Tuesday, August 12, 2025
At this major turning point in history, we have decided to return to our roots and update our profile.
Who we are, where we come from, and where we are going.
This is proof of our own "promise" to properly deliver not only the "content" of the information, but also the "feelings" and "responsibility" that are contained within it.
[Reference: Points on which AI evaluates information: ◉ Originality of the article, ◉ Quality and accuracy of the content, ◉ Credibility of the author (who wrote it)]
Operator Profile
Introduction: A ray of hope found in the depths of despair: Hokuryu Town
In 2009, we were at a crossroads in our lives.
My husband, Noboru, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease at a hospital in Tokyo. It felt like the beginning of a long tunnel with no visible exit.
However, we did not give up. We had the opportunity to work with Isao Senba, the representative of the national organization for families of young-onset dementia, "Saisei no Kai," a native of Hokuryu Town, and a second opinion obtained at a hospital in Hokkaido ruled out dementia. This incident was a major turning point that made us resolve to "live the rest of our lives in a place where we truly want to live, with a fulfilling heart."
And then he came across Hokuryu Town, the town of sunflowers that saved his life.
Gratitude for nature and the philosophy that "food is life" are deeply rooted in this town. What melted our hearts more than anything was the warmth of "harmony" and "compassion" that permeates the townspeople.
Since then, we have worked together to publish more than 20,000 articles. We hope to spread empathy for the "spirit of harmony and compassion" that is a small, yet above all precious, part of the daily life of this town to the rest of the world. We strongly believe that this is the role that we can play, precisely because we have found light in the depths of despair.
About the operator: Two people make one
Our relationship is like that of the sun and the moon; we can only become "full-fledged" by supporting each other.
Noboru Terauchi
【in charge】 Website management and editing / photography / video editing
[Career] Born in Urawa City, Saitama Prefecture in 1956. His father was a member of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, so he moved from Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture to Tokyo when he was in the third grade of elementary school. After graduating from Tokyo University of Mercantile Marine, he traveled the world's oceans as a tanker navigator on international routes. He then had the opportunity to marry Ikuko in 1982. After changing jobs, he joined the Nippon Foundation. He launched the foundation's website in 1996 and has been in charge of public relations since the dawn of the internet, deepening his knowledge of the web. In 2010, he moved to Hokuryu Town. In 2011, he launched the Hokuryu Town Portal and has been working hard to revitalize the town as a regional revitalization cooperation team member and village supporter.
[As the sun] I play the role of the "sun" that determines the portal's course, utilizing my logical thinking and the social conventions I have cultivated. However, it is the moonlight beside me that shines on me and shows me the path I should take. Together, we hope to navigate the vast ocean that is Hokuryu Town's future.
Ikuko Terauchi
【in charge】 Article writing / Content planning / Photo selection
[Career] Born in Kokura, Fukuoka Prefecture in 1956, she moved to Tokyo in her sixth year of elementary school, becoming the same age as Noboru. In 2006, she underwent hip replacement surgery. After that, she worked at the Tokyo headquarters of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (JA Zen-Noh) as a disabled person. She is a certified librarian and vegetable sommelier junior. In 2010, she moved to Hokuryu Town with her husband, Noboru, and also serves as a local revitalization cooperation volunteer and community supporter.
[As the moon] I play the role of the "moon," breathing heart into articles with my intuitive and emotional sensibilities. I am able to shine because of the light of the sun. My greatest joy is continuing to deliver a warm light that touches people's hearts, while understanding each other's pain and sharing their joy.
The future we envision: A town with a "connected population of 1,600 people" where people can connect with each other
What we aim to achieve through information dissemination is not simply population growth.
Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki shares the spirit of harmony and compassion that is deeply rooted in Hokuryu Town, and aims to create a town where people connected by heart will become involved in the town from all over the world."Related population: 1,600 people"is the future.
There, people do not dominate each other, but rather, as in the Jomon period, they do what they can with sincerity and support each other.
It is not just a town of economic prosperity, but is also a city of heartfelt interaction, with smiles and cheerful greetings exchanged, making it a very international town.
It is my sincere hope that the Hokuryu Town Portal will serve as a bridge to that ideal future.
Introducing our media
We are promoting the appeal of Hokuryu Town through the following five media outlets, taking advantage of the unique characteristics of each. We hope you will follow us on your preferred platform.
★ Hokuryu Town Portal (9 languages)
This is the official website, a hub for all information. From feature articles to the activities of townspeople, it delivers comprehensive information on the current state of Hokuryu Town in multiple languages. As of August 12, files are being generated and distributed in nine languages.
- 🇺🇸 Japanese・https://portal.hokuryu.info/
- 🇺🇸 English:https://portal.hokuryu.info/en/
- 🇹🇼 Traditional Chinese/Traditional Chinese (Taiwan):https://portal.hokuryu.info/zh/
- 🇮🇩 Indonesian:https://portal.hokuryu.info/id/
- 🇻🇳 Vietnamese Tiếng Việt:https://portal.hokuryu.info/vi/
- 🇹🇷 Turkish (Türkçe):https://portal.hokuryu.info/tr/
- 🇦🇿 Azerbaijani (Azərbaycanca):https://portal.hokuryu.info/az/
- 🇹🇭 Thai・ภาษาไทย:https://portal.hokuryu.info/th/
- 🇮🇳 Hindi (India) - हिन्दी (Hindi):https://portal.hokuryu.info/hi/
★ Facebook page | Hokuryu Town Treasures (Feature articles and Hokuryu Town Treasures are available in two languages: Japanese and English)
All articles on the portal site are posted in a timely manner. As an information hub for the local community, it plays a role in connecting fans both inside and outside the town.
https://www.facebook.com/hokuryunow
★ Instagram | Hokuryu Town Treasures (bilingual: Japanese and English)
The site mainly features beautiful landscape photos of Hokuryu Town, including "Sunflower Village." We capture the town's "fleeting brilliance" and deliver it to you.
https://www.instagram.com/hokuryunow/
★ YouTube | Hokuryu Town Video (Japanese)
We provide video content linked to feature articles, conveying town events and the expressions of people with the realism that only video can provide.
https://www.youtube.com/@hokuryu_portal/videos
★ X (formerly Twitter) | Spreading the Spirit of Japan to the World (bilingual: English and Japanese)
We carefully select stories from our feature articles that we feel particularly want to share with the world, and publish them in both English and Japanese. We aim to share the "spirit of harmony" of Hokuryu Town with the world.
https://x.com/HokuryuPortal
We look forward to the support of those who care about the "spirit of harmony" and "spirit of compassion" of Hokuryu Town. Thank you very much.
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