Chicken Butchering Gathering Known as the "Bird Gathering," this event was held the day after the screening of "A Butcher Shop Story" as a collaborative program. The event took place at Minami Farm, a dairy farm in Nishiokoppe, and nearly 50 people attended. The plan was to slaughter four chickens and enjoy them as a meal. The first chicken was handled by a professional, and from the second onward volunteers who wished to took part in slaughtering. The birds that were slaughtered were skillfully broken down into parts by experienced hands. Cut into small pieces and placed on skewers, the meat began to resemble the yakitori sold in shops. During the butchering, feathers that had fallen drifted on the wind. Some of the children present held those feathers as if they were precious. In addition to bite-sized pieces and a whole roasted bird, we enjoyed ramen served with a soup made by simmering the chicken with vegetables. Every dish that participants brought to share was delicious. The sweet Filipino-style rice balls were also tasty. There was even a surprise performance of shovel shamisen. It was a day that made us appreciate having such a gathering nearby. Thank you to everyone who helped. #Nishiokoppe Village #Hokkaido #chicken #butchering #Bird Gathering #Minami Farm #potluck dish #feathers drifting in the wind #feather quill #shovel shamisen #spring weather

Cherry blossoms in full bloom illuminated by street lamps However, the identity is a member of starfish and sea urchins echinoderms "Okinotezuru Mozuru" It's hard to see in the photo, but it's to eat the carcasses of microorganisms floating in the aquarium. Little by little, it is moving slowly. By the way, if you write it in kanji, it will be written as "手蔓藻蔓". #NOBORIBETSU MARINE PARK NIXE #Hokkaido #Aquariums #noboribetsu #hokkaido #aquarium

Matsumae Castle 🏯🌸 It is recommended ☺️ for a walk

I went to the hugely popular Goshun (五春) in Otofuke! ✨🍜 A large slice of chashu lies over the noodles like a cozy blanket 🥓 The thick, chewy noodles were coated in a rich gyokai-tonkotsu (seafood-and-pork-bone) dipping broth, clinging to every strand — absolutely delicious! ✨😋 I also tried the dry (soupless) tantanmen — it had just the right amount of heat and a pleasant kick of sansho, and I couldn't stop eating until the very end. 🤤 They also serve Taiwan mazesoba (Taiwan-style mixed noodles) and chuka soba (classic ramen). Come and give it a try 💓 [Address] 2-1-8 Kitasuzuran Minami, Otofuke-cho, Kato-gun, Hokkaido, Japan [Hours] 11:00–16:00 [Closed] Sundays - Located in Otofuke in the Tokachi area of Hokkaido, this wildly popular Japanese tsukemen is a must-try ✨🍜 The tsukemen comes topped with a perfectly marbled slice of chashu that looks like a comforter 🥓 The dipping broth is a rich gyokai-tonkotsu (seafood-and-pork-bone) stock; its intensity wraps the thick noodles so that every strand is full of flavour — truly delicious. 😋 I also ordered the dry (soupless) tantanmen; with the perfect amount of spiciness and a noticeable sansho flavour, I couldn't stop taking bite after bite. 🤤 The menu also includes Taiwan-style dry noodles (Taiwan mazesoba) and broth-based ramen — a great reason to visit Tokachi for hot springs and local food! ✨

Notice of lifting and initiation of winter road closures. Regarding Dodo 141 Tarumae Nishioka Line, which had winter closures in effect The section from Maruyama Gate to Nishikioka Gate (total length 15.8 km) will have the closure lifted on April 15, 2024 at 11:00. However, the subsection from Maruyama Gate to the Trailhead (total length 4.0 km) will remain closed for the time being due to unstable road surfaces. (Reopening date to be determined) For details, contact the Iburi General Subprefecture Muroran Construction Management Department Tomakomai Branch Office (0144-32-3171).

