Cool! Shiribeshi
We have invited people who have immigrated from abroad and are now living in the Shiribeshi region of central Hokkaido to contribute columns from a variety of perspectives. The columns appear in Japanese in the morning edition of the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper every other Monday. https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/series/s_cool_otaru
In this section, the columns are posted in the author's original text.
Special feature
【Column】Otaru and its untapped potential
I was born and grew up in Sardinia, a beautiful Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. I’ve lived over a third of my life overseas. Two and a half years ago I moved to Hokkaido with my wife Asako after 13 years in Australia. I am the only Italian living in Otaru.
Why Hokkaido and why Otaru?
We have loved this part of the world since we visited it for the first time over 10 years ago. Stunning nature, great local produce, four clearly distinct seasons, and a gifted geographical location. The choice of Otaru was purely a lifestyle one and a great compromise . It has a fairly unique location as there are not many places in Japan nested between mountains and seaside, so close to a large city like Sapporo, and with easy access to an international airport, Chitose.
It was a combination of all these aspects that in 2018 inspired us to settle here and start our business Taru Lab, importing wines, liqueurs and food products from Sardinia. While it was a fairly challenging idea to set up this type of business in a relatively small city, as we travel and work across all Japan, we thought that when you want to achieve something you believe in, place does not really matter. In September last year we also finally found a beautiful stone building in Ironai to open our wine shop and wine bar.
I have enjoyed creating a small international space, welcoming locals, domestic tourists as well as foreigners. I strongly believe that Otaru has so much untapped potential.
One of the concerns I’ve had since I moved here, it has been Otaru’s overreliance on foreign tourists. This pandemic has sadly showed that it was not sustainable.
Otaru has definitely more potential to diversify its offer a develop into a premier destination that goes beyond the stereotypical one-day visit for souvenir shopping.
Despite its charm and atmosphere, I always felt that at night the city has little to offer.
As a business owner myself, I would like to see more new businesses ideas developed to create a more vibrant environment for both locals and tourists, while contributing to a more sustainable local economy.
Location
Taru Lab
Special feature
I’ve been in Japan since 2014 and if there’s anything I’ve learned since coming here it’s to stay open minded. After graduating from university with a degree in Japanese, I didn’t want to be limi...
In March I flew home to Australia to see family and friends for the first time in two years. Australia had some of the world's strictest travel restrictions through the pandemic, so I was expecting...
【Column】“Have fun!” sports
The most important thing in sports for me is for it to be fun. Sure I have been frustrated or even cried after losing. But overall, I was having fun and would be back training and in the next compe...
【Column】 All roads lead to Makkari
Makkari is where we call home. Like many people living in Hokkaido, we emigrated from elsewhere. And like many Hokkaido residents, we absolutely LOVE living here! However, arriving in Makkari wa...
At my workplace we have a long tradition of the so-called seminar, or abbreviated zemi. The term refers to a class at a university in which a small group of students gather to conduct their own res...
Otaru: population 110,410, households 61,914. This is what it read at the entrance of Otaru’s City Council a few days ago. A sign of many single-person households, a declining and ageing populati...
【Column】 2021 in Shiribeshi
Empty lines at Kiroro and Hirafu for ski lifts that are normally bustling with international tourists. Socially distanced crowds in multipurpose rooms and town centers throughout Shiribeshi, everyo...
Sometimes Niseko residents ask me why their little potato farming towns have become so popular among foreigners, and why people are paying so much money to buy land and build homes here. The underl...
【Column】Niseko’s Similarities to American Culture
When I first visited Hokkaido years ago as a college student, I was surprised. I knew that the prefecture was far from places like Tokyo, but I didn’t expect it to feel so different. In my mind, Ja...
【Column】Shiribeshi Hug a Hubby Day
Today is the official Shiribeshi Hug your Husband day. It is very important that all wives in the Shiribeshi area give their husbands a big hug today.
In the past years, the towns of Niseko and Kutchan which are home to the world-renowned NISEKO winter sport resort, have experienced a rush of foreign investment in high-end condominiums and hotels...
Despite COVID, it is heart warming to see how some businesses are showing resilience and adapt to a world that is now very different. Since I wrote my first column on the potential of Otaru for t...
【Column】The Magnetic Power of Mt Yotei
I can see Mt Yotei from my bedroom. The first thing I do after I wake up each morning is look towards it, and remember a quote: "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it...
【Column】Hokkaido's Best Outdoor Adventure Town
When I was a kid, I was never inside. The kids in the street spent every free moment playing in the park, exploring the forest, climbing trees, swimming in pools or the river, riding our scooters, ...
【Column】The hard and soft faces of ‘cool’ Otaru
The word ‘cool’ seems like an appropriate term to describe Otaru as a destination. In English, ‘cool’ has multiple meanings and here we will focus on two of them: the first meaning of ‘cool’ might ...
【Column】Niseko Living and Working Holiday Visas
I find Niseko to be the easiest place to live in Japan. The reason is actually quite simple: Niseko’s large foreign population. And I don’t mean tourists; I am referring to Niseko’s long-term forei...
Niseko’s unique powder snow and international resort makeup are playing an interesting role in the evolution of ski and snowboard design. A growing number of Japanese and foreign residents are sett...
【Column】A shop where visitors and locals interact
I feel that there are not many establishments where foreign people and locals can interact naturally in the Niseko area. After the coronavirus pandemic has abated, and my company resumes working o...
【Column】Be Cool! Surf Winter Hokkaido.
In Hokkaido we think of winter sports as sliding on the snow or ice. But just half an hour away from the famous Niseko ski resorts, are several great surfing points. In winter the same weather that...
At the start of every course that I teach on international marketing, I talk about the topic of ‘control’. Businesses have control over how they develop and market their products or services, but t...
Over 1,000 foreign residents live and work in Niseko Town and Kutchan Town. Niseko Town alone has long term foreign residents from over 30 different countries, which gives it a distinctly multicult...
【Column】 Niseko’s focus turns domestic
In English the word "lemon" is sometimes used to describe something bad. There is an expression: "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade". We say this when things are bad to try to help find of ...