50 Years of the Tourism Association's History [2000s]
| Year number | 月 | Major Events |
| 2000 2000 | 5 | Himawari no Sato expanded from 13ha to 14.5ha |
| 5 | Ten people were appointed as "Hokuryu Tourism Ambassadors" (Hajime Hoshiba, Tomoya Shimizu, Susumu Yotsuji, Yoshinori Fujie, Minoru Sato) Masao Fujisaki, Sayoko Fujii, Sawa Kanayama, Mika Fujinobu, and Hiromi Kawase) | |
| 5 | "Sunflower Road" constructed on National Route 275 | |
| 6 | Ostrich ranch completed, full-scale grazing begins | |
| 7 | The 14th Sunflower Festival was held (Sunflower Village) | |
| 8 | Himawari no Sato is broadcast nationwide on NHK's "Good Morning Nippon" | |
| 8 | It will be broadcast nationwide on Nippon Television's "Zoom In!! Saturday" | |
| 8 | Sunflower Festival "Fireworks Display" held The Mayor of Buzen Town, Sano, proposed the Sunflower Fireworks Display when he was the head of the Planning Division (in charge of tourism), and the fireworks display began at the Sunflower Festival. | |
| 2001 2001 | 5 | Himawari no Sato expands from 14.5a to 16.8ha |
| 6 | On June 29th, a tornado (magnitude F2) struck, causing major damage to Himawari and related facilities. | |
| 6 | 324 people participated and supported the "Weeding Crusade" at Himawari Village | |
| 6 | Commissioned by the 6th generation Sunflower Girls, Chiaki Sakai and Satomi Fujii | |
| 7 | Ostrich maze opened | |
| 7-8 | The 15th Sunflower Festival was held (Sunflower Village) | |
| 9 | Himawari Park Golf Course (Yew and Sunflower Course) opens | |
| 2002 2002 | 5 | The Sunflower Voluntary Association was established, and tour guide services began at Sunflower Village, and donations were also made available. |
| 5 | To commemorate the 110th anniversary of the town's founding, the Lions Club created a "Cherry Blossom Avenue." 340 cherry tree owners planted the trees and erected a memorial. | |
| 5 | The Himawari Tourism Association (organization) received the Hokkaido Tourism Promotion Merit Award from the Hokkaido Tourism Federation. | |
| 6 | Ostrich Club starts "Duck Farm" in Himawari Village | |
| 7-8 | The 16th Sunflower Festival was held (Sunflower Village) | |
| 7 | Kansas State Senator Steineger visits the town and inspects the Sunflower Village. | |
| 9 | The Hokuryu Town Specialty Products Sales Council received the Silver Award in the Regional Specialty Products category at the 1st "Our Village is Beautiful - Hokkaido" competition from the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau. | |
| 2003 2003 | 1 | Palm Food and Agriculture Workshop opens. JA's production of sunflower oil and nuts ends. |
| 3 | Hokuryu Himawari IC on the Fukagawa-Rumoi Expressway opens (March 27th) | |
| 3 | JR Bus withdraws from the Takikawa-Numata line, and Chuo Bus takes over operation. | |
| 4 | The Rumoi Expressway will stop in front of the town hall (from April 1st) | |
| 4 | Shinji Kanayama appointed as chairman of the Himawari Tourism Association | |
| 4 | Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen reaches 2 million visitors | |
| 5 | Himawari no Sato expanded from 16.8ha to 20.8ha | |
| 5 | Expanding "Sunflower Road" along National Route 275 to the headquarters area | |
| 5 | Commissioned by the 7th generation Sunflower Girls, Chiaki Mori and Megumi Okamoto | |
| 7-8 | The 17th Sunflower Festival was held (Sunflower Village) | |
| 8 | The 38th Hokusho Road Race will change from the National Route 275 course certified by the Japan Athletics Federation to the Himawari no Sato course. | |
| Himawari no Sato is broadcast nationwide on TBS's "Hanamaru Market" | ||
| 🌻 | The Garden Island was established with the aim of promoting flower tourism in Hokkaido. The Sunflower Tourism Association has been a member of the "Sunflower Village" since 2006. | |