Matsumae Park 🌸 Beautiful cherry blossoms! ☺️ It is ✨ recommended for a walk

Tokachi Toteppo Workshop ✨🚃 This popular cafe features a cafe and shop together 🥐☕️ You can enjoy cafe-exclusive menus made generously with ingredients from Tokachi and Hokkaido. 🍓🍰🌸 This time I had a fragrant croissant, a strawberry milk made with 100% Tokachi strawberries, and the signature drinkable cheesecake! Everything was very delicious! 😋 The menu still has many more items, so I will definitely visit again ✨ Please try it yourself too 💓 [Hours] CAFE 10:00–17:00 Last order 16:30 / SHOP 10:00–18:00 [Closed] Irregular holidays; see Tokachi Toteppo Workshop’s website for details - Located in Obihiro in the Tokachi region, Tokachi Toteppo Workshop ✨🚃 It has separate sections for takeout cakes and desserts and for dining in with coffee 🥐☕️ Desserts and drinks are made with ingredients from Tokachi and Hokkaido, and seasonal menus are offered each season 🍓🍰🌸 This time I ordered a croissant, strawberry milk made with 100% Tokachi strawberries, and the shop’s signature cheesecake milkshake — each item was distinctive and delicious 😋 If you visit Obihiro, don’t miss the seasonal limited desserts; it’s highly recommended to stop by! ✨

Cherry blossoms 🌸 at Goryokaku Tower On this day, the weather was good and it was 🥹 a cherry blossom day We took a lot of walks! This year's movie of the Japanese adult anime "Detective Conan" is set in the city of Hakodate, where there are many 👓🎀⌚️⚽️ spring goryokaku I think 🥹 that the number of tourists will increase more and more from this year onwards due to the influence of the movie

A Family That Raises Cattle, Slaughters Them, and Turns Them into Meat A special screening theater was set up in the public hall’s audiovisual room A screening was held on Saturday, April 6. Living cattle and the beef people eat. For some reason, the process between those two seems hard to see. Valuing life and gratefully receiving life as food. For that purpose, a family running a certain butcher shop has passed down their craft and faced life and meat directly. The butcher and the community’s ties. The sound of drums with leather skins thunders through town during the danjiri festival. It was 106 minutes packed with many themes. Across three screenings, about 60 people in total attended—thank you. #Nishiokoppe Village #Public Hall #Audiovisual Room #Screening #The Story of a Certain Butcher Shop #Yashio Film Company #Scattered Children’s Handwriting #Free Admission #Thanks for the Sound System #Block Play Behind the Scenes of the Screening

It’s a heartwarming festival that welcomes spring with the blooming of the cherry blossoms. Date and time: Sunday, May 5, 2024 (canceled in case of rain) Location: Midorigaoka Park, around Kintaro Pond (Shimizu-cho 3, Tomakomai) ※Further details will be posted later.

"Michi-no-Eki Otofuke Natsuzora no Furusato" 🌾✨ As the weather in Tokachi gradually warmed, I was tempted by the soft serve at CHA-YA GREEN and enjoyed it deliciously 🍦😋 With its vast grounds and a range of events, dining, and shopping facilities, it offers visitors many experiences and a lively atmosphere 🥐🍜🍚🌽🥔🥬🎹 There is also a bicycle parking area available for visitors who arrive by bike 🚲 You can also spot Otofuke Town’s cute mascot "Oosode-kun" everywhere ✨ He’s a slightly chubby, clumsy fellow inspired by the Otofuke Oosode Furi soybeans 😊 [Hours] 9:00–18:00 [Closed] Monday from November through March; if Monday is a public holiday, closed the following day Year-end and New Year holidays: December 30–January 2 [Food and drink outlets] Hours 10:00–18:00; last order 17:30 [Natsuzora Market — Agricultural and livestock products sales area] 9:00–18:00 - At Michi-no-Eki across Japan’s prefectures, towns, and cities, local agricultural products and famous local foods and goods are gathered. Otofuke’s Michi-no-Eki features dining, activities, and shopping where you can enjoy many local specialties of Otofuke 🥐🍜🍚🌽🥔🥬🎹 Bicycle parking facilities are also well equipped for visitors arriving by bike 🚴 🔎Please check the above information again for details on business hours and related information.

Cherry blossoms 🌸 in Goryokaku Park When the weather is good, the cherry blossoms shine ☺️ Recommended 🎵 for a walk

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!

Finally, the snow was gone from the fields. The farmer's field work has begun Also the green color of autumn sown wheat under the snow It's going to get darker and darker from now on.

