Table of Contents：
1. Welcome to “Taiki-cho” a town of space!
2. “Taiki Town” A town where the universe feels close
3. The clearest stream in Japan called, “The river of treasure.”(Rekifune River)
4. Dairy farming and the fishing industry – Taste the new local gourmet products
5. Iodine Springs, Bansei Hot Springs
Welcome to “Taiki-cho” a town of space!
What kind of place is Taiki Town?
Taiki Town is located on the southern part of the Tokachi area in the eastern region of Hokkaido. It’s a piece of land adjacent to the Pacific Ocean with an abundance of nature, located among the Tokachi Plains and Hidaka Mountains. It’s relatively easy to access positioned just about an hour away from Obihiro by car.
The coldness in winter is severe, with times when the maximum temperature continues at below 0 degrees celcius for days at a time. It’s also not rare for temperatures to reach below -20 degrees celcius. However, one special point about the region is that thanks to the Hidaka Mountains blocking the snow-laden clouds, the amount of sunny days is overwhelmingly high. In accordance with the phrase “Tokachi Sunny,” the high percentage of sunny weather is one of the main enterprises of Taiki Town and has contributed greatly to it’s space business venture.
It is said that Taiki Town’s name was derived from the Ainu word “Taikiushi,” which means, “the place where large trees grow.”
It’s a town facing the Pacific Ocean and other than flourishing in dairy farming, it is also lively in the fishing and forestry realm. You can say that overall, the town has formed a well balanced livelihood.
2 big dreams in the town of Taiki
Although Taiki Town in Hokkaido is a small town with a population of about 5,400 people, it’s business venture is huge. It has a space exploration venture that coincides with the dreams of humanity. Taiki Town is home to the third rocket launching site out of the four that exist in Japan, and is the only one in Hokkaido. Furthermore, because of the rocket launching site’s extensibility and location, it’s considered one of the world’s top class spaceports.
The space related business venture is a project that requires the support of the entire town. Taiki Town is making efforts to continue to develop and grow everyday as a space town. Raising the vision, “Let’s make a Silicon Valley in Hokkaido!”
Let’s introduce a little bit of what the dream-like future that Taiki Town is striving for.
・Taiki Town has made great efforts in launching artificial satellites!
・Efficient implementation of agriculture and fishing by the artificial satellite!
・The birth of a spaceplane that can go anywhere in the world from Taiki Town!
Surprisingly, from about 40 years ago there has been engagement in space urban development. The future of the space exploration venture being noticed around the world come possibly come from Taiki Town’s development.
On a different topic, Taiki Town once had an era that was like a dream. It was the “gold dust.” Formerly, a lot of gold dust existed in the ”Rekifune River,” a clear river that flows through Taiki Town. There was a time when 100 grams could be harvested per day, which created a gold rush era.
It is said that the gold dust panning began more than 380 years ago during the 12th year in the Kan’ei era. In the golden age people from all around the country would gather to try and pan for the cream of the crop and during high times, several hundred people would gather in facination of the gold dust.
Although these days, the amount of enthusiasts who pan for gold dust as a hobby is quite low, there is an opportunity available for tourists who are interested in a gold dust panning experience. If you make a reservation for an instructor and tools, you can learn firsthand about the way to pan for gold dust as well as the proper technique.
If you would like to know more about the Rekifune River, also called “the river of treasure,” please check out this article as we will introduce it more in detail later.
“Taiki Town” A town where the universe feels close
There is a wide open sky no matter where you go around the world, and the sun, moon and stars can be seen. Furthermore, from ancient times people have given thanks to the sun, created legends about the stars and have felt the mysteriousness of the moon.
The Ainu people, who were the indigenous people of Hokkaido also felt mystique in the beautiful starry sky and emense universe.
Just like us, there are many words and expressions in the Ainu language as well that refer to the moon, stars and constellations. For example, words and phrases such as:
・Moon is “kunnechuppu (dark heavenly body)”
・Star is “nochu” “keta”
・The milky way is “pennoka (milky way)”
・Polaris is “Poronochu (the grand star)”
・The north big dipper is “shiarasarushikamui noka nochu (long tailed bear shaped star)”
・Spica is “horokeunochu (wolf star)”
・Pleiades is “aruwan nochu (the seven stars)”
The Ainu people and the starry sky
As we know, our current constellations are connected to Greek Mythology. Likewise, the Ainu also connected characteristics and legends to each of the constellations. Let’s introduce some of the main ones.
