureau.

Sorachi Fair 2020

Venue: Hokkaido Dosanko Plaza Sapporo

Period: 21 days from September 30 (Wed) to October 20 (Tue)

During the 21-day period from September 30 (Wed) to October 20 (Tue), 10 municipalities including Fukagawa, Tsukigata, Naganuma, Amaryu, Chichibubetsu, Mikasa, Yubari, Minamihoro, Hokuryu, and Iwamizawa will participate in turn.

While selling face-to-face, we promoted each town's specialty products.


Hokuryu Town: Thursday, October 15 and Friday, October 16

In this context, Hokuryu-cho will be open on Thursday, October 15 and Friday, October 16. The store will be open from 09:00 to 20:00 on both days.

New rice produced in Hokuryu Town

Selling new rice with reduced pesticide "Kitakurin" 5-gou squares, glutinous rice (Kaze-no-ko), germinated brown rice Natsuoboshi, Oborozuki, Yumepirika, and Kitakurin new rice!


Kuro-sengoku soybeans, sunflower oil, takara mochi rice crackers

In addition, various specialty products, such as "Kuro Sengoku soybean processed products," "Brilliant Sunflower Oil," "Kuro Sengoku Dressing," and "Tagara Mochi Rice Crackers" are available for sale!

From Hokuryu Town, staff members from the Hokuryu Town Office, JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch Office, and Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative participated and enthusiastically promoted Hokuryu Town.

Thursday, October 15, the first day

Customers even before the store opened!

Customers gathered in front of the store 20 to 30 minutes before the shutters opened at 9:00 a.m., waiting in line.


Sales began as soon as the shutters were opened, and we witnessed the tremendous popularity of the event.


Customers kept coming in, one after the other, without interruption, and at lunchtime, lots of them again!


about noon

The scooping of rice is not done directly by customers in light of the Corona Disaster situation; instead, staff members wear plastic gloves, disinfect the rice, scoop it in 5-gallon squares, and pack it in bags!


A 5-gou square is the normal weight of rice (750g); to show our appreciation, we pack the rice in bags weighing more than 1kg!　It brings a smile to the customer's face!

Many guests in the afternoon

Many fans of Kuro Sengoku Soybeans also came to the store in the afternoon and bought a lot! Thank you very much!


Kuro Sengoku Soybean Meat

When we placed the instruction manual and samples of Kuro Sengoku Soybean Meat on the table, many people showed interest and listened attentively to the explanation.


Many people related to Hokuryu Town visited the event, and the conversation was filled with nostalgic stories about the town!

Visit from Ms. Yoshiko Ito, daughter of former Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative Association President Mitsuo Goto

Among them, Ms. Yoshiko Ito, 88 years old, the eldest daughter of Mr. Mitsuo Goto, the former head of Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative, came to the store. She looked very young and energetic, and was having a nostalgic conversation with Mr. Yukio Takada, President of Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative Association.


PR activities for Hokuryu Town's specialty products, etc.

Visit to Veggy Way (Holistic Bio Cafe Veggy Way, Sapporo, Japan)

In between, we visited "Veggy Way" (Holistic Bio Cafe Veggy Way, Sapporo City), which sells soybean meat, as a PR activity for Kurosekishi soybean meat, together with Yukio Takada, President of Kurosekishi Business Cooperative Association, and Yasuto Noshikawa, Deputy Director of Himawari Project Promotion Office, Hokuryu Town Hall. They tasted dishes made with soybean meat. (The restaurant is located in the city of Sapporo.Click here to visit the Veggy Way website >>) 

▶ Reference article [Enjoy! The Happy Life of a Senior Couple]:
interpoint (interword separation)Holistic Bio Cafe Veggy Way (Maruyama, Sapporo): Chef Natsuyo Ando serves vegan soybean meat dishes.(October 26, 2020)
　

Visit to TOMIZ CUOCA (Tomizawa Shoten, Sapporo Stellar Place Center 4F)

In addition, Mr. Takada, Chairman of Kuro Sengoku Cooperative Association, visited Tomiz Cuoca (Tomizawa Shoten, Sapporo Stella Place Center 4F), a confectionery specialty store to which Kuro Sengoku soybeans are delivered, to promote Kuro Sengoku soybean meat to the store manager, Ms. Naomi Nakamura!TOMIZ CUOCA (Tomizawa Shoten) website is here >>)


▶ Reference article [Enjoy! The Happy Life of a Senior Couple]:
interpoint (interword separation)TOMIZ (TOMIZ, Tomizawa Shoten, Sapporo) Sapporo Stellar Place is a fun place to browse through a wide variety of products.(October 27, 2020)
　

Visit from Atsutoshi Nakamura, Daifuku artisan and owner of Sasaya Daifuku (Sapporo)

