insights from frontier Japan

A tourist farm called "Berry Farm Toyoura", located along National Route 37 in Central Hokkaido Iburi region's town of Toyoura, has installed an unmanned firewood shop, and the shop is attracting popularity.

Snow removal work is underway on the Trans-Shiretoko Highway (National Highway Route 334, 23.8 km), which has been closed for the winter between the town of Rausu in eastern Hokkaido and the town of Shari in the Okhotsk region. On April 12, members of the press were invited to view the snow removal work being carried out.

Amidst the shortage of prospective new automotive maintenance technicians becoming a national issue, businesses and related organizations are advancing ideas for securing personnel. One factory is welcoming foreign technical trainees as "helpers".

A picture scroll depicting Shiretoko, where brown bears and humans live closely together, will be exhibited in the Ezo Higuma (brown bear) Hall, a large-scale exhibition facility that will open at Asahiyama Zoo (Asahikawa) on April 29. The Shiretoko Nature Foundation and picture book author Akashi Nobuko, who lives near the zoo, were involved in the production of the scroll, which introduces issues involved in the coexistence of humans and brown bears, through pictures with a gentle touch.

A newborn spotted seal at Wakkanai Noshappu Aquarium in Hokkaido, northern Japan, has made its debut on social media, with video clips of its growth shared by the aquarium on its Facebook account. The pup measured 64 centimeters and weighed about 10 kilograms at birth in late March. Thanks to its mother’s milk and plenty of sleep, it quickly grew to 17 kilograms in just a week.

This year sees the 100th anniversary of the birth of Asahikawa-born writer Miura Ayako (1922 – ‘99). A special exhibition “Prism – Light, Love, and the Brightness of Life,” which introduces various aspects of Miura’s life, opened on April 1 at the Miura Ayako Literature Museum in the city of Asahikawa. On the first day, many fans visited the exhibition, which features displays related novels such as ‘Shiokari Pass,’ ‘Deiryuchitai,’ and the like, which are set in various locations in the Kamikawa region.

Porocle, a cycle sharing service in central Sapporo, began this year's operation on April 9. This year, 70 bicycles with new operating panels have been introduced, and the number of designated ports (special parking lots) has been increased in the Odori area, where demand for the service is high.

Forty new pairs of desks and chairs for the art room at Rankoshi Junior High School have been made by Yunosato Desk, a woodworking workshop in the town of Rankoshi in the Shiribeshi region. Each piece was handmade using lumber produced in Hokkaido, with a focus on natural color and texture. The desks and chairs were used in art classes at the beginning of the new school year. The two craftsmen at the workshop hope that the aroma and warmth of the wood from their work will be conveyed to the students.

Asahikawa-based Takasago Sake Brewery has dug out two types of snow-stored sake that had been ageing for approximately three months under the snow in the town of Biei in the Kamikawa region. The sake was unaffected by the relatively low levels of snowfall, and the taste is said to be as mild and mellow as in previous years.