The winning entries in the ‘Scenic Byway Hokkaido: Dohoku (northern Hokkaido) Route Collaboration Photo Contest 2021’ have been determined. The Grand Prix, the highest award, went to Maeda Kenichi from the town of Toyotomi, for his ‘inverted Fuji in early spring’ (taken in Toyotomi).

Scenic byway, supported by the Hokkaido Development Bureau, is an initiative to promote tourism by connecting areas with beautiful scenery, by road. There are four ‘scenic byways’ in northern Hokkaido: the ‘Taisetsu-Furano Route,’ the ‘Moeru Tenpoku Ororon Route,’ the ‘Teshio River Scenic Byway,’ and the ‘Soya Scenic Byway’.

The Grand Prix winning photo, ‘inverted Fuji in early spring’ skillfully captures the snow-covered Rishiri Fuji reflected on the water surface. The contest executive committee, made up of people from the tourist industry, accepted a record-breaking 348 entries from June to September and, as a result of the judging process, one Grand Prix, one prize for each of the four routes, eight honorable mentions, and two prizes in the student category were awarded.