In the only city in the world that holds 'Ban'ei Keiba' draft horse racing, you can tour the town in a carriage pulled by a Ban'ei horse. This wonderful way to spend an evening is possible in Obihiro. The 'Basha BAR' carriage tour, which departs from and returns to HOTEL NUPKA in the city center, began in April 2019. As the name 'BAR' suggests, you can also enjoy craft beer and delicious snacks made with local ingredients on board the carriage.

The person who conceived this program is Mr. Tsuyoshi Nagata. We spoke with Mr. Nagata, who gave form to his desire to "bring people to Obihiro, and by extension, to Tokachi," about the story behind the creation of Basha BAR and his dreams for the future.

How can one live and play like a tourist?

Mr. Nagata was born in Kitakyushu City, grew up in Osaka, and moved to Tokyo after starting his career. However, while living in Tokyo, he vaguely felt that "the countryside suits my personality more than the city."

"I had a vague idea that it would be nice to move to Hokkaido, but unlike today, in the late 1990s, there were significant hurdles to moving to the countryside. But when I happened to land at Obihiro Airport, I felt a strong desire to move here," he says.

With a family to consider, he faced numerous challenges like finding a job and a place to live. Then, while reading a newspaper in Tokyo, he chanced upon a job advertisement for the Tokachi Mainichi Shimbun. In the dawn of the internet age, they were looking for someone to help create a digital department.

"I guess they were recruiting in Tokyo because it was hard to find the right talent in Obihiro. At the time, I was working in an internet-related job, so I thought it might be interesting. I applied, got hired, and was able to move my family here with peace of mind."

That was in the late 1990s. After working in the newspaper's digital department for several years, Mr. Nagata changed jobs to work in motorsport events, becoming involved in world championship car races held in Obihiro. However, his work came to a halt due to the Lehman shock. Wondering what to do next, he took another job but began to recall his original intentions, thinking, "This isn't what I came to Tokachi to do."

"I love this region and want to live and play here every day. So, to live and play like a tourist, I decided to work in tourism. My children had also grown up and left home, so it was the perfect time to do what I wanted to do."

Devising a one-of-a-kind program with a Ban'ei horse-drawn carriage

That's when he came up with the idea of creating a program that would attract people from all over Japan and the world to Obihiro, and by extension, to Tokachi. The most unique tourism resource in Obihiro is the Ban'ei Keiba held at the Obihiro Racetrack. It's a competition where Ban'ei horses, which were workhorses during Hokkaido's pioneer days, compete in power and speed while pulling heavy sleds.

Musashikoma, the horse currently pulling the Basha BAR carriage, during his racing days. Very gallant.

"About 8 or 9 years ago, I thought, 'What if we had the Ban'ei horses from the races pull a carriage for tourists to ride?' Just at that time, the mayor of Obihiro launched a study group called the 'Tokachi Innovation Program' to foster local revitalization talent, so I joined with the idea of starting a tourism business with a horse-drawn carriage. I learned how to turn my blueprint into a business plan and, together with my peers, we brainstormed how to attract customers."

That's where the idea of a "bar-style carriage where you can drink while touring the city at night" came from. They decided on the name 'Basha BAR' and from there, fleshed out the plan, considering the route, pricing, and more.

Considering the horse's speed, a 2km course taking just under an hour is ideal. Any shorter and it feels like an amusement park ride; any longer and people might get bored. Carriage tours in Sapporo and Yufuin in Oita Prefecture are about the same length. Mr. Nagata, who experienced them for reference, felt that "they always make a stop, allowing customers to get off for a while, which adds to the fun." From the beginning, Mr. Nagata also wanted to include a time for customers to get off and feed carrots to the horse.

"At the time, there was also a program in Sapporo where you could tour the city by carriage, but it wasn't affiliated with any existing facility, so there was no waiting area for customers. It was cold when the wind blew, and there were no restrooms. Furthermore, since Basha BAR serves alcohol, we naturally had to think about how to provide food and drinks. That led to the idea of partnering with a restaurant or cafe."

The choice fell on HOTEL NUPKA, located in the center of Obihiro. Mr. Nagata had been watching NUPKA with interest for some time, as they were involved in interesting city projects beyond the hotel business, such as a craft beer business and short film production.

"They could cater alcohol, prepare snacks in their kitchen, had a waiting area and restrooms, and the front desk could handle inquiries. Also, to enhance the passengers' excitement, I wanted the route to pass by places like Kita no Yatai and the famous sweets shop Rokkatei. NUPKA's location near the entertainment district made that possible. The streets were also wide enough to not obstruct traffic. All things considered, HOTEL NUPKA was a miraculously perfect departure point for the Basha BAR plan."

The carriage also passes in front of 'Kita no Yatai,' a famous food stall village in Obihiro.

So, Mr. Nagata took his business plan for Basha BAR and presented it to Tetsuya Kashio and Kotomi Sakaguchi of Tokachi City Design, the company that operates NUPKA. Their reaction was more positive than he had expected: "This is fascinating, let's definitely make it happen."

"Tokachi City Design had a vision that if various local people created a city hub like NUPKA, the encounters there would lead to the next stage of regional revitalization. And I, as it turns out, fell right into their plan (laughs)."