Kobayashi sake brewery

Kobayashi Brewery Co., Ltd　is a sake brewery with its head office and factory in Koyama City, Tochigi Prefecture. It is in the beautiful rural landscape of the former Mita Village, and was founded in 1872. It has been making high-quality ginjo sake for over 150 years.

The abundant underground water of the Nikko mountain range moistens the countryside, and the wind from the Nikko mountain range shakes the rice, this is in the best environment to produce sake. Sake rice is cultivated mainly in the Tochigi Prefecture under a regional contract and the sake is brewed in a calm and rich environment moistened by the undercurrent of Nikko-yama soft water. 

I feel that Japanese sake reflects the humanity of the makers, and I try to improve my knowledge and skills as well as improve my sensitivity. There are a variety of products, including Phoenix Mita and Daiginjo, Phoenix Mita's best-made Daiginjo bottle sake fireplace, Phoenix Mita Arajiri and Oshikiri Merged Junmai Daiginjo nada. They are loved not only by the people of Tochigi Prefecture but also by people who like salmon all over Japan. However, because sake has been treated as a luxury, only a limited number of people in the Meiji period could drink it. With the enactment of the Liquor Tax Act, it become even more difficult to obtain.

However, as the value of the Japanese yen increased as the Japanese economy grew, sake gradually spread. If you like to drink, why don't you try it? If you are a minor, let's wait until you turn 20. Hahaha. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
(Seiya)

More imformation

Kobayashi sake brewery:Kobayashi sake official

Thank you for reading!

 

What is “Country Sign”?

 

Do you know “Welcome sign”?

Hi, I’m Ryu. It’s time to write the blog again, but this is the final blog for me. This time, I’m gonna talk about “welcome sign” in Hokkaido.

 

At First, have you ever seen this? ↓

As you can see, a picture of Sapporo clock tower is drawn there. There’re a lot of kinds of pictures like this. ↓

Actually, these are welcome signs, which are called Country Signs in Hokkaido. Each city (town) has it. It obviously shows that what’s the city stands for. For example, in terms of Sapporo city, Sapporo clock tower is one of the most famous sightseeing spots in Sapporo. To my surprise, they were made in Hokkaido for the first time in Japan and spread throughout Japan! You can see them as you drive in Hokkaido. ↓

 

 

There’re 179 kinds of them in total in Hokkaido! Here are 5 of them that I wanna introduce.

1, Hakodate city

Hakodate city is known for its fishing industry, but other than that, it was the first city in Japan to open its port! As a result, it was affected by foreign culture, so it’s an exotic city. You can see that if you see this country sign.

2, Otaru city

Otaru city is famous for “Otaru Unga”, which means the canal in Otaru. If you visit there once, you can understand how apparently this picture shows its view.

3, Obihiro city

As I said in the past blog, Obihiro is my hometown, and famous for speed skating. Why don’t you visit there? Its food and sweets are highly recommended!

4, Asahikawa city

Asahikawa city is called “The city of rivers”, and ”The city of bridges”. In this picture, there are a mountain (Asahi dake) and a bridge (Asahibashi). Both are famous in Asahikawa!

5, Kushiro city

In Kushiro city, there is Kushiro-Shitsugen National Park where is home to the tancho crane, a special natural treasure. You’ll be surprised if you see the huge Kushiro-Shitsugen.

 

As I said in this blog, there’re more country signs in Hokkaido. How about checking them out and find real ones on your eyes?

Coal Mines in Hokkaido

The pioneering of Hokkaido was greatly advanced by the development of coal mines. Railways for transporting mined coal and iron mills which used the coal were opened, and Hokkaido developed rapidly. In other words, the very history of Hokkaido’s coal mine development is the history of Hokkaido’s modernization.

In this blog, we’ll introduce three of the many coal mines in Hokkaido. We hope you will be interested in the history of Hokkaido.

 

About the Yubari coal mine

It has been about one hundred fifty years since the Yubari coal was discovered by Benjamin Smith Lyman. And some companies launched development of the Yubari coal in 1890s. In the 1950s, the Yubari coal was in its golden time because high quality coking coal for iron making coke was produced, the Yubari coal and the Yubari city prospered. On the other hand, there were many disasters caused by natural gas at the Yubari pit and many workers died. Especially, the accident in 1981 was extensive and it was the third largest accident after WWⅡ in Japan.
(Ryoma)

Horonai coal mine

Horonai coal mine is the oldest coal mine in Hokkaido,　opened in 1879. A lot of good quality coal was mined there, but it was closed in 1987 due to falling demand and the energy revolution.

Today, you can see some remnants in Horonai coal mine park. And Mikasa City Museum exhibits items related to the history of it, such as machinery used in mining.

