50 Years of Tourism Association History: 1980s: New Frontier Festival
New Frontier Festival
In 1987, NHK Hokkaido organized the "Municipality Competition: Hometown Pride and Singing Pride" in an effort to revitalize Hokkaido, and this was the perfect opportunity to promote tourism. The staff from each workplace and Ryutopia members were a diverse group of people who worked hard every night practicing and creating things, from directing to making large and small props.
Although the actual skit lasts only 1 minute 30 seconds, its short duration makes it a challenging one. Sorachi is a fiercely competitive region in the entire prefecture, with all 27 cities, towns, and villages participating. It can be considered an Olympic Games, with towns and cities with populations ranging from 3,000 to 100,000. The goal is to condense the town's pride into 1 minute 30 seconds, create an impact, and inspire the audience. To achieve this, there is no room for error for the performers or the people behind the scenes. It's a constant state of tension, and the horse and rider must work in perfect unison, creating a work of art. The perfect execution on the day is a victory achieved thanks to the efforts of the staff and the cheers of the local community. They won the Sorachi tournament three times in a row, becoming three-time champions and achieving a remarkable feat in the prefectural tournament.
● April 18, 1987, Fukagawa Civic Hall
・Hometown Pride: Himawari Land Hokuryu
・Singing Proud: Takada Mihoko
October 20th, NHK Sapporo Broadcasting Station (Central Hokkaido Tournament)
・Singing Proud: Hideki Matsuura, Yasuko Hasegawa, Mihoko Takada
● October 2, 1988, Takikawa Cultural Center
・Hometown Pride: A dragon dances in the sunflower village
・Singing Proud: Kitakiyo Hirokuni
November 5th, Sapporo Welfare Pension Hall (All-Hokkaido Tournament)
・Singing Proud: Naoko Takada and Hirokuni Kitakiyo
● October 8, 1989, Iwamizawa Civic Hall
・Hometown pride: Title unknown
・Singing Proud: Osamu Sunagawa
November 2nd, Sapporo Welfare Pension Hall (All-Hokkaido Tournament)
・Singing Proud: Nobuyoshi Teragaki, Osamu Sunagawa
● October 21, 1990, Takikawa City Cultural Center
・Hometown pride: The home of love told through sunflowers
・Singing Proud: Kisako Hanawa
November 9th, Sapporo Welfare Pension Hall (All-Hokkaido Tournament)
・Singing Proud: Kisako Hanawa
