Ainosato

Hello, everyone!

Today, I’d like to introduce the Ainosato area where our university is located. Actually, our university’s students always say “Ainosato is a very boring and remote place…”. So, I want you to know some good points of Ainosato and make your school life more　enjoyable! 

First, there is a famous chocolate shop, Royce. It takes only 20 minutes from our university on foot. We can buy many kinds of chocolates and breads. In addition to this, they sell some soft cream and we can eat it in Royce garden!

This is the soft cream and the garden’s flowers. It is so beautiful, isn’t it? I do want you to visit there with your friends on a hot day!

Next, I will recommend Toretagoya-Fujii. Surprisingly, in winter, we can fish smelts (Wakasagi) on the Barato river! Actually, Sapporo has only 6 smelt fishing places. It is said that Toretategoya-fujii is the best place among them.

 This is the picture of fishing smelts there. You should go and have a fun time there in winter.

 

Last, I found a nice café 2 minutes on foot. The name is Hiro café. It provides good cinnamon rolls and coffee.

 These are the pictures of cinnamon rolls. We can eat various tastes of cinnamon rolls such as plain, green tea, apple, and caramel. If you have no time to eat there, you should order some cinnamon rolls to go. You can go there when you don’t have any classes.

 I found Ainosato interesting place. I’d like you to go there and have a fun time in Ainosato!

 

Thank you for reading this blog!

Royce↓

https://www.royce.com/brand/shop/detail/?no=105

Toretategoya-fujii↓

http://toreta-fujii.com/fishing/

Mt. Hakodate

Mt. Hakodate

Hi, I’m Kotaro. Today I will introduce you to Mt. Hakodate.

Mt. Hakodate is 334m high and is located to the west of Hakodate city. If you see the night view of Hakodate city from this mountain, you will be amazed. Because night view of Hakodate is so beautiful that it is introduced the second edition of the “Michelin Green Guide” as three stars!

When you want to go to the summit of Mt. Hakodate, you should climb. There are a ropeway, but it is a little expensive. So you should climb there and come back by ropeway. This is a little-known story, Mt. Hakodate was used as a military fortress to protect the port of Hakodate. So you can still see some military facilities.

Mt. Hakodate was originally an island, but over the years it became connected to the land. The topography of the island is that of a land-linked island, which is rare in the world. 

In this way, Mt. Hakodate has a lot of attractions. You should go there. You will like it.

Hokkaido-ben

Hokkaido-Ben (a regional dialect in Hokkaido)

Hi everyone, I’m Nanami.

Here, I’d like to introduce the regional dialect in Hokkaido, which is called Hokkaido-ben in Japanese. The root of Hokkaido-ben is said to be the north of Hokkaido. Before it was transmitted to the north of Hokkaido, it developed in the Tohoku region (the north part of Honshu).

 

 

Below, I am going to introduce some words and expressions of Hokkaido-ben. Some people from Hokkaido use some of them but do not know that expressions are not used outside of Hokkaido.

 

The first one is famous as Hokkaido-ben. Do you use the word “めんこい“? In what situation do you use the word? It has the same meaning as cute, it is said “かわいい” in standard Japanese. “めんこい” came from the word of classical Japanese.

 

The next word I will introduce you is “なまら“. It means “very” in English. The root of this word is “生半可” which means incomplete or unfinished. The pronunciation of “生半可“ and “なまら” are similar but the meanings are completely different. Why did the meaning change? It is said that “生半可“ originated in Niigata prefecture in the Tyube region. It means that on the way to Hokkaido, the meaning changed and the wrong meaning was spread in Hokkaido.

 

These two words are only one part of Hokkaido-ben and there are a lot of more interesting expressions. If you are interested, please search on the internet.

Thank you for reading!

 

 

Ashibetsu

Hi everyone!

 

Today, I will introduce you the city of Ashibetsu.

Is there anyone who has been there before? I think the answer is no.

 

Ashibetsu is a very small town, but it’s famous for its food, sightseeing spots, and stars.

Especially I like the night sky of Ashibetsu.

So, I’m going to introduce all of them with pictures.

 

Firstly, speaking of food, Gatatan and Tang Lone are good!

Gatatan is a kind of ramen and its ingredients are pork, shrimp, squid, wood ear mushroom and so on.

Also, it contains starch, so it is thick.

Tang Lone is a drink made from seaweed (Konbu) and apple, so it's a little bit sweet.

Also it’s good for your health.

Secondly, I will talk about sightseeing spots.

The Falls and The Canadian World Park are popular. 

This is the fall of Sandan which means three-tiered.(←) and the fall of Tsukimi Zawa(→)

These are said to be haunted places, but it’s so beautiful so people who like to take pictures often come.