Would you like to visit and have a look there?
(Chihiro)

The Itomuka Coal Mine

I’ll introduce Itomuka Coal Mine. The Itomuka Coal Mine was a mine located in the town of Rubeso, Tokoro District. From around 1941, full-scale mining began with the capital of the Nomura conglomerate at that time. This was a place where good quality mercury could be obtained. At its peak, it was the Japan largest producer. Itomuka is an Ainu word meaning shining spring. However, mining ceased in 1974.

 

There is a monument now, so why don’t you go to the Itomuka Coal Mine?
(Ryunosuke)

Thank you for reading!

Odori park

 

Odori Park in Sapporo

 

 

Hi, I am Suzuki Terashima. Today, I will introduce my favorite place in Sapporo. Do you know Odori Park? There are a lot of parks witch we can enjoy playing sports or having something foods and so on but, Odori Park is the biggest park in Sapporo. In addition, many fun events are held at Odori Park throughout the year.

 

 

First, I will explain where the Odori Park is. The location of the Sapporo Station is famous for its size and central role of cities. When you go straight from the south exit of the Sapporo Station, you can see the tall building names of TV tower. The Odori Park extends 1.5km from east to west there. Each section from Nishi 1^st to 12^th Street has flowerbeds and lawns along with a variety of fountains and sculptures, all of which are pleasing to the eye in every season.

 

Next, I will introduce seasonal events held at Odori Park. In summer, we can join “YOSAKOI SORAN Festival” there. As you know, SORAN-BUSHI originated in Hokkaido. A student who was moved by the YOSAKOI Festival originated in Kochi Prefecture combined with the SORAN-BUSHI. The dancers who dressed in colorful costumes dance to the melody of the SORAN-BUSHI. With overflowing energy, the city was wrapped in festival enthusiasm.

 

 

In winter, we can join the “Sapporo Snow Festival”. It is a festival that represents Hokkaido and attracts a lot of tourists from Japan and abroad every year. Powerful giant snow sculptures comparable to buildings that appear in the city overwhelmed us. In particular, night lightning and projection mapping gives you the feeling of being lost in a dream world. When you visit the Sapporo snow Festival, you must prepare a long down jacket, gloves, a muffler, a hat, and non-slip shoes. Disposable body warmers and masks are also useful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Levanga　Hokkaido

 

Hi, everyone! I’m Keigo Masuyama.

 

Do you like basketball? I like playing and watching basketball very much. Today, I’ll introduce the basketball team that play it in Hokkaido. The name is Levanga Hokkaido.

 

 

 

 

 

To begin with, let's talk about the history of Levanga Hokkaido. The team was originally called Lera Kamui Hokkaido and changed its name to Levanga Hokkaido in 2011. The name is derived from the meaning "to continue to be a team that the people of Hokkaido cheer us on to do our best”. The team grew and finally entered the B1 League in 2016. The team has made numerous accomplishments and has promoted basketball to the children of Hokkaido.

 

Next, I’ll introduce three Levanga Hokkaido players.

 

First, this is Takehiko Orimo. He moved to the team in 2007 and went on to have many accomplishments and win a Guinness World Record at the age of 49. He was the team's point scorer, specializing in 3-point shooting. In 2020, he retired as a player, but continues to support the team as its president.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second, this is Ryota Sakurai. He moved to the team in 2007. He is tall, agile, and has a scoring ability that you would not expect from a Japanese player. Also, he dives for loose balls and contributes to the team with his energetic play. He is still an active player at the age of 39.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, this is Shawn Long. He is from America and moved to the team last year. What a surprise, he is a former NBA player! He did a tremendous job last year. He is a strong physical player and a powerful dunk shooter. He is on this team again this year so I'm very excited about him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, the team is playing at a place called "Hokkai Kitae-ru".

Access

11-1-1, Toyohira 5-jo, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 062-8572, Japan

5 minutes on foot from Toyohira-koen Station

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why don’t you go and watch the game?

 

Thank you for reading!

  

ESTA

 Hello, everyone:-)

A large shopping mall, ESTA, is located next to Sapporo Station. It opened in 1978.

There, you can enjoy shopping for clothes, knick-knacks, and electronics, and eating tasty food.

Today, I will introduce some charms of ESTA.

 

Bic Camera

It is one of the largest electronics stores. 

They sell the latest smartphones, computers, video games, etc. It is divided into four floors, you will be pleased with the variety of goods and the low prices!

Loft

Next, I would like to introduce my favorite store, Loft.

They sell knick-knacks with cute characters, well-designed stationery, and more.

I like to collect stationery, so I go there often.

If you like to collect cute and soothing things, you will like this place!

