In the millenium year, I wrote...
From Our Website Director
As a long time Tokyo suburb dweller, Sapporo had always been a place I longed to live. Almost four years ago, I made up my mind to return to Japan after living overseas and had to decide where I should live when I returned home.
I had several choices: going back to Tokyo, where I was familiar with and getting a job similar to that I had before I left; picking an entirely new place somewhere in Japan; or moving to the place where I had longed to live, Sapporo.
It was a pleasant spring day when I first visited Sapporo with the intention of actually moving here. It was meant to be an investigative journey to judge whether this popular city was really a worthy place for my family and I to live.
Walking out of a city-centre hotel and strolling along Odori Park, there was a pleasant spring breeze blowing through the gorgeous flowerbeds and over the deep green lawns. People were sitting on benches and taking naps on the grass. I felt water from the fountains as it gently sprayed my cheeks. The air was cool and dry. There were less people and traffic than in Tokyo. I felt my tension unwind. It was a feeling I really couldn't enjoy in the capital or other big cities in Japan. It didn't take much time to decide my destination. Three months later, we were here, citizens of Sapporo.
Three and a half years have passed and now settled, we are as happy as when we first arrived. I really enjoy the luxury of living in the city surrounded by rugged wilderness and regalements from its soil and the sea.
It's been a privilege working with Sapporites in making this site a reality. It was fun to talk about Sapporo and its charms during the many production meetings. Let's share this fun.
The best way to do so is to visit Sapporo!
Takuya Yoshimura
January 2000