Higashimokoto Moss Phlox Park 🌸 A truly colorful moss phlox carpet 🩷 It's a happy space! The tree in the back also gives a 🌳 good atmosphere It is recommended 🎵 to go early in the morning

The cheerfulness of spring! 🌸 One-year-old bears are taking a nap together 🐻💤

We share a paper cutout shuin stamps with the motif of Kushiro Marshland. From April, the lower paper has been changed to a gradation.

***Fukujusou Have Bloomed*** When it gets warmer, the first flower to bloom is said to be the fukujusou. I found them near Satoyume and managed to capture both buds and blossoms with my camera. These plants open their flowers as temperatures rise and close them on cool mornings and evenings. #Nishiokoppe Village #Fukujusou #Fuku-koku-sou #Heralds of spring #Flowers #Be careful not to confuse them with butterbur scapes (fukinotou)

Shidarezakura weeping cherry blossoms at Hokame 🌸 Temple lit up My last post was a daytime photo, so I chose a photo with the same angle! It's even more beautiful when it's 🥹 lit up

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.

Hokameji Shidarezakura weeping cherry blossoms 🌸 It is estimated to be about 300 years old! It is ✨ lit up at night

Mantaro: "Hey, you're a cute zookeeper." Zookeeper: "I'm embarrassed when Mantaro tells me."

Early-morning hot-air balloon experience 🎈 I dropped by during the morning preparations for the early-morning hot-air balloon experience hosted by Tokachi Nature Center! Enjoy about a five-minute flight 🌤️ Take a ride in a brightly colored hot-air balloon and admire panoramic views of Tokachigawa Onsen and Tokachi Bridge from above 😍 A highlight of summer at Tokachi Nature Center! Suitable for children from age two. ・Season: April to December (daily mornings from April to September; weekends and holidays from October to December) ・Time: 6:30–7:30 (6:00–7:30 in July and August) ・Meeting place: Tokachigaoka Park (Kita 14-chome, Tokachigawa Onsen, Otofuke, Kato District, Hokkaido, Japan) ・Reservation: Not required Activities may be canceled due to weather. 🔍 For details, please contact Tokachi Nature Center♪ - Tokachi Nature Center From April through December, morning hot-air balloon experiences are available 🎈 About a five-minute aerial stroll 🌤️ Board a brightly colored balloon and enjoy panoramic views of Tokachigawa Onsen and Tokachi Bridge from above; Hokkaido’s distinct four seasons each offer different scenery ✨ We highly recommend giving it a try! 🔍 For detailed information, check the Tokachi Nature Center website or inquire by phone or email 🙋🏻

Camellias Blooming in the Greenhouse When I visited Roadside Station Kam at the end of March the greenhouse was filled with camellia blossoms. Even while the flower park lay blanketed in snow, it felt wonderful to find a space where you can enjoy bright, colorful flowers. At this time of year, potted orange kaffir lilies (clivia) liven up the area around the mechanical organ. If you stop by during a drive to rest, I hope you take a moment to see the flowers and relax. #Nishiokoppe Village #Roadside Station Kam #greenhouse #Roadside Station #camellia #pot #flower #the scent is also soothing

Cherry blossoms 🌸 at Goryokaku Tower It was ☁️ a little cloudy on this day The carp streamers at Goryokaku Tower are good,🎏 aren't they? This place is large and recommended 🎵 for a walk

In Hokkaido, rape flowers are in full bloom from the middle of May. It's early summer in Honshu around this time! A farming tractor pulls a wagon with tourists in the rape fields that spread all over the hill, disappears once over the hill, and then returns to this side. The sheer size of this scale is what sells.

This is a view of "Takino Suzuran Hills Park" in Minami-ku, Sapporo City, Hokkaido in May. In winter, it is used as a ski resort, but when the snow melts in spring, the tulips planted all over the slopes sprout and bloom all at once. Please enjoy the large tulip garden unique to Hokkaido.

Hokkaido also has zero snowfall. Fukujukusou is blooming At the end of the month the cherry blossoms will also bloom. Spent the winter in Miyagi and Iwate Migratory birds rest their feathers in Hokkaido Heading further north, one after another I'm going to leave.

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.