insights from frontier Japan

Monitor tours exploring the potential for Northern Hokkaido tourism promotion using Northern Hokkaido's Wakkanai Airport started on March 23.

A student networking event was held online on February 13, linking Wakkanai Hokusei Gakuen University located in northern Hokkaido's Wakkanai City and Sakhalin State University located in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. The students exchanged opinions under the theme, "How young people see the future of Hokkaido and Sakhalin Oblast".

A colorful doll display has appeared in the visitor center of Hokkaido Soya Fureai Park in advance of the March 3rd Momo no Sekku (Peach Festival) day for praying that girls will grow up healthily. The display is a delight to the eyes for everyone who visits.

From the end of last year to New Year’s Day, the ‘northernmost point of Japan’ at Cape Soya in the city of Wakkanai in Northern Hokkaido was visited by tourists welcoming in the new year. However, due to the effects of the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the number of visitors was only one tenth of that of normal years.

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).

A tournament has been held to commemorate the opening of a new curling rink at the Wakkanai Midori Sports Park.

Tundra swans have been arriving at Onuma Marsh in Koetoi-mura in the city of Wakkanai, a stopover point for the swans as they fly south from Siberia and the like, to spend the winter in Honshu.

The first charter flight this season by Fuji Dream Airlines arrived at Wakkanai Airport on September 12.

September 1 marks 37 years since the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 Incident that resulted in the death of all 269 passengers and crew members. A ceremony commemorating the victims in the accident and praying for peace was held on that day at Wakkanai City's Cape Soya Park, which overlooks the waters off of Sakhalin Island where the crash occurred.