Two people make one. The story of Hokuryu Town woven by the sun and the moon

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

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. When we went to a hospital in Hokkaido to seek a second opinion, dementia was ruled out. This incident marked a major turning point for us, making us resolve to live the rest of our lives in a place where we truly wanted to live, with a fulfilling heart.

And then we came across Hokuryu Town, the town of sunflowers.
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 the small, yet most precious, joyful empathy that is part of everyday life in this town to the world, even if only just a little. We strongly believe that this is the role that we, who found light in the depths of despair, can play.

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. A former navigator on international shipping routes, he traveled the oceans of the world. He then worked in public relations at the Nippon Foundation from the dawn of the internet era, deepening his knowledge of the web. After moving to Hokuryu Town in 2010, he worked as a local revitalization volunteer and village supporter, working to revitalize the town and launching the "Hokuryu Town Portal."
[As the sun] I play the role of the "Sun," using logical thinking and accepted social standards to determine the course of the portal. 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 City, Fukuoka Prefecture in 1956. Works at the Tokyo headquarters of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (JA Zen-Noh). Qualified as a Junior Vegetable Sommelier. Underwent artificial hip joint surgery in 2006. In 2010, she moved to Hokuryu Town with her husband, Noboru Prêmio. She also serves as a local revitalization volunteer and village 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.
People from all over the world who share the "spirit of harmony" and "compassion" that are rooted in Hokuryu Town and connect with each other through their hearts are involved in this town."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 media outlets, taking advantage of their respective characteristics. We hope you will follow us on your preferred platform.

★ Hokuryu Town Portal
This is the official website that serves as a hub for all information. From feature articles to the activities of townspeople, it provides comprehensive information on the current state of Hokuryu Town in multiple languages.
https://portal.hokuryu.info

★ Facebook page | Hokuryu Town Treasures
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
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
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 harmony to the world
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

Hokuryu Town Portal

The 2023 Sorachi Block Women's Workshop for Members of the Sorachi Block Commerce and Industry Associations (hosted by the Hokkaido Sorachi Prefectural Federation of Commerce and Industry Women's Clubs) was grandly held in Hokuryu Town! Lecture by Terauchi: 13 years of information transmission in Hokuryu-cho

Monday, October 2, 2023 On Wednesday, September 27, at 15:00, in the multipurpose hall of Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen (Hokuryu Town), Hokkai...

◇ ◇