insights from frontier Japan

The annual horseback worshipping, in which native Hokkaido horses known as dosanko are ridden into Hakodate Hachiman Shrine, took place on January 2. However, because of the spread of the Covid-19 virus, only one horse was used this year instead of the five used last year, and the number of observing worshippers was less than half the usual number.

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.

The fishery scene on the Hokkaido coast is seeing changes, possibly due to climate change. Catches of Pacific saury and Pacific flying squid, long caught in the waters around Hokkaido, have dwindled. Fishermen are finding more species usually captured in warmer waters, such as dolphinfish, in their fishing nets. Fishermen and seafood processors are being forced to adopt to the change that experts believe the rise in sea temperature in recent years may be behind.

This year’s first auction of ‘Nanamitsuki’ apples, the original brand of the town of Nanae in southern Hokkaido, took place at the Hakodate Regional Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market on November 12. One box of seven apples with a net weight of 3 kg was auction-off for 70,000 yen, the same record-high price as the past 5 years.

The Lucky Pierrot Group hamburger chain (Hakodate) is, for the first time, selling souvenirs overseas. Potato chips and rare cheesecake on sale at a product fair being held in the city of Taipei, Taiwan have received a favorable response from Taiwanese customers who cannot travel overseas due to travel restrictions.

The "Lisa Larson - A Journey through Time" exhibit collecting approximately two hundred early to recent works from famous Swedish ceramics artist Lisa Larson commenced at the Hakodate Museum of Art, Hokkaido, in Hakodate City on October 3.

The film “Ito” was filmed in various places around Hokkaido such as Hakodate City and northern Hokkaido, and has been released at movie theaters nationwide. It is a romantic movie that uses “Ito”, a popular song by Miyuki Nakajima, a singer from Sapporo, as a motif. The film's lead roles are played by popular actor Masaki Suda and Nana Komatsu. Fans have been going to location sites since before the film was released, raising hopes in local spots for a "film location tourism" economic effect.

The Old Russian Consulate (Funami Town) built in 1908 was opened to the public on September 12. About 200 Hakodate City residents entered and looked around the consulate, which is usually not open to the public. Hakodate City has indicated that they wish to sell the consulate to a private business entity.

Aline company AIRDO (Sapporo) held an "Airplane Class" on September 1 at Hakodate City Toinishi Elementary School to teach children about the excitement of airplane jobs and the tasks involved.

On July 20, sea fog blew in from the Tsugaru Strait and blanketed the downtown area. From the peak of Mount Hakodate, a cottony layer of white clouds could be seen expanding across the urban area under an otherwise pure blue sky.