On October 18, the HOKUREN Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives and other organizations held a newly harvested rice presentation in Tokyo, in which the governor of Hokkaido, Suzuki Naomichi and TV star Matsuko Deluxe, who have been appearing in TV commercials for Hokkaido rice since 2014, promoted the delicious taste of newly harvested rice produced in 2021.

Matsuko, who usually eats rice produced in Hokkaido, sampled various types of newly harvested rice during the presentation. “It’s really good; maybe the best ever! The flavor is rich,” said Matsuko with regard to the ‘Nanatsuboshi’ brand. ‘Yumepirika’ also received Matsuko’s approval. “It’s delicious, as ever.”

Matsuko also mentioned the current situation in which rice consumption is declining as demand for eating out has decreased due to the Coronavirus pandemic, adding that “Hokkaido is Japan’s pantry” and encouraging people to “eat lots of agricultural products along with Hokkaido rice”. Governor Suzuki also added “Delicious rice is a result of the endeavors of the producers. I hope to promote the rice to encourage everyone around Japan to eat more.”

With the aim of increasing the consumption of Nanatsuboshi, HOKUREN will implement a sales campaign until next year, in which contents are increased by 7%. The campaign commercial is being aired in 25 prefectures from October 23.