Tuesday, July 22, 2025
- 1 The 39th Hokuryu Town Sunflower Festival 2025 Opening Ceremony
- 1.1 1. Taiko drum performance: Hokuryu Taiko
- 1.2 2. Opening remarks
- 1.3 3. Congratulatory speech by guest
- 1.3.1 Yasuhiro Sasaki, Mayor, Hokuryu Town
- 1.3.2 Chairman Naokazu Nakamura, Hokuryu Town Council
- 1.3.3 Minoru Nagai, JA Kitasorachi, Hokuryu District Representative Director
- 1.3.4 Junichi Fukase, President, Hokuryu Land Improvement District
- 1.3.5 Voluntary Association of Japan, Masakazu Yoshio, Chairman
- 1.3.6 Mr. Watanabe, Sunflower Committee Chairperson, Hokuryu Junior High School
- 1.4 4. Brass band performance: Hokuryu Junior High School Brass Band
- 1.5 5. Mochi-throwing (60kg of red and white mochi)
- 2 Youtube Video
- 3 More Photos
- 4 Related Pages
The 39th Hokuryu Town Sunflower Festival 2025 Opening Ceremony
The Himawari no Sato Opening Ceremony was held at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 20th, at the Himawari no Sato Tourist Center.
On the first day of the 39th Sunflower Festival, the rain that had been falling since early morning stopped, and the festival was held with great fanfare, watched by many tourists.
The 39th Hokuryu Town Sunflower Festival 2025 will kick off on Monday, August 18th, for about a month.
1. Taiko drum performance: Hokuryu Taiko
The brave beats of the Hokuryu Taiko drummer's two songs, "Yamabiko" and "Senrai no En," reverberate throughout the venue.
2. Opening remarks
The general moderator was Junichi Iguchi, head of the Industry Division of Hokuryu Town Hall.
Himawari Saki will also be joining in to support the event!
Masahito Fujii, Chairman of Hokuryu Town Sunflower Tourism Association
"This marks the 39th Sunflower Festival. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mayor Sasaki, all the people involved, and the many tourists who visit us today for allowing us to hold this festival.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those involved in the event, the volunteer groups, and the townspeople who helped with mowing the grass over the three days, and we ask for your continued cooperation during the event.
The Sunflower Festival will run for 30 days, from today until Monday, August 18th.
During this period, there will be the Hokuto Pro Wrestling Hokuryu Tournament, the Ground Self-Defense Force concert and vehicle exhibition, live style concerts, the Taiko Festival, the Watermelon and Melon Festival, the Hokuriku Commercial High School Road Race Tournament, and on the final day, the Hokuryu Bon Odori Festival and fireworks display. We hope you will come and join us.
We have also installed a live camera so you can check the status of the sunflowers in bloom.
Himawari no Sato is an area of 23 hectares where 2 million sunflowers are planted. Over 240,000 visitors come every year.
Starting this year, parking fees will be charged. Adjustments to the fees have been under consideration for over 20 years. We have been working hard to use these fees to show you even more beautiful sunflowers, so we hope you will understand.
At Sunflowers of the World, we also have junior high school students as guides, so we hope you will enjoy your visit.
Earlier today, we had some lively performances such as taiko drumming and brass band music, and after this we will have the traditional rice cake throwing.
The Himawari Tourist Center has a wide selection of food, drinks, and souvenirs available, so we hope you will enjoy using them.
"Finally, I would like to conclude my opening remarks by praying that the Sunflower Festival will end safely. Thank you very much for coming today!" said Chairman Fujii.
3. Congratulatory speech by guest
Yasuhiro Sasaki, Mayor, Hokuryu Town
"New Year's in Hokuryu Town begins today! We have been growing sunflowers for about 50 years. This is the 39th Sunflower Festival, and next year will mark the 40th.
Today, we started with small children playing the drums, and then we had a brass band performance by junior high school students. The junior high school students gave a thorough introduction to sunflowers around the world.
The Sunflower Festival in Hokuryu Town is a festival created by the townspeople, from small children to older people.
The population of Hokuryu Town has fallen below 1,600, but this small town has big challenges ahead of it.
Over 200,000 people visit Hokuryu Town over the course of one month. People from inside and outside the town exist as "Himawari Town residents," so during this period the town becomes a town of 200,000 people.
There will be fun events almost every day for the next month. The townspeople will enjoy it together with you. We hope you will come to Hokuryu again and again.
"I would like to thank everyone at the Tourism Association for their cooperation. I would like to thank you all for your continued support," said Mayor Sasaki.
Chairman Naokazu Nakamura, Hokuryu Town Council
"It has been raining since the day before yesterday, which is a good thing. I think this rain will make the beautiful sunflowers bloom. Everyone please enjoy yourself without any worries. Thank you very much," said Chairman Nakamura.
Minoru Nagai, JA Kitasorachi, Hokuryu District Representative Director
"The long-awaited rain has finally fallen, and we are happy to see the beautiful sunflowers blooming. We look forward to the future growth of Hokuryu Town's agricultural crops. This summer, the sunflower watermelons and melons have grown to be very delicious. We hope you will enjoy them," said Nagai, Representative Director of the Hokuryu District.
Junichi Fukase, President, Hokuryu Land Improvement District
"We will be throwing rice cakes later, so please make sure that the children go to the front as the area is very narrow and dangerous," said Chairman Fukase.
Voluntary Association of Japan, Masakazu Yoshio, Chairman
"During the Sunflower Festival, the Kitaryu Voluntary Association will be working to ensure that tourists have a happy time and smile. We appreciate your cooperation," said Chairman Yoshio.
Mr. Watanabe, Sunflower Committee Chairperson, Hokuryu Junior High School
"Hello everyone! I'm Watanabe, a third-year student at Hokuryu Junior High School. Hokuryu Junior High School is growing sunflowers in our Global Sunflower Corner. Please come and see them! I'll be giving a tour on Friday, July 25th, so thank you in advance," said Chairman Watanabe.
4. Brass band performance: Hokuryu Junior High School Brass Band
The Kitaryu Junior High School Brass Band will perform two songs, "Ame Nochi Haru Ya" and "Himawari no Yakusoku."
5. Mochi-throwing (60kg of red and white mochi)
Red and white celebratory rice cakes fly through the air with celebration and joy!!!
Please look forward to the encounter with the beautiful sunflowers of Sunflower Village and the touching drama that will unfold from here!!!
With boundless love, gratitude and prayers to the magnificent sunflowers of Sunflower Village, who shine like the rays of the sun, bringing with them a radiance that brings prayers for world peace, and who spread smiles of happiness and inspiration to the world.
Youtube Video
More Photos
Related Pages
| The 39th Sunflower Festival will be held in Hokuryu Town, Hokkaido! July 20th (Sunday) – August 18th (Monday), 2025 |
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| ❂ Duration: 30 days ❂ Area: Approximately 23ha ❂ Number of trees: 2 million ❂ Best time to see: Early August |
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◇ ◇ Photography, editing and website management: Noboru Terauchi Writer: Ikuko Terauchi
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