【The North Big Dipper】
Like the Greek Mythology, the Ainu also made a connection with the North Big Dipper and a bear. Another name for the North Big Dipper is, “Samaen Nochu (Star of Samaen).” It’s a name that derives from the legend of “Samaen climbing a tree to go after a bear.”
As the legend goes, Samaen once saw a bear in the mountain and chased after it. The bear ran deep into the mountains to a big house in a treasure mountain and drank alcohol. When the bear came out again, it heard Samaen’s beloved dog barking. The bear then bit the dog and killed it. In order to punish the bear who had no feelings of regret, Samaen chased after it as it ran deep into the sky. As a last resort, Samaen ascended high into the heavens and became the North Big Dipper.
【Pleiades】
Pleiades “Toran Nochu (lazy star)” also has another name. It derrives from the legend of “inactive lazy people being chased by young hard working people (the 3 stars in the Orion constellation).”
As the legend goes, there were once 6 girls who were lazy and stubborn. They were always playing around and about so the 3 hardworking brothers said, “You’re always playing around and doing your own thing. Why don’t you help cultivate our crops in the fields?” The 6 girls refused the request and the 3 brothers became angry and chased the girls who then jumped on a boat and fleed. While the brothers were busy cultivating the crops during spring and summer, the girls were hiding out. Then, when the leisure season for farmers came, the girls were spotted in the eastern sky and the brothers started to chase after them. It is said that even now they are chasing eachother like cats and mice.
This is how the Ainu gave names to their stars and created legends for the constellations. It must have helped them to imagine and connect with the far off universe and another world.
People now and then have been fascinated by the mysteriousness and beauty that cannot be explained in words of the immense universe on the other side of the wide open sky.
Space Communication Center SORA
Not only for the Ainu, but the beautiful starry sky and the immense universe is a dream and admiration of many people. Taiki Town has grown as a “space town” to achieve this dream. Not only is Taiki Town home to Hokkaido’s only rocket launching site, it is also one of the rarest in terms of suitable grounds for a spaceport in all of the world. Rocket launching experiments are frequently held, and are leading Japan’s space exploration ventures.
We recommend the Space Communication Center SORA, where you can easily learn about how Taiki Town is connected with space exploration. At the Center, you can learn about and see things such as:
・An exhibit of actual rockets that have been launched.
・Comentary on space related experiments.
・A book shaped photo spot
We especially recommend the “From Taiki Town to space!” photo spot where you’ll surely get a refreshing boost of energy.
Because of the remarkable development of science and technology, space is becoming more and more familiar. Come have a peek at Taiki Town, a place that is achieving the dreams of space that humanity has had since ancient times. Please contact a travel agency if you’re interested in a tour around Taiki Town’s space related facilities.
The clearest stream in Japan called, “The river of treasure.”(Rekifune River)
The most beautiful river in Japan. The Rekifune River
One distinct characteristic of Taiki Town is the Rekifune River. The river has rare clear waters, and from start to finish the river only flows in Taiki Town with an over-all length of 64.7 kilometers. It is loved by the people as the clearest stream in Japan and has recieved recognition many times by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment as, “The most beautiful river in Japan. ”
Let’s introduce some of the various events that are held featuring the clear waters at the Rekifune River. From the end of April to the beginning of May, around May 5th for Children’s Day, the Rekifune River is decorated with many carp-shaped streamers. The scenery is spectacular with many multicolored carp-shaped streamers tied across the wide river blowing in the wind as if they were swimming. It is certainly Taiki Town’s spring feature.
Every year in August, the “Rekifune River Clear Stream Festival” is held with the purpose of enjoying the most beautiful stream in Japan. It’s an event like the so-called, “Summer Festival” in Japan. Among the usual bustling stands that can usually be seen at Japanese festivals selling food such as yaki soba, tako yaki and more, below we’d like to point out 3 special attractions worth seeing.
・The plastic bottle rocket contest
・The Perupune Fire Festival
・Fireworks show
The plastice bottle rocket contest is held by Taiki Town, which is putting great effort into it’s space exploration venture. Although reservations are required, the participants get to create plastic bottle rockets with their own ideas and techniques to be flown while the distance is measured in competition. I wonder who’s going to win this year.
The Perupune Fire Festival is held at night just after dark. During the festival, a Hashirataimatsu (giant tourch) over 20 meters in length is lit on fire as a symbol to pray for a good catch and harvest. The powerful impact of this event will surely impress anybody. This powerful fire festival is one of the big 3 fire festivals in Japan with roots originating from the “Noto Fire Festival.” It’s a thriving event every year as all of Taiki Town gets together to lift up the atmoshpere. We highly recommend it.
