Monthly meeting and farewell party for village supporters and local revitalization volunteers @Kitchen Seisei

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

The monthly meeting for local revitalization cooperation team members and village supporters, as well as a farewell party for local revitalization cooperation team member Sasaki Yui, whose term ends at the end of March, was held at Kitchen Harebare on Wednesday, March 26th from 5:30pm.

Monthly meeting of village supporters and local revitalization cooperation team members

Participants were Mayor Sasaki Yasuhiro, Deputy Mayor Okuda Masaaki, Planning and Promotion Division Chief Kawamoto Yayoi, Councillor Mori Chiaki, Village Support Officer Murakami Nobuyuki, Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team Member Sasaki Yui, and Village Support Officers Terauchi Noboru and Ikuko.

A farewell party was held at "Kitchen Harebare," a Western restaurant run by former local revitalization volunteers Yasuhide Nishijima and Chiaki Nakano.

Farewell party for Yui Sasaki, a member of the local revitalization cooperation team

Greetings from Yui Sasaki

"When I first became a local revitalization volunteer, I fell down the stairs and injured myself, so I went to the local clinic to get examined. When I said, 'I've been here as a volunteer,' I was told, 'The volunteer period is three years, but aren't you going to leave halfway through?!' But I declared, 'I'll do it right to the end!' And I did indeed complete the three years.

I was not used to it and there were times when I couldn't do things properly, but everyone was nice to me and I had a good time. I hope to continue to work on design projects through Mr. Murakami.

If I have the opportunity, I would like to visit Hokuryu Town again. I hope to have the opportunity to meet you again in the future.

Thank you for your help," said Sasaki Yui.

Toast by Deputy Mayor Masaaki Okuda

"Until now, I have been in the Construction Division, so I have not had much contact with volunteers. From now on, I would like to actively talk to them and have more contact, so I appreciate your continued support.

In the future, there are many different jobs available in Tokyo, so I think your horizons will be broadened, so I wish you the best of luck. I hope you will come back often.

Let's toast to Yui's continued success in the future!" said Deputy Mayor Okuda.

cooking

Salmon Namero & Cream Cheese and Prosciutto Bruschetta

Miso Nabe

Bonito with sesame flavor

Fried chicken with sweet and sour sauce

Tamagoyaki with wild vegetables sauce

Final dish: rice porridge

Closing remarks

Noboru Terauchi has been running the Kitaryū Town Portal for 15 years as a local revitalization cooperation team member and village supporter.

"My wife and I came to Hokuryu in 2010 when we were 53 years old. I'm now 68. At the time I was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease in Tokyo, and when I came to Hokuryu I was diagnosed with 'early-onset Alzheimer's disease denied' at Sunagawa Hospital. I have two medical certificates, one from a hospital in Tokyo and one from a hospital in Hokkaido.

Since coming to Hokuryu, the warm feelings of the townspeople have saved our lives twice. When we moved to Hokuryu and when we lost our jobs in a traffic accident. At the times when we were at our most mentally distressed, the townspeople here in Hokuryu warmly spoke to us and took turns bringing us home-grown vegetables. We were greatly saved and comforted by the deep consideration and kindness of the townspeople.

What I think now is that it is important to accept whatever happens (the environment you are given) and how you judge it at that time, and which choice you make, will determine your future life. I believe that accepting everything, rather than denying it or belittling it, is meaningful and important to me, and that is why I exist as I am today.

We are promoting the wonderfulness of Hokuryu Town to the world. The world is impressed by the wonderful Japanese spirit of "compassion" and "harmony." We feel that this spirit is the very origin of the soul of Hokuryu Town.

I believe that spreading the word about the wonderful town of Hokuryu in Japan right now will not only increase sales and make us famous, but will also lead to change the world.

We can say that our lives have been saved and prolonged thanks to the dissemination of information, and also as a way of giving back to the townspeople.

What I want to tell Yui is that no matter what happens or what environment she is given, it will have meaning in her life.

I'm sure there will be many difficult things in your relationships and at work, but no matter what happens, you should understand that there is meaning to it, accept it honestly, and think about how you should judge and act as the next step.

Please enjoy life!!!" says Terauchi.

Regional revitalization cooperation team members and village support staff are breathing new life into Hokuriku Town and shedding light on the townspeople, making them shine!

With boundless love, gratitude and prayers for the future development of Hokuryu Town, moving forward in harmony with the town's spirit of harmony and cooperation...

More Photos

Photos (24 photos) from the February activity report and farewell party for the village supporters and local revitalization volunteers (Kitchen Seisei) are here >>

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◇ Reporting and writing by Ikuko Terauchi (Photography and editorial assistance by Noboru Terauchi)