insights from frontier Japan

Barbecue restaurant chain Heiwaen (Obihiro) started selling frozen meat from a vending machine on August 27. The first vending machine was installed in front of their Midorigaoka location (in Obihiro City). Five different types of flavored meat are available at the machine, including the "jingisukan" mutton that is popular inside the restaurant as well.

The new skateboard category generated multiple teenage medalists in the Tokyo Olympics. Even in Tokachi, skateboarders are practicing hard towards future medalist dreams. And Obihiro City skateboard shop "40 Champ" opened up a weekend "Skateboard School" to broaden the ranks of skateboard enthusiasts.

A group including the Obihiro Tourism and Convention Association is constructing a new bicycling course for mountain bikes in the Iwanai Senkyo area of Obihiro. It is slated to be completed this autumn at the earliest. It will be a 2.7-kilometer off-road trail with intense hills, situated amidst the grandeur of nature in one of the most picturesque autumn leaf viewing spots in Tokachi.

On June 26, bread bakery and sales shop Masuya in Eastern Hokkaido's Obihiro started selling limited quantities of "Minori no Megumi", a high quality bread bursting with Tokachi ingredients. It is made from Tokachi grown flour "Minori no Chikara", and is a high quality product that is softer and more plump than regular bread. This is the first time for the Masuya bakery to try its hand at the high quality bread category since its inception in 1950.

‘Tokapuchi 400’, a cycle route with an excellent riding environment from which the magnificent natural landscapes of the Tokachi region of eastern Hokkaido can be enjoyed, has been selected as one of Japan’s National Cycle Routes. It is the first route in Hokkaido to be selected as such.

　‘Erosion’, an exhibition of work by Umeda Masanori, a contemporary artist that resides in the city of Obihiro in the Tokachi region of eastern Hokkaido, is being held at an outdoor gallery in the Manabe Garden tourist attraction in the city. The installation utilizes garden paths surrounded by countless larch trees.

This summer, the farming corporation Toyonishi Farm located in the Tokachi region city of Obihiro plans to launch the brand beef "Obihiro Beef" (temporary working name), a crossbreed of Japanese black and Holstein cattle.

Tokachi Bus launched a smartphone version of the "Obihiro 1day Ride Ticket" that gives users unlimited bus usage within Obihiro City for one day. It also started a smartphone version of the "Tokachi 2day Ride Ticket" that gives users unlimited bus access within the Tokachi region for two days. By providing an e-ticket option that users can purchase on their smartphones without needing to go to a tickets sales location, the hope is to increase bus usage mainly among local residents.

"Tokapuchi 400" is a cycling route that features amazing views of the grand natural scenery in the Tokachi region. It is the first cycling route in Hokkaido to be nominated as a candidate for National Cycle Route designation by the government as a course with an excellent traveling environment for bicycles. If it is designated, it can be promoted within Japan and internationally as a safe and pleasant course. A review board of experts will soon inspect the area, and may even make a decision by this summer at the earliest.