Local Friends Staying in Hokkaido" started in April 2021 on NHK Hokkaido. "The director will stay for a month with "Local Friends" who have deep connections in the region and discover the treasures of the region." This project is a completely different approach from the previous "reporting," delving into the charms of each region of Hokkaido.

What was the director's impression of this project, which Domingo has been paying attention to, and how did he see the region?

This is the second part of our interview with Mr. Koshimura, director of NHK Sapporo Broadcasting Station, who was in charge of the Soya section in April!

(For the first part, please click here!)

-What else was impressive to you?

I think it was important for me to hear from people who are rooted in the community and working hard. I was born in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, a bedroom community in Tokyo. It has been four years since I started working, and my first job was in Sapporo, which is also an urban area. I didn't live in Kawasaki or Sapporo simply because there was something there that wasn't inconvenient.

So, to be honest, I don't think I have much to say about where I am from or where I live, whether it be about its advantages or disadvantages. When asked what kind of town Kawasaki is, I can only say, "It's a bedroom town of Tokyo with the Denentoshi Line running through it..." I don't have much to say. I felt that I had nothing much to say about Kawasaki, and the area did not become my identity. There were times when I felt sad about that.

Director Koshimura (left) during an interview

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The people I met during the interview were people who have found meaning in living in that place or are trying to create meaning, so it was really great to talk to people who genuinely live with a different way of thinking.

To be honest, the only image I had of Wakkanai was that of Tako-shabu (octopus dumplings) and Cape Soya, and I had only been to Toyotomi Onsen (hot springs) before.

Mr. Hitoya Uesaka (left) and Director Koshimura (right)

I also learned that I had only had a shallow image of Soya before, but now I know about the charms I had never known before: in Sarufutsu, people protect Itou, in Toyotomi, people focus on music and bands, and in Wakkanai, snowboarding.

Yasuo Sagawa of Sarufutsu Village

Mr. Hitoya Uesaka of Toyotomi Town

Mr. Wataru Kimura of Wakkanai City

Mr. Xunichiro Abe of Wakkanai City

The people I met during my stay in Wakkanai spoke passionately about "interesting people in this town" and "what they want to do in this town." They were involved in the community in whatever way they could, and were trying to find or create meaning in their lives in that place. I have a new respect for Soya with people like that, and I don't just think of it as "attractive" but more like "respected".

-So you yourself feel as if you have acquired a treasure.

Yes, that's right. Soya is a very remote place, taking more than 5 hours by train from Sapporo, but when you meet people like this and get to know them, the distance between you and them becomes closer in your heart. I think that is true not only for Soya, but for all places like this. I have never been to Soya because it is so far away, and because I cannot see the faces of the people there, my image of Soya is only that of Tako Shabu and Cape Soya, but I have come to think that there are many places in other regions that would feel very close to me if I knew about them.

-I was impressed by the atmosphere between Mr. Koshimura and the local people during his selfie report in the TV program. It was impressive that they talked to each other like they were some kind of family!

Mr. Ozaki, one of the Local Friends of Soya, runs a guesthouse, and I was working in the shared lounge all the time, and even on my days off, I spent time there drinking coffee and just hanging out. I think I was able to talk with Mr. Ozaki because he was at the front desk the whole time.

THE STAYWAKKANAI guesthouse with Atsushi Ozaki of Local Friends

It was the same in other places, when we went to Rishiri, we stayed in Rishiri for a long time and worked in the store where we did the smartphone relay, and I think that kind of atmosphere was created because of the stay where we could spend all the time for a long time.

A view of the relay

How was it, everyone?
In "Local Friends in Japan," we introduced the Soya region in April, Kimobetsu in May, and Teshikaga in June. Please take a look at NHK Hokkaido's blog for a summary of each of these visits!

Local Friends Staycation" Staff Blog

Local Friends Staycation" introduces the charms of various regions in Hokkaido. We hope you will also experience the deep charms of the region through this program.