insights from frontier Japan

The annual summer drifting-lantern event was held on the coast near the Atsuta River estuary in Atsuta-ku in the city of Ishikari in central Hokkaido, as local residents’ thoughts of the deceased and their ancestors were conveyed. Approximately 700 lanterns glimmered in the dim light of dusk, reflecting on the surface of the sea.

An ‘Ura Otaru Baza-Art’ (the other side of Otaru Bazaart) event　began in Otaru on August 11. Work by the world-renowned artist Nara Yoshitomo is exhibited at the venue, which has been visited by many locals.

It’s late July in the Furano basin in central Hokkaido, where the purple of the lavender fields and the green of the paddy fields are dazzling. There, JR Hokkaido's special sightseeing train ‘Furano Biei Norokko’ passes at a leisurely pace.

Niseko Gravel, a ‘gravel bike’ event using road-racing bikes with fatter tires that can be used on unpaved trails was held in the three central Hokkaido towns of Kutchan, Niseko and Rankoshi for the first time on August 1.

The annual ‘KIRI FES’ (fog festival), an event that brightens up the summer in Kushiro in eastern Hokkaido, took place over 3 days from July 23–25, at the Saiwaicho Park plaza by the Kushiro River estuary, and other venues in the city of Kushiro.

‘Star Castle, a Brighter Tomorrow’, the 33rd Citizen Creation Hakodate Outdoor Theater performed by local volunteers, began at Goryokaku Park in the city of Hakodate in southern Hokkaido on July 11. Approximately 100 people gave impassioned performances in the 60-minute review of Hakodate’s history, including the arrival of the black ships and the Battle of Hakodate.

To promote the June 9 "Rosé on the Rocks Day", the Ikeda Town Tourist Association in Eastern Hokkaido's Tokachi region is sponsoring a campaign from June 9 to 30 gifting Townsperson Rosé Wine to 15 people.

In response to the global spread of the novel coronavirus, the action committee for the international "Adventure Travel" (AT) summit announced on May 6 that it will switch the September 20-24 event program to a virtual online format. The summit was originally scheduled to take place in various spots within Hokkaido, such as Sapporo.

The "SORATO SAUNA" (Sky and Sauna) event for enjoying sauna facilities outdoors is being held from May 1 on the rooftop of Jujiya Building along Northern Hokkaido's Asahikawa Heiwa-dori Kaimono Koen (Asahikawa Heiwa Street Shopping Park). The event was organized by "ASAHI SAUNA", a group of Asahikawa volunteer sauna aficionados. This is the second installment, following in the footsteps of last year's event.