After the Rekifune Clear Stream River Festival, fireworks close the day, which is one part of Japanese culture. The fireworks are launched in sync with music creating the classic Japanese summer scene. “It doesn’t feel like summer without fireworks in the sky,” is a peculiar characteristic Japanese people may have.
If you’re planning to travel to Hokkaido during summer, please try to aim to enjoy the summer festival and the clear streams of Taiki Town.
Furthermore, the clear waters from the Rekifune River attract campers and river touring enthusiasts making it quite a popular spot. Along the river is a campsite called, “Kamui Kotan Park Campsite” where you can enjoy activities in the water, fishing, and barbequing, right among the clear waters of the Rekifune River. It’s one of the most admired rivers for people who like outdoor activities such as canoeing as you can drift down the clear waters all the way to the ocean. It’s known as a precious place where you can drift over clear waters nonstop. Reservations in advance are sometimes necessary, so please contact a tour company or travel agency if you are interested in activities such as river touring. Furthermore, although not in the Rekifune River, you can also experience riverside sauna and snow rafting in the winter season so please remember to iclude this in your schedule as well.
Panning for gold dust in the Rekifune River
Panning for gold dust began back in 1653 (Kan’ei period year 12). The “coast gold dust” was harvested near the Aiboshima coast where the Rekifune River meets the ocean. On the other hand, gold dust harvested from the river was called, “river gold dust.” Gold panning became very popular around the Rekifune River and coast with many professionals gathering from all over the country with hopes to find a fortune in one grab. It is said that during the golden age, hundreds of professional gold panners gathered in the area.
Around year 30 of the Meiji Era, about 260 years after the gold dust harvesting began, nearly 100 professionals could be found panning for gold mainly along the Rekifune and Monbetsu Rivers, but also along smaller rivers nearby. In those days there were many gold dust reserves with large grains weighing up to 5 grams a piece making it possible to collect around 100 grams per day. You can certainly say that this was the gold rush era. The gold rush continued from year 30 of the Meiji Era until the Taisho Era. From the Showa Era onwards, there was a dramatic decrease in the number of professionals coming to pan for gold dust and the numbers continued to gradually decreased even more. These days only hobby enthusiasts can be found.
Although being able to collect 100 grams of gold dust per day is a thing of the past, you can still experience and enjoy panning for gold using the actual tools and equipment formerly used in the past by the gold panning professionals in Taiki Town. We can’t explain in words how exciting it is to find gold dust within the sand.
These days, you can say that it’s not quite about getting close to your dreams like the former days of the Gold Rush, but more of an era of searching for your dreams through gold dust. If you happen to have some spare time on your trip, try taking part in a panning for gold tour where you can try searching for the dreams of humanity.
Dairy farming and the fishing industry – Taste the new local gourmet products
Taiki Town’s famous local gourmet food would have to be the “cheese and salmon served over rice.” The salmon and cheese are locally produced in Taiki Town and are served over rice with so many topings such as, salmon tempura, salmon shiso tempura, cheese tempura and pumpkin tempura. The menu offers a small side dish and soup, which complements the meal nicely to be enjoyed till the very end.
This new local gourmet food was developed as a way to help the local revitalization of Taiki Town. The dairy farming and fishing industry are now flourishing, as well as the salmon and cheese served over rice. You can taste this salmon and cheese served over rice at a cheap local restaurant located in the Bansei Hot Springs.
Taiki Town has a moderately cool climate which creates fertile grounds that are abundant in nutrients. This overlapping of ideal conditions has encouraged the active dairy production in the area. Taiki Town has many big and small cheese factories. However, at this time we would like to introduce Handa Farm, which is a quite a famous one in Taiki Town.
Handa Farm began during Hokkaido’s Cultivation Era and has been managed across 4 generations. The farm has adopted a way of raising cattle called, “free-stall barn,” a method where the cattle can roam around freely. They also try their best to feed the cattle locally grown food with a goal to assure customers that the dairy products are natural and safe.
Because of this, Handa Farm’s original cheese and yogurt are superb pieces of work. The 3 standard types of cheese include, “Orchard,” “Timothy” and “Lucerne.” There are also some out of the ordinary cheese types such as cheese marinated in Ikeda Kiyomi wine, aged cheese preserved in miso and more. The Orchard cheese is quite mild, easy to eat and can simply be eaten plain by itself, or even enjoyed toasted with bread. It is recommended as “the almighty cheese.”