This is the Canadian World Park. As you can see, the view is very cute.

Since Ashibetsu established a sister-city relationship with Sharlot town in Canada in 1993, this park started to be built, reproducing the world of Anne of Green Gables.

I will recommend this park to people who like Anne of Green Gables and a fairy tale atmosphere.   

Lastly, stars. It is the best thing I like about Ashibetsu.

Stars cannot be seen well in Sapporo or urban cities, so people who want to see stars and beautiful night sky should come to Ashibetsu.

There are few lights in the night of Ashibetsu, so we can see the sky clearly.

Also there are a lot of events, festivals, a hot spring and fresh food is Ashibetsu.

So, please visit there someday！

 

Shiroi Koibito Park

Hi everyone,I'm Momoe.

Today, I'll introduce "Shiroi Koibito Park".

Do you know "Shiroi Koibito Park'', and have you ever been there?

This facility is a sweets theme park in Nishi Ward, Sapporo. Here you can see the process of making sweets and participate in the actual sweet making experience.

Its appearance is very beautiful. I think that this view looks like a wonderland!

Speaking of Shiroi Koibito Park, these cookies are famous. (picture on the left)

It's often bought as a souvenir from Hokkaido, so I think you've seen it at least once.

However, what I would like to recommend to you is this sweet named “Mifuyu”.(picture on the right)

Mifuyu is a millefeuille confectionery coated with chocolate.

There are three flavors, blueberry, caramel and chestnut. They are all superb.

Please try it.

Also, this place is called "The Chocolate Factory”.

As the name suggests, you can do various things about chocolate.

For example, you can learn about the history of chocolate, watch the process of making chocolate sweets, and make sweets on your own.  

It’s the charm of this place that you can experience a lot in one place.

There are some things that require a reservation, so I recommend you to check before you go.

You can enjoy delicious sweets too. Chocolate Lounge Oxford is a restaurant that enjoys chocolate-based sweets.

You'll have a luxurious time with beautiful scenery.

In winter, we can see beautiful illumination.

Shiroi Koibito Park holds various fairs according to the season, so no matter how many times you go, you won’t get tired of it.

Now, it holds a “Flower and Berry fair”. It will be held until the end of June, so please go there.

If you are interested in “Shiroi Koibito Park” after reading my blog today, please go there!

That’s all for today. Thank you for reading :D

the Sapporo Snow Festival

  the Sapporo Snow Festival

Hello, I’m Ayaka.

I’d like to introduce you to the Sapporo Snow Festival, one of the most famous events in Hokkaido. In Hokkaido, it snows a lot in winter. More people may feel tired because of snow, but snow can become a lot of beautiful statues in Sapporo.

It is held every year at Odori, Susukino and Tsudome, and each area has a lot of appeal. So, I will show you the attractive points.

①Odori

There are a lot of snow statues in Odori park. Some statues are made by people in Sapporo and by people from overseas. In addition, you can see statues of very famous Japanese characters such as Sazaesan and Pokémon. Also, you can enjoy skating, eating various food and projection mapping.

②Susukino

In Susukino, you can see many ice sculptures .An  Ice sculptures Contest is also held there. They are very fantastic ! You can touch some sculptures, so you can enjoy ice very much.

③Tsudome

If you enjoy the Sapporo Snow Festival with children, you should visit Tsudome. You can enjoy tube slide with your children. Also, your children can do many things such as snow kick board and snow park golf. If your children like snow and sports, You will be satisfied with it. 

Sapporo Snow Festival inform you of enjoyable of winter in Hokkaido, So I want  you to enjoy your winter in Sapporo Snow Festival!

Futsal and Espolada Hokkaido

 Hi everyone,

I would like to introduce my favorite sport!

The sport I love is Futsal.

Have you ever heard of Futsal?

Probably you have heard of it, but you don’t know about it.

So today, I would like you to know more about it.

Most of you think that Futsal is similar to Football. Of course they have common rules, however there are more different rules than the same rules.

For example, a futsal ball and goal are smaller than in football, also a futsal field is about 1/9 of a football field. The number of players is different, there are 11 players in each team in a football game, on the other hand there are only 5 players in each team.

In fact, these rules make futsal so interesting and exciting.

Actually, I belong to the 2nd team of Espolada Hokkaido. 

Espolada Hokkaido is the only Futsal team in Hokkaido which joins the Japan Futsal League (F League). It is like Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo.

You can watch their games at Kitagas Arena or Kitaeru and sometimes on TV. It is affordable so you can enjoy the games easily!

It is so difficult to explain how interesting it is because Futsal has plenty of fascinating points!

All I would like you to do is go to the stadium and watch the games!

You can check the date of games on the official website.

Seeing is believing!

