On Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12, the 2024 Japan Shears, the national championship for sheep shearing, will take place at Yorkshar Farm in Shintoku Town—starting at 10:00 on the 11th and running until 15:00 on the 12th. Spectators are welcome, so if you’re interested, please come and watch! Please note that although Yorkshar Farm serves as the venue, the event is organized by a different group, so please refrain from directing inquiries to the venue.

Karikachi Kogen Park is under light rain, but the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. #Hokkaido #Tokachi #Shintoku #Shintoku Town Tourism Association #Karikachi Kogen Park #Full bloom of cherry blossoms #Ezo-yamazakura (Ezo cherry) #National Route 38 #Hokkaido Garden Path

The Spring Festival on Mt. Shintoku Shrine drew huge crowds. After a wind ensemble performance, the event continued with a magic show and a lottery. Mt. Shintoku Shrine is in full cherry blossom bloom; if you live nearby, come and visit. #Hokkaido #Tokachi #Shintoku Town #Shintoku Town Tourism Association #Shintoku Shrine #Full cherry blossoms #Ezo-yamazakura (Ezo mountain cherry) #Spring Festival

A friend asked me to help collect sap water a bit late in the season. We joked, “Maybe it won’t flow anymore,” but of the two trees, one yielded about 500 ml in an hour. The other gave around 100 ml. I also tried the white birch hammock I’d been curious about for a while. The feedback I got was: “It’s incredibly comfortable!” 👍✨ Would you like to try it too? If there’s enough interest, I’ll consider offering it as a summer experience. #Hokkaido #Tokachi #Shintoku Town #Shintoku Town Tourism Association #Karikachi Highlands #Karikachi Kogen Park #Route 38 #Hokkaido Garden Path #white birch #white birch sap water #white birch sap water collection experience #hammock #summer event

The illumination starts tomorrow! It’s a bit chilly today, but the cherry blossoms have begun to open and are about 20% in bloom. The cool weather is likely to continue through tomorrow, but clear skies above 20°C are forecast from Friday. By this weekend, some 2,300 Ezo-yamazakura cherry trees are expected to burst into bloom all at once. Also, the roughly 40 forsythia shrubs planted at the Shintoku-yama trailhead are in full yellow bloom, so enjoy spring under the cherry blossoms and forsythia both day and night this weekend.

Horse trekking begins today at Western Village Sahoro, located in Karikachi Kogen Park along Route 38 that connects Obihiro and Furano. Reservations are required. Owners and staff dressed in Western attire will guide you through woods and alongside streams. From horseback, you may encounter Hokkaido’s vast natural scenery and wildlife such as Ezo deer, Ezo squirrels, red foxes, and woodpeckers. #Hokkaido #Tokachi #Shintoku #Shintoku Tourism Association #Route 38 #Hokkaido Garden Path #Karikachi Kogen Park #Western Village Sahoro #horse riding #experience #Furano #Obihiro

The birch sap collection experience at Karikachi Kogen Park will end this weekend on the 14th. We received more applications than expected, so it’s been a cycle of preparation, experience, preparation, experience. Since weekend slots are fully booked except for the Sunday afternoon session, we are inviting people who would like to simply observe the birch sap collection. There is no application or participation fee; you can just watch how surprisingly easy the collection process is. If you happen to be nearby, please drop by to observe if you have time. ● Saturday, April 13 Around 10:00–11:00 and around 14:00–15:00 (two sessions) ● Sunday, April 14 Around 10:00–11:00; the 14:00 session will go ahead only if there is a reservation, otherwise it will be canceled. ※We are also recruiting participants for the afternoon session. This is an experience we hope not only residents of Hokkaido but also visitors traveling to Hokkaido will come and see!

It feels like the warm spring-like days up to yesterday were a lie. The town is covered in snow and the pass has snowfall. But I definitely found signs of spring along Poppo Road. Five days ago the Asian skunk cabbage had only a few leaves, and now it carpets the entire marsh. The forecast says the weather will clear from tomorrow. If you happen to pass nearby, try looking for the skunk cabbage along Poppo Road.

On the third day of the white birch sap harvesting experience, preparations are complete to begin. Yesterday the Tokachi Mainichi Newspaper ran an article with scenes from the experience, and new applications came in. The event runs daily through next Sunday. Please come to Karikachi Kogen Park to join or observe. Note: The activity may not always be in session, so visitors who wish to observe should contact the tourism association in advance at 0155-64-0522.

It's the third day of the white birch sap-collection experience, and we're ready to begin. Yesterday the Tokachi Mainichi Newspaper featured scenes from the event, and we received new sign-ups. The event will run daily through next Sunday. We invite everyone to Karikachi Highland Park to participate or observe. * Please note the event may not be held on some days; if you plan to observe, contact the Tourism Association at 0155-64-0522 in advance.

Third day of the white birch sap water collection experience. Preparations are complete for the start. Yesterday the Tokachi Mainichi Newspaper featured the experience in an article, and we received new applications. The event runs daily through next Sunday. Please join us or come visit the Karikachi Kogen Park to observe. *Note: There may be times when the event is not taking place, so visitors wishing to observe should contact the tourist association in advance at 0156-64-0522.

It has been warm for the past few days. Wondering how the Asian skunk cabbage (mizubashō) was doing, I went down to the marshes along the Poppo Road, the former Karikachi Line trackbed. It seemed a little early, but nearby adonis (fukujusō) were blooming with delicate flowers. Soon the mizubashō will bloom as well...

On-site final check of the flow for the birch sap harvesting experience rehearsal starting the day after tomorrow. I was worried because it snowed the day before yesterday, but thanks to the warm weather today I could relax as sap oozed out when we drilled into the birch. It still seemed a little early for full-scale harvesting—the sap collected about 50 ml in one hour. With daytime temperatures forecast to exceed 10°C through the coming weekend, I expect the yield will stabilize. The birch sap harvesting experience runs from Friday the 5th through Sunday the 14th of this month, and reservations are possible even the day before. If you’re interested, please join us. Visitors who only want to observe are also welcome. Please note that the event will not be held if there are no participants, so contact the tourism association in advance. For details, contact Shintoku Town Tourism Association at 0156-64-0522.

I attended a preview of Takutetsu Kinokotan, which opens on Saturday, April 6. Takutetsu Kinokotan is a facility run by Hokkaido Takutetsu Bus that offers hands-on harvesting experiences for shiitake mushrooms grown on logs in Shintoku. This site once hosted Minami-Shintoku Station of the Hokkaido Takushoku Railway, the predecessor of Takutetsu Bus, which ran between Shintoku, Shikaoi and Kamishihoro until its closure in 1968 (Showa 43). The Takushoku Railway also carried timber and other goods, which reportedly led to the start of log-grown shiitake here. For that reason, the facility includes a corner exhibiting photos, equipment and materials from its railway days. Located one minute from National Route 38 and about 1.5 km from JR Shintoku Station, it’s a roughly five-minute ride if you use the free rental bicycles available in front of the station, so please stop by. Also, the cute stationmaster Kinokotan will be waiting to welcome you! #Hokkaido #Tokachi #Shintoku #Shintoku Tourism Association #Takutetsu Kinokotan #Stationmaster Kinokotan #harvest experience #log-grown shiitake #mushrooms #Hokkaido Takushoku Bus #Hokkaido Takushoku Railway

I spotted someone cycling across the Shikaribetsu Pass! They’re a university student from Kanagawa Prefecture planning to ride from Kushiro to Asahikawa over ten days. They’ll stay in hotels along the way but also plan to camp at times. I heard they’re riding with studded tires—ride safely and enjoy winter in Hokkaido until the end of the journey.