hokkaido– tag –

In the early spring of Hokkaido, when all living things come back to life, I drove a car down a country road and happened to see two cranes. They, without being afraid of me pulling over and other cars passing by, seemed to wait for some...

Sapporo in September, completely different from the main land of Japan where people still suffer from lingering summer heat. The capital city of Hokkaido has a population of two million, but has such a big natural park in the center of t...

TDoes a shared inferiority complex shape a regional soul? I argue that Hokkaido people—who often view the mainland as the 'better' Japan—have historically carried the Complex of the Frontier. I trace the moment this complex found catharsis: the 2004 high school baseball victory. This shift created a unique Hokkaido Humility—a grounded flexibility that defines our local spirit and is reflected in the open-mindedness of our furniture craftspeople.

【Autocracy was the need of the times】 An autocracy may be necessary in the very first phase of a business to make it take off in the harsh market battles. Especially new comers in the market are always exposed to kill-or-be-killed situ...

【Funny Japanglish by the Prime Minister】 In 2000, the then Japanese Prime Minister wanted to make greetings in English at the first summit meeting with President Clinton. He tried to cram the following exchange of basic phrases: "How a...

When conservative civil servants try to be creative, the results are often hilariously sorrowful. Explore the baffling world of Hokkaido's town taglines—where bells and flowers become "unique" features—and discover why Asahikawa chose furniture over its 100 rivers.

【Respect for nature, the core spirit of Japanese food】 UNESCO listed washoku (Japanese traditional cuisine) as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. I think many Japanese people seem to misunderstand the key point of the event. They...