| 🌻 | When SARS broke out, the WHO issued a warning to the world, labeling it a global health threat and issuing an unprecedented travel advisory. | |
| 2004 2004 | 5 | Tetsuo Sasaki, Chairman of the Himawari Tourism Association (individual), received the Hokkaido Tourism Federation Merit Award from the Hokkaido Tourism Federation. |
| 7 | Himawari Park Golf Course (Sakura Course) opens | |
| 7·8 | The 18th Sunflower Festival was held (Sunflower Village) | |
| 8 | Filming at Himawari no Sato in Super Hi-Vision for the Aichi Expo | |
| 🌻 | Sunflower dishes and sunflower health tea are broadcast nationwide on Nippon Television's "Omoikkiri TV" | |
| 🌻 | Niigata Chuetsu earthquake occurs | |
| 🌻 | The behavioral exhibits at Asahiyama Zoo became popular, attracting 1.449 million visitors (tourist spots such as Asahikawa's Asahiyama Zoo, Biei's Shikisai no Oka, Nakafurano's Tomita Farm, Furano's Rokugo, and Hokuryu's Sunflower Village began to be organized into tourist routes). | |
| 2005 2005 | 3 | Hokuryu Himawari IC on the Fukagawa-Rumoi Expressway opens |
| 6 | Himawari no Sato implements water supply work using pumps as a countermeasure against abnormal flooding | |
| 6 | Commissioned by the 8th generation Sunflower Girls, Emi Yasuda and Ayano Hayashi | |
| 7 | The 19th Sunflower Festival was held (Sunflower Village) | |
| 7 | A monument commemorating the completion of the cherry blossom trees was erected as part of the 30th anniversary of the Lions Club's certification. | |
| 2006 2006 | 5 | 1.3 million plants planted on 23 hectares of Sunflower Village (the largest area ever) |
| 5 | Himawari Park Golf Course (Dragon Course) opens | |
| 6 | Yukie Fujii becomes the 8th Sunflower Girl (due to Ayano Hayashi stepping down) | |
| 6 | Creating a walking path within Sunflower Village Nonno Forest: 7,743,750 yen | |
| 7 | The Rumoi Expressway will stop in front of Hokuryu Junior High School only during the Sunflower Festival. Improved access from Sapporo | |
| 7·8 | The 20th Sunflower Festival was held (Sunflower Village) | |
| 8 | The 20th anniversary of the Sunflower Festival is celebrated with the All-Hokkaido Sunflower Cup Park Golf Tournament. | |
| 🌻 | Himawari no Sato is broadcast nationwide on NHK News | |
| 🌻 | Promotional video shoot for singer Aiko's album "Kanojo" | |
| 🌻 | Kurosengoku Business Cooperative Association launched | |
| 2007 2007 | 4 | Mr. Nagiyasu Fujioka appointed as the Chairman of the Tourism Association |
| 7 | First road paving work within Himawari no Sato: 8,914,500 yen | |
| 7·8 | The 21st Sunflower Festival was held (Sunflower Village) | |
| 8 | The 2nd Hokkaido Himawari Cup Park Golf Tournament was held (the 20th anniversary event was continued as the 1st tournament). | |
| 🌻 | It was used as a filming location for the Fuji TV drama "Wish Upon a Cow" (starring Tetsuji Tamayama). | |
| 🌻 | The relaxation of international driver's license regulations (Hong Kong and Singapore) will increase demand for rental cars and provide an opportunity to increase inbound tourism. | |
| 🌻 | Windows Vista, which was released in January, comes with video editing software as standard, and YouTube The Japanese version was launched on June 19th, and anyone can post videos of their visits to tourist spots. A large information dissemination platform has been launched, where tourists can post videos of their visits. | |
| 2008 2008 | 5 | Chuo Bus discontinued the Takikawa-Numata line and moved to the Takikawa-Hokuryu line (ending at Hekisui City). |
| 6 | Construction work to expand the walking path within Nonno Forest: 3,864,000 yen | |
| 7 | Second road paving work completed within Himawari no Sato: 8,085,000 yen | |
| 7·8 | The 22nd Sunflower Festival was held (Sunflower Village) | |
| 8 | The 3rd Hokkaido Himawari Cup Park Golf Tournament was held | |
