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" to delve into the charms of each region of Hokkaido.


Domingo previously published an interview with Director Koshimura, who was in charge of the Soya episode that aired in April ( click here for the first part, here for the second part), and now we have interviewed Director Osumi, who was in charge of the Kimobetsu Town episode that aired in May.

What did he find attractive about the town after staying there for a month? And how did his stay in Kimobetsu Town change him? Please take a look!

I live my life as if I were a member of Kimobetsu.

-What was your impression of Kimobetsu before you went there?

I didn't know about Kimobetsu in the first place. I would say that I was a beginner in Hokkaido. It has been a year and a half since I came to Hokkaido, but when Mr. Kato of Local Friends applied for the program, I saw the word "Kimobetsu" and asked myself, "Is it correct to read this as "Kimobetsu"? I was not even aware of Kimobetsu as a region. -Have you never been through Kimobetsu town?

I may have never crossed the Nakayama Pass from Sapporo. I met Mr. Kato when I had no image of the town, and from there I got to know about Kimobetsu Town.

-I'm sure there must have been many changes during your stay, so I'll ask you about them later, but what is your impression now after staying in Kimobetsu for a month?

I live as if I am a member of Kimobetsu. Although I live in Sapporo, I still don't have that sense of belonging, I don't have any familiar stores, and I never participated in local activities. I feel more like Kimobetsu is "my town," even though I was only there for a month, than I do now as a citizen of Sapporo.

-I would be very interested to hear about the changes that led you to this point. As Mr. Asahiko Kato is a Local Friends, he was the contact person who introduced you to the local people.

Mr. Kato runs a café called tigris, and at first I went there privately to have a cup of coffee.

I went there to thank him for his application, but since I go there on a personal basis, we talked more about ordinary things than work. I went to the bakery and cheese shop he introduced to me and found the level to be extremely high, and when I stopped by the direct sales place, there were many varieties of potatoes. I stopped by a bakery and cheese shop that I was introduced to and found that they had a very high level of quality, and when I stopped by the market, they had a large variety of potatoes.

What I noticed about Kimobetsu after my stay

-What did you find out about the town during your stay?

Kimobetsu is home to Mt. Yotei and Mt. Kimobetsu, but after living here for a month, I realized that the "river" really gives Kimobetsu its character. The town itself is formed on the flat land along the river, and agriculture, which is the main industry of the town, was benefited by the river. As a symbolic example, a nationally recognized asparagus canning factory was established in Kimobetsu because of the clean water used to wash white asparagus and other products. Plus, there are beautiful riverside views everywhere you go.

-Kimobetsu is sometimes described as a hub town between Sapporo and Niseko, but you don't see much of the river if you just drive by.

You can't see it. But you can see it when you get off the car. There is a very beautiful riverside path that I walked along every morning and evening during my stay. After the interview, I looked at the photos I took during my stay and found that I only took pictures of the river. I didn't want to use them for the broadcast (laughs).

This is a picture like this.


This is the causeway along the river, and it goes on for kilometers. If you are in the center of Kimobetsu, you can see the river from anywhere within a short walk.

Meeting Yuta Shimomura, a freeskier, and Butoh dancer Sibu Burzo

-I think you interviewed a lot of people this time, but can you tell us about any episodes that left a deep impression on you? I know it's hard to pick one, but... (flipping through the notebook in his hand)

(flipping through the notebook in his hand) Well, it's hard to choose some ....... I want to talk about everyone. ......

Is it Yuta Shimomura who came back to the town? He was so attractive that looking at him made me think, "If there was someone like this, people would come around him because of his talent. He is a skier, but he does "freeskiing" not as a sport or a leisure activity, but as an "expression. He skis as proof that he is alive, just like a painter paints a picture or a musician composes a piece of music.

Freeskier Yuta Shimomura

I thought it was nice and wonderful that Mr. Shimomura, who has skied in Alaska, Oceania, and Hakuba in North America, came back to his hometown and said he had not yet skied the mountains he grew up on and was trying to use them as his canvas. He is young when you talk to him, but there is something that attracts me.

-I guess I saw in Mr. Shimomura a kind of straightforwardness that we may have lost sight of in our daily lives.

That is exactly right. Even when it comes to skiing, when you compete, you are compared to others, while there are those who enjoy skiing as a leisure activity. He also told me with a twinkle in his eye that he has many things he wants to do in the future. The three of us, including Mr. Kato, and I, talked for a long time about what we wanted to do in the future. We got along so well that we even went camping together and slept in the same tent (laughs).

(laughs) - So you have met such people, and you feel like a "member of the town" as you mentioned at the beginning of this article. If you have any other episodes, I would love to hear about them.

(Looking at his notebook again, he was worried.) Well, ...... Sibu-chan (Mr. Sibu Burzo). Sibu-chan is also a person who enjoys his life.

Butoh dancer Sibu Burzo

When the cherry blossoms bloomed, he would take us to the best place to view the cherry blossoms, and when the ascetic garlic was picked, he would share it with us as a paste. She enjoys the land of Kimobetsu very much every day. She is a dancer and an artist, and she expresses this feeling in short words.
These words give me pause, don't they?

-I guess the natural environment of Kimobetsu, including the mountains and rivers, attracts people like this.

Yes, it does. Perhaps people who seek a different way of dealing with nature than in neighboring Niseko, Kutchan, or Rusutsu are attracted to Kimobetsu. If you think about it on a commercial basis, other areas might be better, but I think that many of the people who choose Kimobetsu want to be with nature in a quiet way.

-I think that the number of people who choose Kimobetsu may increase in the future.

I'm sure you'll find yourself comparing it to Kimobetsu.

-Thank you very much for your time today!

Thank you very much! As an aside, after my stay in Japan, I continue to visit various towns for interviews and sightseeing, but I find myself comparing the population size, industry, and way of life of the people in these towns to that of Kimobetsu (laughs). I apologized and said, "I'm sorry, I have a habit of comparing. I have a habit of comparing them.

I have introduced many people to the town, and one of my acquaintances is visiting Kimobetsu today. Kimobetsu is such an important part of my life.

-I think your stay in Kimobetsu was a really good experience for you, too.

I know that this is just my one-sided opinion, and it is only when the people of the town think so, but I feel that I am a part of the community of Kimobetsu, and I feel that this is connected to my daily work. I knew in my head that people in the media are also members of the local community, but I am thrilled that I have been able to experience it firsthand.

(more than an interview)

Mr. Osumi assured us that he now "lives as if he is a member of Kimobetsu" through his stay in the town. As a "member" of Kimobetsu, beyond being a "fan" of the town, he told us about the charms of Kimobetsu. Why don't you visit the town?

Now, we have heard from the director of the "Local Friends Stay-and-Reside" program, and we will start a series of articles on what happened after the "Local Friends Stay-and-Reside" program was born, entitled "Adventures of Local and Media" by Mr. Osumi, who talked to us this time. The series will start at Domingo.

These are actual stories of people who are struggling for the future of local communities in Hokkaido.
The six-part series is scheduled to begin on Friday, September 17.
Please look forward to it!