A Hotel Open to the Local Community is Born in Her Hometown of Tokachi

The members of the Tokachi Tokyo Club

Mr. Kashiwabara suggested to Ms. Sakaguchi, "Why don't you do something at the former Minoya site?" He must have approached her because he knew she wanted to run a hotel. Still, it would require funding, and her Tokyo shop was still open. Nevertheless, Ms. Sakaguchi was beginning to feel a certain way about her hometown of Tokachi.

The exterior of the former Hotel Minoya

Even in a quiet town, she was confident that if she could get people involved, it would be okay. Her 15 years of experience running restaurants in Tokyo gave her the confidence to push forward. That was in 2014.

HOTEL NUPKA opened two years later, in March 2016. Its dormitory for budget travelers was a standout feature in downtown Obihiro, which was mostly populated by business hotels. Of course, it also offers compact single rooms, as well as larger double, twin, and triple rooms, catering to a wide range of needs.

Exterior of HOTEL NUPKA (top). The Croque Monsieur for breakfast is also full of Tokachi ingredients (bottom).

A key feature is that the café is open to the city, not just for travelers. Locals often drop by for breakfast, making Ms. Sakaguchi's wish for it to be a "community park" a reality.

Once Tokachi's Town is Revitalized, the Next Goal is a "Walkable City"

At the café, she insisted on serving local food made with ingredients from Tokachi. They also produce and serve their own original craft beer, made with 100% Tokachi-grown barley malt. Although Tokachi is one of Japan's leading agricultural regions, there are surprisingly few places where producers and local consumers can connect. "That's why I wanted to make NUPKA a place that connects the city center of Tokachi with the rural areas," says Ms. Sakaguchi.

"Tabi no Hajimari no Beer" (The Beer to Start a Journey), created for guests visiting NUPKA. 330ml for 510 yen (tax included).

Ms. Sakaguchi believes that the more of these "bridges"—or concierges—the better. For example, at her Tokyo shop, when she was busy, regular customers would step in and explain things to new guests. She hopes that this will become a daily scene at NUPKA as well.

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

The "Basha BAR" (Carriage Bar), a tour of Obihiro at night in a horse-drawn carriage starting from NUPKA, is also very popular. Musashikoma, a former Banba draft horse, is now a Tokachi tourism ambassador.

She hopes that NUPKA will be the starting point for revitalizing the town of Tokachi. Once that is achieved, her next goal is to create a "walkable city." Rural areas decline when the elderly can't give up their cars, leading to more accidents, or when the population flows into convenient cities like Sapporo.

After creating an environment where everyone can experience the best of Tokachi, the next step is to make Tokachi an even better place to live. Ms. Sakaguchi, along with her like-minded companions, is already planning her next move.

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