Links

What is the difference between football and futsal?

Espolada Hokkaido Official website

Thank you for reading!

Koki

Calligraphy Culture in Hokkaido

The History of Japanese Calligraphy in Hokkaido

Did you know Hokkaido is a flourishing prefecture with Japanese calligraphy?

First of all, there are many kinds of penmanship in Japanese calligraphy.

For example, Kaisyo（楷書）or Kana (かな文字). Kaisyo is the most popular.  Also, you may know Kana because it is written in cursive.

　　

Kaisyo（九成宮醴泉銘）　　Kana（仮名序）

Also, Sousyo (草書), Tensyo (篆書) are famous types of Japanese calligraphy. Sousyo is what is called “cursive”. Tensyo (篆書) is used as a Hanko (seal). Here are some example pieces.

Sousyo (書譜)　

Tensyo (篆書)↓

　　　　　

　       雨 (Rain)                             馬 (horse)                            鹿 (deer) 　　　　　　　

Hokkaido is famous for modern japanese calligraphy, because modern japanese calligraphy originated in Hokkaido. It is based on a poem or haiku. 

This is modern japanese calligraphy which won the grand prize or the second prize in the Hokkaido Japanese calligraphy exhibition .

 

　(The grand prize)

  

   (The second prize)

Also, there are a lot of exhibitions in Hokkaido. For example, the Hokkaido Japanese calligraphy work exhibition or the Mainichi Japanese calligraphy work exhibition.

If you are interested in japanese calligraphy, why don’t you go to such a kind exhibition!

Hokkaido Syodouten is a calligraphy exhibition that is open to the public once every year.

It was created in 1960 and over 1300 calligraphy pieces are displayed each year. 

Calligraphy is loved by many people and there are around 285 calligraphy lessons available in Hokkaido. 

Calligraphers in Hokkaido

I will introduce two calligraphers that are currently active in Hokkaido.

The first one is Ishino Kao. She is a famous calligrapher and a YouTuber. She has won many awards, performed in many Calligraphy Performances, and many companies have invited her to teach courses on the proper manners of calligraphy. As of now, she is teaching calligraphy in Sapporo.

The second calligrapher is Nakano Hokumei. He is from Hokkaido and his calligraphy is centered on modern-style poetry. He has a good reputation for his works all around the world and has held many exhibitions in the past.

(Sumire, Kanna)

Favorite Towns in Hokkaido #1

 Favorite Towns in Hokkaido #1

Shosanbetsu

Today, I’ll introduce Shosanbetu town.

Shosanbetu town is located in the northern part of Hokkaido.

Shosanbetu is famous for the Shosanbetu astronomical observatory.  

We can watch many kinds of stars. Furthermore, If you pay 3000 yen, you can give a star any name you like. 

Also, the Umezawa store is famous. The Umezawa store sells a delicacy, sliced raw fish (octopus or scallop) or some kinds of fish dried overnight.

Their most famous product is the dried natural shrimp (天然甘えび丸干し).

After Covid-19, I recommend you to visit Shosanbetu!!

Furano

I will introduce Furano.

Furano is in the middle of Hokkaido.

You can go to Furano from Sapporo in about 2 hours.

Furano is famous for lavender. There are beautiful flower farms and gardens.

In Furano Winery and Furano Wine House, a lavender garden adjoins the Winery and Wine house. You can enjoy the landscape of flowers and the flavor of wine.

You can enjoy outdoor activities.

You can try a powered paraglider flight. You can see Furano from the sky！

You can try this activity all year long. 

In winter, you can’t enjoy the landscape of lavender, but you can try winter sports.

For example, snow rafting, snow tubing and

snow banana-boarding.

You will have the experience of sliding on the snow at fast speed.

If you visit this website, you can find a lot of tourist sites and activities！

 

Yuubari

Have you heard the name of Yuubari melon? 

It is one of the famous brands of melon. 

As you know, it is grown in Yuubari. So I will introduce Yuubari.

The town used to be a coal town. Therefore Yuubari is derived from Yu-paro.

Yu-paro is Ainu language, meaning a place where mineral springs gush out.

But now, the situation is getting worse and worse.The problems are aging society, population decline, financial collapse, and so on.

That is why I want to know good points about Yuubari.

1. Takinoue park

We can enjoy seeing beautiful nature every season and a dynamic ravine.

2. The coal museam

As I told you, Yuubari was famous as a coal town. We can learn about the history of coal towns.

3. Mountre-sui

It is a hotel we can not only stay, but also enjoy winter sports like skiing.

Why don't you come on a trip to Yuubari?

Yuubari has a lot of attractive spots, of course you should eat a Yuubari melon.

(Sumire, Yuna, Komachi)