Atsutoshi Nakamura, owner of Sasaya Daifuku (Sapporo City), a Daifuku craftsman who makes "Kuro Sengoku Daifuku (salted soybean cake)" using Kuro Sengoku soybeans, came to meet Yukio Takada, President of Kuro Sengoku Business Cooperative Association, who he loves as his father. (Japanese only)Sasaya Daifuku's website is here >>)

Visit to Sunflower Fresh Bread and Bakery Kansuke (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Representative)

We also visited Bakery Kansuke (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, President), which has a store in the basement event at the Marui Imai Sapporo Main Store. We spoke with him about the development and sale of "Sunflower Fresh Bread" using "Hokuryu Roasted Sunflower Oil" produced in Hokuryu Town.

▶ Reference article [Enjoy! The Happy Life of a Senior Couple]:
interpoint (interword separation)Bakery Kansuke (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, President, Iwamizawa City): "Sunflower Fresh Bread" made with sunflower oil.(October 20, 2020)

Friday, October 16, 2nd and final day

On the second day, Friday, October 16, the store was again bustling with customers one after another as soon as it opened!

PR activities for Sorachi flowers

In the neighboring corner of Hokuryu Town, flowers were distributed free of charge as part of the "Let's decorate your house with Sorachi flowers" campaign as part of the "Sorachi flower PR activity.


（Meeting with Ms. Mako Yokomizo of Zenna (Sapporo) Co.

(Sapporo), a manufacturer, distributor, and wholesaler of vegetarian food ingredients that handles soybean meat, visited the store during the meeting and discussed Kuro Sengoku soybean meat with President Takada and Deputy Director Nodogawa. (Sapporo, Japan) visited the store.（Click here for the website of Zen-Na Co.)


Mr. Keiichi Hamada visited us

In the evening, Mr. Keiichi Hamada, who was seconded from the Hokkaido Government to the Hokuryu Town Hall until 2017 and was in charge of sunflower oil, came to the restaurant. He and Deputy Manager Noshikawa had a lively discussion about sunflower oil.

All "Kitakurin" rice for scooping (10 kg x 45 bags) sold out

By 7:30 p.m., just before closing time, all the 2 kg of glutinous rice, 5 kg of rice bags, and "Kitakurin" rice for scooping (10 kg x 45 bags) that we brought were sold out!


The last customer for the rice scooping!


The two-day event was a great success, full of attractions of Hokuryu-cho sunflower rice, sunflower oil, and Kuro Sengoku soybeans!
Thanks for your hard work!


Additional coverage of stores using Hokuryu Town specialties, Saturday, October 17

Visit Sasaya Daifuku (Sapporo)

The next day, on the way back to town, we visited "Sasaya Daifuku," a Japanese sweets store that uses Kuro Sengoku soybeans and Himawari Farm's glutinous rice. We interviewed Mr. Atsutoshi Nakamura, 55, the representative of the shop, about his encounter with Kuro Sengoku soybeans. (Japanese only)Sasaya Daifuku's website is here >>)


▶ Reference article [Enjoy! The Happy Life of a Senior Couple]:
interpoint (interword separation)Sasaya Daifuku (Maruyama, Sapporo) Daifuku artisan Atsutoshi Nakamura's salted soy bean daifuku made from black Sengoku soybeans is a taste of Hokkaido's bounty.(October 22, 2020)

Visit Karamatsuen Soba Restaurant (Naie Town)

We also visited Karamatsuen, a soba noodle restaurant that uses sunflower oil. We also visited "Karamatsuen," a soba restaurant that uses sunflower oil, and interviewed President Masamitsu Sato about sunflower oil. (Japanese only)Click here to visit the Karamatsuen website >>)


Sunflower oil is used in the dressing of the cold soba "Sorachino Salad.


▶ Reference article [Enjoy! The Happy Life of a Senior Couple]:
interpoint (interword separation)Karamatsuen (Naie Town) Representative Masamitsu Sato's handmade soba "Sorachino Salad" uses sunflower oil produced in Hokuryu Town.(October 23, 2020)

We express our unlimited love, gratitude, and prayers for the many wonderful connections made by the passionate souls who love Hokuryu Town through the town's attractive specialties.

We are grateful for the rice from Hokuryu-cho, where the spirit of the rice is embodied in "heaven, earth, water, and the hearts of farmers"!

More Photos

interpoint (interword separation)Click here to see (129) photos of Hokuryu Town's specialty products "New Sunflower Rice, Black Sengoku Soybeans, Sunflower Oil, and Rice Cookies" sold in person at Sorachi Fair 2020 (Hokkaido Dosanko Plaza Sapporo Store) >>
　

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◇ Photography and Editing: Noboru Terauchi Reporting and Writing: Ikuko Terauchi