insights from frontier Japan

Karl Diercke (42), who works as a building carpenter assistant in the town of Naganuma, opened up a meat pie shop called "PIE ME" on April 15.

Based in the city of Sapporo for 18 years, Anatoly Stavrov has continued to perform while also working to promote Japanese-Russian cultural exchange as an instructor and an artistic director. His efforts have even been recognized by the Russian government, and he was awarded a medal in late January by Foreign Minister Lavrov at the Consulate General of Russia in Sapporo. Stavrov expressed his exuberance, reporting, "Receiving this award is still but one step in the overall journey. I want to produce a multitude of dancers from Japan who can perform worldwide."

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 foreign residents, who work or live in Niseko for multiple months or longer. This year is a bit unique, but usually roughly 10% of the total population of Niseko Town is made up of these foreign residents.

Powderlife was Niseko’s first English language magazine, first published in 2007. The beautifully textured pages aim to capture and illustrate the essence of the Niseko powder lifestyle. This starts on the ski slopes but also includes dining, art, culture, people, architecture, real estate Hokkaido travel and more.

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.

Koli Kamal Raj (27) immigrated to Japan after marrying a Japanese woman from southern Hokkaido's Assabu Town. He is working hard at stockbreeding at Shimokawabe Ranch in the town. Toiling away at heavy physical work with a smile, Raj says with a gleam in his eyes, "I want to participate in the local festivals as well and really get to know everyone around here."

Belgian confectioner Tom Verlinden and his wife Kyoko have opened ‘Petit Belge’, a shop that specializes in Belgian chocolate, in the Ishikawa-cho district of Hakodate in southern Hokkaido.

　Neil Hartmann, an American filmmaker who lives in Sapporo’s Minami Ward, has opened a café named ‘SKS INTERNATIONAL’ at the summit of the Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort (1,100 m).

Thai technical trainees in eastern Hokkaido's Mombetsu City taught parent-child groups how to prepare traditional Thai food. The lesson was held on November 29 in the cooking room of Okhotsk Sea Ice Park.

Xie Jiaqi from Taiwan was hired to the first community revitalization collaboration team for Wakkanai City in northern Hokkaido. She is in charge of readying projects in preparation for after the novel coronavirus pandemic has ended, such as offering ideas for tours for international tourists (inbound tourism ideas).