The shop also sells soft cream and bread. The sweet cold soft cream is a perfect companion on a hot day. Please try dropping by for a brief stop during your travels.
The fishing industry is also flourishing in Taiki Town, which faces the ocean. There is an abundance of salmon, hair crab, whelk and octopus. Whelk is caught from November to April. It’s unique crisp firm texture is it’s distinct trait and is mainly eaten raw.
Moreover, from September to November autumn salmon is harvested, which is one of Taiki Town’s local specialties and accounts for up to 60% of all the seafood harvested in the area. Among these fish, the young male’s silver appearance is especially beautiful and has become a brand called, “Kikoshi.” It has a proper amount of fatty meat and is considered a high-quality with a delicious taste.
If you are interested in a certain kind of gourmet seafood it would be best to apply for your trip or tour in correlation with the season. We recommend being able to eat the seafood at it’s most delicious seasonal timing.
Iodine Springs, Bansei Hot Springs
Please make sure to stop by Bansei Hot Springs if you come to Taiki Town. 3 attractive points are listed below.
・High concentration of iodine in the hot spring water
・Location
・Cheese and salmon served over rice
The Bansei Hot Springs known for its characteristic of water containing iodine, is proudly one of the most prominent even within Japan due to its high concentration of iodine. Iodine is an essential mineral for the body and because it has powerful sterilization components, it is used in mouthwash, nutritional supplements and more. As hot springs, the benefits are its sterilization results and the power to retain heat. Bansei Hot Springs is located very close to the rocket launching site, and was built facing the ocean. Therefore, we recommend this hot spring as you’ll be able to relax and refresh while overlooking the Pacific Ocean just after a visit to the Space Communication Center Sora.
There is also a Bansei Campsite, Cottage and Lodge located near the Bansei Hot Springs. From families to people who like outdoor activities, this area can be enjoyed by a wide range of visitors making it quite a unique place. In addition, there is a spot where you can do smelt fishing in winter. Your body will most likely feel cold after trying the fishing activity, so how about warming up in the pleasantly warm iodine springs known for its exceptionally effective heat retaining results.
After getting warmed up at the hot springs, you can make your way to a joint establishment of Bansei Hot Springs to a cheap local restaurant called, “Taishushokudo Mamo” and order the cheese and salmon served over rice. The cheese and salmon tempura are Taiki Town’s local special foods, and wonderful when eaten together. It’s definitely worth tasting once. After warming up your body at the hot springs and eating new gourmet food, the tiredness you may have felt from your trip up until now will surely change to happiness. The Bansei Hot Springs are located a bit distant from the inner Town, but easy to get to if visiting on a tour.
In this article, we introduced Taiki Town’s recommended points such as gourmet food and more. Taiki Town, located on the southern tip of the Tokachi region is a place that has been blessed with a high percentage of clear blue skies and therefore selected as a location for the space enterprise, which is now flourishing. It’s a place with a powerful feeling of the universe as people have admired the area and used the word, “space” since ancient times. Furthermore, “gold dust” can be found in the Rekifune River which flows through Taiki Town. You can even try panning for gold dust in the same way that the people in the past did. Taiki Town’s wide open skies and clear streams are what contributed to the big dreams of the people around space and gold dust, packed with adventurous spirits.
A wonderful thing about Taiki Town, is that it is blessed with a bountiful sea and rich soil making it also a flourishing place for dairy farming and the fishing industry. When visiting Taiki Town, there’s a lot of delicious gourmet food that you must try such as the salmon, hair crab, cheese and yogurt and the cheese and salmon served over rice. Delicious food will give you a rich life.
After a completely satisfying sightseeing trip, relax at the Bansei Hot Springs along the Pacific Ocean. While reminiscing about the memories of your trip with your family or friends, you can talk about extravegent time you’ve had. There is also a smelt fishing spot near Bansei Hot Springs in winter, so it’s also nice to heal and warm up your body at the hot springs after a cold activity. Moreover, although the cold temperatures are severe in this region, the scenery of the snow covered Hidaka Mountain Range is truly unforgetable and will probably go down on your list as one of the most picturesque views of your trip.
When traveling to Hokkaido, please visit Taiki Town, a place overflowing with attractiveness. Please feel free to contact HOKKAIDO TREASURE ISLAND TRAVEL if you are interested in anything involving a travel tour to Taiki Town. We will design a wonderful custom tour for you and create an attractive tour proposal that will surely bring your family lasting memories. Please click on “Contact Us” for further inquiries.
