>>Introduction

Even though the covid-19 pandemic isn’t over, how is everyone doing? I drove for an hour from Sapporo to the town of Tsukigata .

It was sudden but the other day ,the news reported that it had been 10 years since “the Great East Japan Earthquake.” I think it is still in the process of recovery so I pray for the souls of those who have died . At that time, a road clearance operation called “teeth of a  comb operation” began to open up roads for the transportation of emergency vehicles and moving supplies. A path was needed first to start reconstruction.

The history of road excavation in Hokkaido begins with forced labor by prisoners. Tsukigata Town is a town created to imprison such prisoners. While touching on the slightly dark history of Hokkaido, I will briefly introduce Tsukigata Town.

>>To love Hokkaido is to understand its dark history

In the Meiji era, there were many undeveloped areas in Hokkaido, and there was a concept to create “a place to imprison criminals. There, “Shuujikan” (so-called prison) was built, and many prisoners were sent to Hokkaido. At the same time, there was also a need for infrastructure development such as roads and railroads for the purpose of Russia’s southward policy measures, that is, northern security.

In that case, it seems that the idea was to have the prisoners develop the infrastructure.

I think that colonizers and the settlers were responsible for the development of Hokkaido, but it actually seems that the basic maintenance was based on the harsh forced labor of the prisoners. The first issue of the Hokkaido Shuji is in the shape of a moon. You can see its history at the Kabato Museum. There is still a prison in Tsukigata, but is it not related to the “Shuujikan”? That’s right. (There are various theories)

>>Ithas a delicious charm

Obviously,there are many delicious food specials but the natural vegetables and fruits produced  in Hokkaido and their  processed products are very delicious.

A local farmer from Tsukigata town uses 100% of a ripen tomato called “Momotaro” to make pure tomato juice.The tomato juice is salt-free and additive-free and is good for the body. Its name is “Manmaru Tomato Juice”!

You can enjoy the taste of “Manmaru Natto” ,it is beans made from 100% Tsukigata soybeans know  as “Toyomusume”! Both the melons and watermelons are also delicious!

huh? If you think it’s just “round”, it’s half correct. The catchphrase for the town is “Manmaru Heart Tsukigata Town”. “Hato” is added to “Manmaru”, which was inspired by the moon, melon, and watermelon. It is said to express the splendor of living in abundant nature with the sound of gentle words.

There are many other answers besides Manmaru, which is the other half of the correct answer, so please visit and enjoy.

Also, there isTsukigata’s famous jumbo yakitori. It is not on the town’s website, but it is proudly written as “specialty” at the stores.

Above all, the kindness of the people was the best. I hope to visit again.

>>Recruiting friends!!

We at “dobe” are an organization that supports each other with “I love Hokkaido!”. There are no activity rules. If you would like to join, please feel free to contact us by email.

dobe secretariat 　dobe-jimukyoku@outlook.jp