16 Tourism Promotion Volunteers, etc. 2

JA Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative Women's Division Hokuryu Branch
JA Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative Fresh Mizu Hokuryu Branch

・Sunflower Festival "Agricultural Products Sales"

Sunflower Rice Producers Association

・Sunflower Festival "Rice Festival"
・New Rice Festival

Sunflower Melon Producers' Association/Sunflower Watermelon Producers' Association

Hokuryu Town Agricultural Research Association

Founded in 1951, it was created with the aim of acquiring new agricultural techniques. At the Sunflower Festival, they promoted agriculture by exhibiting old farm equipment and other items to help consumers learn about agriculture.

Park Golf Association (Hokkaido Sunflower Cup Park Golf Tournament)

Founded by Hajime Hoshiba in 1995, the course started with nine holes on the grounds of Shinryu Shrine, and in 2001, an 18-hole Himawari Park Golf Course was built on land adjacent to Himawari Village, followed by another nine holes in 2004 and another nine holes in 2006, for a total of 36 holes.

Every year, various tournaments are held, including the All-Hokkaido Sunflower Cup Park Golf Tournament, attracting visitors from inside and outside the town.

Kita Sorachi Shinkin Bank (environmental beautification activities)

Kita Sorachi Shinkin Bank has been displaying tourist posters and event flyers for the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Festival not only within the Kita Sorachi area but also at its Asahikawa and Sapporo branches. They have also planted flowers at the Hokuryu branch as part of an environmental beautification campaign and are involved in activities such as picking up trash within the town. They have also been assisting us with business matching for the sale of local specialties.

Women's Organizations Liaison Council (Hokuryu Ondo Parade)

In 1987, the Hanagasa Ondo was replaced by the Hokuryu Ondo Parade, and in order to popularize the Hokuryu Ondo Parade, the Women's Group Liaison Council (chairman: Yamamoto Reiko) and the Folk Song and Dance Club (Kawamoto Fumiko and Nakayama Mitsu) visited schools and local areas to promote the dance and hold the Hokuryu Ondo Parade. The artificial sunflowers being held in the hands of the girls were made with the help of Kawamoto Kimi from the Handicraft Club.

Wa Hekisui Post Office (environmental beautification activities, stamp sales)

During the Sunflower Festival, stamps are sold in the tourist center. In 2002, the "Hokuryu Sunflower" was sold as a Hokkaido hometown stamp. Postal workers also pick up trash as part of an environmental beautification campaign.

Hokuryu Town Sports Association

・Hokusho Road Race Tournament
・Speech by Yuko Arimori commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Japan Sports Association
・50th Hokusho Road Race Tournament Yukiko Akabane was invited as a guest runner.

Hokuryu Taiko

The group was founded in 1993 when Nakamura Hiroyo married Nakamura Shoichi from Kurisawa Town (now Iwamizawa City), Hatsuda Chie married Hatsuda Takashi from Imobeushi Town, and then Miyazawa Fuko, a teacher at Shinryu Elementary School from Shintotsukawa Town, joined Hokuryu Taiko and began teaching children how to play the drums in a style different from traditional drumming clubs.

Taiko drumming was then added to the opening ceremony of the Sunflower Festival and as an opening act for the Hokuryu Bon Odori Festival. Since 2008, the Sorachi Taiko Federation has been holding creative taiko drumming concerts at the Sunflower Festival, which continues to this day.

Himawari Voluntary Association

As the Hokuryu Town Social Welfare Council is facing an aging society, and as the presence of elderly people is extremely important in terms of welfare measures and promoting the town, the council conducted an inspection of advanced areas from November 8th to 10th, 2001, as a measure to help elderly people find meaning in their lives.

The participants were Sawada Takashi, Tanaka Moriaki, Kawakami Hiroaki, and Sakamoto Tsutomu, and the places of visit were Asuke Town in Aichi Prefecture, Akechi Town and Nagahama City in Gifu Prefecture, and Namiai Village and Iida City in Nagano Prefecture. After a tight schedule spanning three prefectures, the Voluntary Association was established the following year on May 30, 2002, with Yamamoto Takashi elected as its first chairman. A total of 120 members, including current chairman Kawada Koji, work as tourist guides and raise funds to help make good sunflowers bloom, in collaboration with the Sunflower Longevity Association.

Sunflower Longevity Association

In 1963, the Hokuryu Town Longevity Association Federation was established by comrades, and subsequently senior citizens' clubs were formed in each neighborhood association. In 1989, the name was changed to the Hokuryu Town Senior Citizens' Club Federation, and in 2014, it was renamed the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Longevity Association Federation. The association weeds the sunflower village, acts as a tour guide for the sunflower festival, collects donations to help ensure beautiful sunflowers bloom, cleans public facilities, and picks up trash.

Hokuryu Junior High School (Sunflower cultivation around the world and tourist guide)

In May 1990, the sunflower farm that had been sown by young people was hit by bird damage. Remembering the many tourists who had visited the previous year and praised the sunflowers for their beauty, the farmers knew they couldn't let things continue like this. They quickly cultivated 50,000 sunflower seedlings in Sato Minoru's greenhouse and planted them one by one by hand, even though it was a busy time for farmers. Around 200 volunteers came together to help, even though it was a busy time for farmers. The junior high school students who saw this all volunteered to help, and somehow they were able to overcome the crisis.

This prompted junior high school students to create a "World Sunflower Corner" the following year, where they sowed seeds from 30 to 50 different kinds of sunflowers from around the world, grew them themselves, and acted as tourist guides.

Here is one of the thank-you letters we have received from all over the country.
"I am still filled with emotion. Wanting to make the partially paralyzed grandfather happy, two female students ran down the hill and secretly gave him a red sunflower and a small yellow flower, wrapped in paper so that no one could see. I was truly moved by the kind and beautiful hearts of the two girls."

This is a living educational environment where children can develop a wonderful sense of consideration and hospitality even without school education. Currently, the student council's "Sunflower Committee" is playing a central role in the activities, and is making a big impact on tourism in Hokuryu Town.
They are making valuable contributions.

Hokkaido Horse Road Network Association

From 2005 to 2006, the Hokkaido Horse Road Network Association conducted horse trekking in Himawari no Sato. It was run by Yasuhiro Sasaki, chairman of the Hokuryu Town Horse Trekking Executive Committee.

Ostrich Club (Maze Management, Aigamo Farm, Ostrich Farm)

Himawari no Sato Shop Association (Mini-game tournament held)

・Raw egg catch competition
・Rock-paper-scissors tournament
・Sunflower Frisbee Tournament (Planned by Miyamoto Kazuhiro, Souvenir Shop Miyamoto Sho)
・Mini steam locomotive operation (Planned by Masashi Arima)