Friday, January 9, 2026
- 1 Smiles of trust and cooperation bloom in the snow. Mayor Sasaki Yasuhiro visits neighborhood association presidents in the New Year
- 1.1 A New Year's ceremony to solidify our footing and move forward together into the future
- 1.2 10 leaders supporting Hokuryu Town
- 1.2.1 Mibaushi Neighborhood Association: Chairman Asao Morishima
- 1.2.2 Hekisui Neighborhood Association: Chairman Noriyuki Takeuchi
- 1.2.3 Itaya Neighborhood Association: Chairman Isao Kawamura
- 1.2.4 Nishikawa Neighborhood Association: Chairman Kenichi Doi
- 1.2.5 Sakuraoka Neighborhood Association: Chairman Joji Satoshi
- 1.2.6 Watocho Neighborhood Association: Chairman Toshio Iwamoto
- 1.2.7 Wa Neighborhood Association: Chairman Noriaki Nakajima
- 1.2.8 Greetings with business cards
- 1.3 "Building the town together" - the desire for collaboration embodied in the words
- 1.4 Wishing you a wonderful year full of smiles
- 2 YouTube video (Thumbnails are created using Gemini3)
- 3 Other photos
Smiles of trust and cooperation bloom in the snow. Mayor Sasaki Yasuhiro visits neighborhood association presidents in the New Year
A New Year's ceremony to solidify our footing and move forward together into the future
On Wednesday, January 7th, as the light of the new year poured down on the snowy fields, Hokuryu Town Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki visited the homes of neighborhood association presidents to offer New Year's greetings.
It's winter in Hokuryu Town, and snow is steadily piling up. However, the enthusiasm and warmth flowing between the mayor and the neighborhood association presidents seems to blow away the cold. This is not just a formal greeting. It is an important "ritual of the heart" that ensures that the town government and the local community are firmly aligned, like the two wheels of a cart, and moving forward in the same direction.
10 leaders supporting Hokuryu Town
Hokuryu Town has a population of about 1,600 and is home to 10 neighborhood associations. This is close to the "Dunbar's number" (the optimal number of people who can match each other's faces and names and build trust, approximately 150 people) in social psychology, making it the ideal form of a "face-to-face community." (Dunbar's number: Wikipedia）
Mayor Sasaki visited the homes and workshops of each of the 10 chairpersons, who are key members of the community, and spoke with them.
The 10 chairpersons who visited this time and will support the local community for the R7 fiscal year (2026) are as follows:
- Hekisui Neighborhood Association:Noriyuki Takeuchi, Chairman
- Mibaushi Neighborhood Association:Asao Morishima, Chairman
- Itaya Neighborhood Association:Chairman Isao Kawamura
- Nishikawa Neighborhood Association:Kenichi Doi, Chairman
- Sakuraoka Neighborhood Association:Chairman Joji Satoshi
- Wa Neighborhood Association:Noriaki Nakajima, Chairman
- Watocho Neighborhood Association:Toshio Iwamoto, Chairman
- Wamachi Neighborhood Association:Yasuhiro Sugiyama, Chairman
- Wamotocho Neighborhood Association:Chairman Hasegawa Kiyotaka
- Mitani Neighborhood Association:Takayuki Kawamoto, Chairman
Mibaushi Neighborhood Association: Chairman Asao Morishima
Hekisui Neighborhood Association: Chairman Noriyuki Takeuchi
Itaya Neighborhood Association: Chairman Isao Kawamura
Nishikawa Neighborhood Association: Chairman Kenichi Doi
Sakuraoka Neighborhood Association: Chairman Joji Satoshi
Watocho Neighborhood Association: Chairman Toshio Iwamoto
Wa Neighborhood Association: Chairman Noriaki Nakajima
Greetings with business cards
*Unfortunately, three of the ten neighborhood association presidents were absent, so Mayor Sasaki left his business card in the mailbox and will be greeting them at a later date.
"Building the town together" - the desire for collaboration embodied in the words
"We look forward to your continued support in building our town this year."
These words from Mayor Sasaki express his strong desire to "collaborate" with the residents, working hard and sharing ideas together, rather than building the town through the government alone.
From chatting at the entrance to strong handshakes in work clothes, the expressions on everyone's faces in the photos were not tense, but rather the gentle smiles of friends who trust each other. At times, their beloved dogs even joined in, lightening the mood.
It is in these unpretentious exchanges that the spirit of harmony and compassion that Hokuryu has cultivated over its long history lives on. Rather than large systems, these warm connections between individuals may be the starting point for the peaceful and prosperous society that the world longs for.
Wishing you a wonderful year full of smiles
Although it may be bitterly cold outside, the warmth of spring is always present in Hokuryu Town, born from people supporting each other. I sincerely hope that this year will be another wonderful year filled with smiles, with Mayor Sasaki, the neighborhood association presidents, and all the townspeople joining hands.
YouTube videos(Thumbnails are taken from Gemini3)
Other photos
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