To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Tourism Association
We would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to the Himawari Tourism Association on its 50th anniversary.
It has been 50 years since the Hokuryu Town Tourism Association was founded in 1972 by the late Yoshio Komatsu, its first president.
I remember that at that time an agricultural festival was held, and merchants and industrialists helped out to celebrate the harvest in the agricultural town, and various events were held. It was a festival that gave you a sense of richness in the heart.
The first Sunflower Festival was held in 1987, and it became a festival of sunflowers, agriculture, commerce, and industry. Sunflowers began to attract attention. At the time, I was serving as the head of the youth division of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, so I celebrated with my colleagues in agriculture, commerce, and government.
Furthermore, in 1999, the association was renamed Hokuryu Town Sunflower Tourism Association, and the association's name, which includes the local specialty, attracted a lot of attention nationwide, and there were high hopes that tourism would become a new policy for the town. The word "tourism" was coined at the beginning of the Meiji era to mean finding hope for the future.
Hokuryu Town has gained the sunflowers on its side, and I believe they are a symbol of the town's pride and the people of the town moving forward together, looking towards the future. First and foremost, we enjoy what we do, and I believe that the path forward for Hokuryu Town is one in which tourists and those looking for safe and secure agricultural products can empathize and share this.
The town shines because of the abundance of agriculture, the pride in supporting people's livelihoods through commerce, and the kindness of its residents.
We would like to express our gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to build the Himawari Tourism Association's 50-year history. We would like to celebrate this milestone and pray for the creation of value that will not be swayed by the times and will not be shaken by the changes of the times.
Cheers to the century ahead!
