A lodging facility open to the local community was born in Tokachi.

Members of the Tokachi Tokyo Club

Kashiwao-san asked Sakaguchi-san, "Why don't you do something on the site of Minoya-san? Mr. Kashiwao asked Mr. Sakaguchi, "Why don't you do something on the site of Minoya? Knowing Mr. Sakaguchi's desire to open an inn, Mr. Kashiwao also approached him. However, he still needed funds and his store in Tokyo was still open. Nevertheless, Mr. Sakaguchi was beginning to feel many things about his hometown of Tokachi.

Exterior view of the former Hotel Minoya

My confidence and experience of running a restaurant in Tokyo for 15 years gave me a boost. That was in 2014.

HOTEL NUPKA opened two years later in March 2016. The dormitory for budget travelers was unique in the city center of Obihiro, where there are many business hotels. Of course, compact private rooms and even larger double, twin, and triple rooms are also available to accommodate all needs.

Exterior view of HOTEL NUPKA (top) Breakfast croque-monsieur is also full of Tokachi ingredients (bottom)

And it is not only a place for travelers to stay, but also a café open to the town. Locals often visit the cafe on a whim for breakfast, fulfilling Mr. Sakaguchi's wish for the cafe to be a local park.

Once the city of Tokachi becomes more vibrant, we now want to become a "walkable city.

At the café, we are committed to serving local food made from Tokachi ingredients. We also produce and serve our original craft beer made with 100% Tokachi barley malt. Tokachi is one of Japan's leading agricultural production areas, but surprisingly there is no place for producers and local consumers to connect. That is why we wanted NUPKA to be a place that connects the city and the rural areas of Tokachi," says Sakaguchi.

Beer for the Beginning of the Journey" made for guests visiting NUPKA, 330 ml, 510 yen (tax included)

Mr. Sakaguchi believes that the more "concierges" there are, the better. For example, at a store in Tokyo, even when Mr. Sakaguchi was busy, a regular customer took over for him and explained things to customers.

At NUPKA, various events are held in the café space and on the rooftop, where people naturally gather.

The "Horse-drawn Carriage Bar," where horse-drawn carriages take visitors around Obihiro at night, starting at NUPKA, is also popular. Musashikoma, a former horse, is now a tourism ambassador of Tokachi.

I would like to see the city of Tokachi come alive with NUPKA as its starting point. Once that is achieved, my next goal is to create a "walkable town. If the elderly cannot let go of their cars, accidents increase, and the population flows out to convenient cities such as Sapporo, the rural areas will decline.

After creating an environment where everyone can experience the goodness of Tokachi, we must aim for a more livable Tokachi. Mr. Sakaguchi, together with like-minded people, will continue to work on new projects.

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