Ramen Kyôwakoku

And finally, I would like to introduce Ramen Kyôwakoku.

This store name means "Ramen republic", so there are many ramen houses.

I love ramen, so I would like to show you my favorite ramen houses.

The first my favorite ramen house is Shodai.

They serve a rich flavorful broth and satisfyingly thick noodles, they also serve a garlic flavored char siu pork.

It is so yummy!

The second my favorite ramen house is Misono.

They serve large and satisfying char siu pork. I love this char siu!

The third my favorite ramen house is Yoshiyama Shôten.

You can eat ramen with sesame seeds and rich tasting soup, it is so delicious!

In this way, you can enjoy a lot of activities. However, there is sad news.

Unfortunately, ESTA announced that it will close in the summer of 2023.

For this reason, you should go ESTA this year.

If you don’t go there while you can, you may regret it!

Let’s go ESTA!!

 

That’s all for my topic, thank you for reading!😃😃😃

 

 

Recommended café Vol.5

Tabi-no-totyu

There is a café which has unique name in Iwamizawa. I guess you read it as “Zinsei-no-totyu” (Life on a way) when you first read the sign of it, but this café’s correct name is “Tabi-no-totyu”. It compares Zinsei to tabi (life to journey in English). Is it a stylish name, isn’t it?

 

I think this café’s most attractive point is coffee. The owner has brewed coffee for decades, so he can brew it proper way for each coffee bean. Even if you don’t like coffee, tell him and he will brew it which is easy to drink. If you have never had coffee before, would you like to try it there? 

And the owner is such a friendly man. There are many regulars at that café, perhaps attracted by his personality. They are so kind too, so you can have a good time.

If you want to take a breather, would you like to break your “journey” at this café?

(Chihiro)

Morihiko

 I’ll introduce Morihiko. This café is located at 2-18 Minami-Nijo West 26-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido. It is in a back alley a little far from the station, and it looks like a house surrounded by grass with a red roof.

 This café has many affiliated stores in Hokkaido, and the coffee is particularly famous. I went inside, there was a cold brew coffee at the counter, cakes and tea to be served. There is a set of seasonal coffee and cake and you can enjoy the calm atmosphere. I was surprised because I didn't know that coffee also has a season.

The cake and coffee matched very well and were delicious.

The inside of the store can be quite crowded, so it is recommended to make a reservation. Why don’t you go to Morihiko?

(Ryunosuke)

So far, we have introduced recommended cafes in Hokkaido 5 times.Was there a place you were curious about? Why don't you go to them?

 

golden kamui

 

Hi, everyone!! Do you know “golden kamui”? This is a famous manga in Japan.

The manga is set in Hokkaido and the age of the manga is after the Rosso-Japanese War.

The theme of the manga is a “survival game”, so many people fight each other to get gold.

This manga won the “Manga Award” in 2016, become anime, and started to sell merchandise.

Therefore, it is very popular manga now. What made this manga popular? I will show the reason.

 First, the characters of the manga are very interesting. They are unique, eccentric, and crazy!! So, you can’t hold back laughter when you read through it.

Second, the balance is great. As I said before, the theme is survival, so the manga has hard battle scenes and blood. It may be terrible to see depending on the person. Also, the manga has a lot of funny scenes, so you can laugh many times. Like these two different dimensions make this manga interesting.

 Finally, you can learn a lot of things about the “Ainu”. Have you ever heard of the “Ainu”? They are indigenous people in Hokkaido. You can see a lot of characters, history, and their lifestyle of Ainu. A scholar of Chiba university, who is a researcher of Ainu, supervised the manga, so you can learn Ainu deeply.

 If you like “ golden kamui”, I will recommend you strongly to visit the “Historical village of Hokkaido”. There is some architecture that the manga is modeled on. For example, old barber shop, hut, and soba shop. You can enjoy taking picture and learn about Hokkaido historical architectures. In Japan, there are a lot of interesting or fun manga, and you can enjoy reading them, learning the history of Hokkaido and the “Ainu”.  These days, The manga has been animated, you can also see it on TV. When you are free, please watch it! You will be able to have a good time.

Kitaguchi Haruka

Achievement and Relationship with her coach

Relationship with her coach

When she was high school student, actually Haruka kitaguchi had no coach so she asked for a Sekerakku coach to become her coach. Also she went to the Czech Republic to practice with her coach. After that she practiced so hard in the Czech Republic which is famous for the javelin.

Her achievements

She was admitted diamond athlete  when she was 18 years old. These days we are surprised at Haruka Kitaguchi’s javelin record. In 2022 July 22^nd the Javelin World championship was held in Oregon. In this world championship Haruka Kitaguchi came in third place also it was the first time a Japanese athlete got the bronze medal. I’m sure that Haruka Kitaguchi will come in first place in the future.