| 9 | The Azuma Hut Rest House "Bokantei" was built by the Hokuryu Town Skills Association | |
| 9 | Received the Flower Tourism Award (Hokuryu Town Himawari no Sato) from the Japan Tourism Association in the "Flower Tourism Destination Development Grand Prize" | |
| 9 | The Sunflower Rice Producers Association won the Bronze Award in the Regional Specialty Product category at the 4th "Make Our Village Beautiful - Hokkaido" Campaign Competition from the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau. | |
| 🌻 | Sunflower oil is gaining attention as a biodiesel source due to rising crude oil prices and environmental issues | |
| 🌻 | The Chinese film "I Can't Help It" is released, and travel to Hokkaido becomes popular in China. | |
| 🌻 | The Japanese version of Facebook's service was launched on May 19, 2008, allowing users to post photos and videos. The Japanese version of Twitter's service was also launched on April 23, 2008, allowing users to post photos and videos. Since then, Twitter has become a platform with great influence through celebrities and other so-called influencers, giving birth to many new cultures and trends. | |
| 2009 2009 | 4 | The management and operation of Himawari no Sato is entrusted to the NPO Himawari. |
| 7 | Construction of "Himawari 3-wheel waterwheel" and completion of electrical work at Himawari no Sato Environmental improvement work carried out around Aikamo Pond Triple waterwheel production construction 2,583,000 yen Construction of well water pipes and duck pond at Himawari no Sato 9,660,000 yen Additional construction work above 630,000 yen Electric wiring construction to Aigamo Pond 4,683,000 yen Observation Hill development (parking lot, wooden fence) 2,446,500 yen Paving of the town road adjacent to Nakanodai Hekisui Himari Road 4,395,000 yen Footpath construction 2,900,000 yen The 23rd Sunflower Festival (Sunflower Village) | |
| 7 | The 23rd Sunflower Festival was held (Sunflower Village) | |
| 7 | Himawari no Sato's rental bicycles change from free to paid service 6,004 people use them | |
| 8 | The 4th Hokkaido Himawari Cup Park Golf Tournament was held | |
| 8 | Hokkaido Governor Takahashi pays a courtesy visit to Hokuryu Town and inspects the Sunflower Village. | |
| 8 | Hokuryu Junior High School receives letter of appreciation from Governor Takahashi for its tourism hospitality practice at "Sunflowers of the World" | |
| 10 | Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen reaches 3 million visitors (October 16th) | |
| 🌻 | Comprehensive seed sowing machine (planter purchased March 2009) | |
| 3 | Participated in the NHK-sponsored program "Hometown Japanese Food." Hokuryu Town rice was selected as a Hokkaido representative through the recommendation of Sapporo Consumer Association Chairman Kuwahara, and promoted tourism. | |
| 4 | Noboru Terauchi and his wife, Miyako, a former member of the Nippon Foundation, were appointed as local revitalization volunteers, and they created an online portal site for Hokuryu Town, strengthening PR for Hokuryu Town, including tourism. | |
| 7-8 | The 24th Sunflower Festival was held (Sunflower Village) | |
| 2010 2010 | 7 | Renovation of the Himawari no Sato Observatory |
| 8 | The Sunflower Festival fireworks display, which was canceled last year, will resume. | |
| 🌻 | Due to the free use of expressways, the number of cars traveling on National Highways 275 and 233 will decrease, resulting in a decrease in tourists. The Democratic Party administration's toll-free highway section led to a decrease in the number of vehicles passing through national highways (June 25, 2010 to June 19, 2011). | |
| 🌻 | Publication of Himawari 30th Anniversary Magazine | |
| 🌻 | The Ministry of Construction launches the Japan Tourism Agency and the Visit Japan Campaign begins. |
