Tourism and local product promotion activities, etc.

Tourism and local product promotion activities, etc.

Autumn Fest (Sapporo Odori Park)

Since 2008, the Autumn Fest Executive Committee (whose secretariat is the Sapporo Tourism Association, a general incorporated association) has been holding the Sapporo Autumn Fest, and Hokuryu Town has also been promoting its local products such as sunflower rice and Kurosengoku soybeans.

The predecessor of this Autumn Fest was the Linkage Up Festival, which was held from 1994 to 2006 as an event aimed at promoting local products and tourism from municipalities in Hokkaido. There is no booth fee for applying as a tourism association at the Linkage Up Festival, so we participated in 2006 to promote the following year's Sunflower Festival and the use of Sunflower Park Hokuryu Hot Springs in winter, and sold sunflower rice, sunflower farm products such as mochi and buckwheat flakes. At this event, the Yubari Promotion Public Corporation purchased approximately 400,000 yen worth of sunflower rice.

The name was later changed from Linkage Up Festival to Sapporo Autumn Fest, and a stall fee was added, but the event continues to sell newly harvested sunflower rice to Sapporo residents.

Hokkaido Sapporo "Food and Tourism" Information Center (North Exit of Sapporo Station, Hokkaido Sapporo

The PR space at the Hokkaido Sapporo "Food and Tourism" Information Center (Tourist Information Center Dosanko Plaza, Shisaikan, etc.) is free for organizations such as tourist associations, so in 2009, 2010, and 2012, they distributed free Sunflower Festival flyers and 200 bags of 300g sunflower rice (purchased by the tourist association), as well as pocket tissues containing hot spring bath tickets, to promote tourism and other things.At the time, however, Dosanko Plaza was limited to promoting tourism as it sold local specialties.

After that, the Sorachi General Subprefectural Bureau held the "Sorachi Fair." It was originally held at Iwamizawa Park, but was later moved to Aeon and Sapporo Factory, where it became possible to sell local specialties. It is currently held at Dosanko Plaza and Shisaikan, PR spaces at the Hokkaido Sapporo "Food and Tourism" Information Center.

Sapporo Underground Pedestrian Space

We sold merchandise and promoted Hokuryu Town at events such as the JP01 Festival in Chikaho and Odori Bisse B1 Chikaho, sponsored by the Planning Division of the Planning Department of the Sapporo City Urban Development Policy Bureau.

Boulevard Bissé

When Odori Bisse opened in 2010, Hokuyo Bank implemented a project to rent out the first floor lobby free of charge for tourism promotion by municipalities. The Public Relations Department of the Sunflower Tourism Association attended the event and distributed free flyers about the Sunflower Festival and 200 bags of 300g sunflower rice (purchased by the tourism association) to Sapporo residents, as well as discount coupons for hot spring bathing tickets, to promote tourism.

Sapporo Beer Boulevard Beer Garden

The Sapporo Beer Garden promoted the Sunflower Festival at the Furusato Stage. In addition to promoting the festival, local specialties such as sunflower rice, sunflower melon, and sunflower watermelon were given away as gifts.

Mr. Kazuo Inoue, Senior General Manager of the Strategic Sales Department at Sapporo Beer Hokkaido Headquarters (who has an unusual background, having previously worked in the General Affairs Department of the Northern Army Headquarters of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces, and was awarded an Order of the Rising Sun in the fall of 2023), invited me to promote Hokuryu Town, so I took part in the Sapporo Beer Garden Hometown Stage.

Sapporo Beer also invited us to open a stall at Sapporo Factory, where we promoted tourism and sold our local specialties, sunflower rice and Kurosengoku soybeans.

Sapporo Beer Garden (Shinseien Co., Ltd.)

Takamasa Hatta exhibited kumiki at Sapporo Beer Garden, and became friendly with Director Takinami of Sapporo Beer Garden, who then arranged for the installation of pamphlets and posters for the Sunflower Festival within the garden. The wooden desk currently in the tourist center was donated by the garden to be disposed of at the beer garden. The reception hut for the ostrich maze was also donated by Sapporo Beer Garden.

Hokuryu Town is bringing about 50 sunflower planters to Sapporo Beer Garden as a tourist promotion.

Garden Island Hokkaido (GIH)

The organization was established in 2007 to create a multifaceted and multi-layered network of outstanding natural and human resources, such as the natural landscapes, agricultural and rural landscapes, parks, green spaces, and gardens that have been nurtured through Hokkaido's nature, climate, and lifestyle (collectively referred to as "gardens"), as well as the people and information related to them, to promote the appeal of Hokkaido's flowers and gardens both domestically and internationally, and to revitalize town development, tourism, environmental conservation, and economic activity. The Hokuryu Town Sunflower Tourism Association has also been a supporter since its inception.

Others (Asahikawa Western JP01 Festival)

Kengo Kuma (Hokuryu Town Tourism Ambassador)

On July 14, 2020, Professor Kengo Kuma's final lecture series, "What Comes After Industrial Society," was held at Yasuda Auditorium, University of Tokyo. Despite being a Sunday night, the hall was filled with over 1,000 people, and Kengo Kuma's lecture and Musashino
A symposium was held with Professor Hara Kenya of Tokyo Art University and Special Professor Suzuki Terutaka of Rissho University.

During the event, Kengo Kuma promoted Hokuryu rice while holding it in his hand, and guest Terutaka Suzuki also introduced a scene of Kengo Kuma holding the sunflower Hokuryu rice. Both are tourism ambassadors for the town, but this was quite unusual, as they cherished their connection with Hokuryu.

By the way, the amount of hometown tax donations at that time

• 2019: 540 million yen
• Reiwa 2 610 million yen
• Reiwa 3 390 million yen

1996 NHK drama series
Himawari no Sato is used in the title back image of the theme song for "Himawari."

The theme song for "Himawari" (April to October 1996) was Yamashita Tatsuro's "Dreaming Girl." His dynamic voice was sung over footage of sunflower fields in Hokkaido. "The theme song for the morning drama was aired three times a day, plus every day for six months until the Saturday recap, attracting an audience of approximately 20 million, and resulting in many inquiries about where the sunflower fields were located, was a major PR opportunity for Hokuryu Town."

2011 JR Healthy Walk King

August 6, 2011: JR sponsored the "Sunflower Village, Hokuryu Town Walk" event, with approximately 300 participants from all over Hokkaido enjoying the Hokuryu Town footpath course. The cherry tomato tasting in front of Mr. Kenichi Doi's house along the course was particularly popular.

2011 CB Tours Bus Tour Planning

These are plans for bus tours and regular sightseeing buses related to the Sunflower Festival, which are mentioned in the magazine's greeting, "Tourism of People, Events, and Things," by Tani Yuo, Deputy General Manager of the Tourism Promotion Headquarters of Hokkaido Chuo Bus Co., Ltd.

Tour of the largest village in Japan, enjoy a limited-time "Uni Yoshi Kaiseki" course meal, and pick seasonal fruits