Haruka Kitaguchi’s family

Haruka is an only child.

Kouhei Kitaguchi is Haruka’s father. He is a pastry chef. He works for the Art Hotel Asahikawa in Asahikawa. Also, they sell his sweets at Hokkaido Bussuri Rira on the ground floor of the inn. Even if you are not staying there, you can buy them. They sell puddings and éclairs which celebrate Haruka. Eclairs are made with hazelnuts. Hazelnuts mean 榛（Hashibami） in Japanese. Haruka Kitaguchi is named after Hashibami. Eclairs filled with hazelnut cream and custard cream which are Haruka’s favorite food.

Noriko Kitaguchi is Haruka’s mother. She belonged to a basketball team when she was young. She played very well.

When Haruka was a child, she respected both. Also, she wanted to become a pastry chef and a basketball player. If you visit Asahikawa, why don’t you go to Kouhei’s shop?

The upbringing of Haruka Kitaguchi

She is from Asahikawa. Her birthday is March 16^th, 1998. Kitaguchi went to the Asahikawa Junior High School attached to Hokkaido University of Education. She played badminton when she was in junior high school. When she was in the second year of junior high school, she also participated in the whole road competition. Her father had experience swimming while playing badminton, so she has done this since childhood. Also, it is said that Kitaguchi is also tall because her mother was an experienced basketball player. She is 180 centimeters tall.

　

Kitaguchi started track and field in high school. The high school she went to is famous as one of the top 10 in Hokkaido. She was approached by the adviser of the high school track and field club and started athletics. She was certified as a “diamond athlete” of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations when she was in the third year of high school.

(Creator:Taiki Chiba)

What is Otoineppu??

Otoineppu. What do you think it means? Actually, it’s the name of a village. It’s written “音威子府”in kanji. When I found the name for the first time, I couldn’t read correctly because it’s a complicated way of reading. Today I’ll introduce this village to you.





Access
Otoineppu village is located in the north of Hokkaido. It takes 4 hours by car from Sapporo and 6 hours from Otaru. What a long way to get there!





The origin of the name
This name comes from the Ainu language o-toyne-p and means A muddy river at the mouth of the river. Because the point where the Otoineppu River joined the Teshio River was muddy, and so it must’ve been named this.



History
Since the railway opened at the Otoineppu station in 1912, the village rapidly developed as a base for railway construction. At the most popular time, railroad officials and their families accounted for 30% of the population. However, because of the reduction of station operations and employees moving to the metropolitan area, the population has drastically decreased.
Surprisingly, the population is only 683 in 2022. But, the village became famous as the smallest town in Hokkaido now. If you visit the official website of Otoineppu village, you can see the title The smallest village in Hokkaido, Otoineppu village, they are selling it.



Recommended food



What a black one! It is the most famous food in the village. The soba is so black because it uses buckwheat shells that are usually thrown away. A lot of people visit just to eat this. I really want to try to eat it! However the most famous restaurant was closed this year so there is only one restaurant left where you can eat it. The restaurant’s name is Tenbokuryu. I’ll put the information below, if you try to eat it, let’s go there as soon as possible!

★https://m.facebook.com/100057173272073/



Thank you for reading!!

[Writer: Asao]

Watermelons from Hokkaido

It’s getting hotter and hotter, isn’t it? I can’t stand this heat. Watermelons hit the spot on a day like this!! So today, I will introduce watermelons from Hokkaido.


Watermelons from Hokkaido:
There are three major production areas of watermelons in Hokkaido. The first is my favorite one, “Madonna”, which is made in Furano. We wrote about Furano on this blog before. Please check it out.



Look at the picture above. It is big enough to hide my face!! I like its crunchy texture and sweetness. While normal watermelons have a sugar content of about 10, this one has more than 12.


The second is Raiden, which is made in Kyouwa.



Because Kyouwa is facing the ocean, there is a large temperature difference between morning and night. So, Raiden is very sweet. In addition, Kyouwa is the largest producer of watermelons and Raiden is the most famous brand in Hokkaido.


The third is Densuke, which is made in Touma.
Look at this picture.



What a black one! Densuke is black on the outside and dark red on the inside. Also, it tastes so good. Although the price is high, it is popular as a gift. Densuke is the second famous brand in Hokkaido.


Have you seen watermelons with a yellow inside?



This is Otukisama, which is made in Tukigata. It looks like the moon. So, it is named Otukisama. Otukisama means the moon in English. It’s not as sweet as red watermelons, but it has a refreshing taste.

There are various brands of watermelons in Hokkaido. If you are interested, please try one.


Thank you for reading!!

[Writer: Shota]