BOOKOFF is a secondhand bookstore of a chain. There are several stores of BOOKOFF in Sapporo. I often go to the bookstores to buy some books with low prices. These stores sell many kinds of books including business books, dictionaries, specialized books, comics, novels, and so on. Each store has a different variety of books depending on its location because they purchase books from people in its area. For example, a store in an academic district tends to have more textbooks.

The new ward office is connected to the new shopping mall. This 6-floor mall contains a one coin shop, a cram school, a real estate, a bank, several cafes and restaurants, and so on. I came here to buy some office supplies including envelopes. It is quite near from Shiroishi station of the subway. When I saw the shop crowded, I regretted a little to come here on the opening day. What’s more, I found the battery of my camera was empty when arriving at the mall. I had to take p

The new ward office of Shiroishi started its operations at the new building in this month. Many people came to this new office on the opening day. They were local residents, local assemblymen, camera mans, reporters, businesspersons and so on. Some of them came to attend its opening ceremony. I came here to explore the new office. This 6-floor building contains a cafe, a museum, an inhabitants hall of the ward, two libraries, and many divisions. Somehow, its appearance seems

Although I wrote about New Chitose Airport a few days ago, I went to this airport again. As I arrived at this airport a little earlier than my flight, I hang out in it for a while. I visited some shops to buy souvenirs and sampled some food. At the main place, I met a strange character which seems a girl (see the above picture). It might be difficult to guess what it represented. In reality, the character promoted some rice brands. It encouraged me to sample three types of ri

Susukino is one of the most famous amusement areas in Japan. There are many restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, bars, nightclubs and so on in this area. Many tourists have come from all sides and spend money. The function of this area was crucial for the development of Sapporo. The government built this area to keep attracting the workers developing Sapporo in 1871. Since then, residents of Susukino have changed frequently as time goes by, but it seems that the essence of th

Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery is the honorable factory of malt whiskey in Japan. This distillery was founded by Masataka Taketsuru, “The father of Japanese whisky”. He is also known as the main character of “MASSAN”, the NHK morning Drama Series. He chose Yoichi town to found the distillery because its climate is similar to Scotland, the home of whisky. I have several occasions to visit there because Yoichi is near from Sapporo. I think its whisky is a masterpiece without

Sousei River runs through the center of Sapporo to the north. This river was the irrigation channel Otomo-bori formerly. This small river played an important role in the development of Sapporo. This river divides Sapporo into the eastern part and western part. It seemed the east of this river desolate a little compared with its west. In childhood, I had thought there were few places to play in the east of this river. In adulthood, I found there were few places to play after a

Odori Park is located at the center of the downtown in Sapporo. Ｉn 1871, this area was set as a firebreak. Next, this area turned into a road. After that, this area had become multipurpose. Finally, this area has become a park since the early 20th century. As this park has enough space and is located at the center of this city, it has being used for quite many purposes by many people during its history. It has been used for the site of exhibitions, army posts, accommodation,

Sapporo dome is a multipurpose dome which was opened at the site of the public sugar beet experimental firm in 2001. “Multipurpose” means that baseballs, footballs, concerts and any other events can be held at this dome. This dome is the home field of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham fighters (Nichihamu) which won the championship of the Japan Series a few days before. During the Japan Series, 3 games were held and Nichihamu won all of the games in this dome! Not only Nichihamu but also

As previously noted, SKY Open Seminar will be held on December 10th in Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation. This time, 5 international students will make speeches in Japanese. These international students have come from Korea, China, Vietnam, Finland and Iran. The theme of this time is "volunteer". These international students will talk about their countries or hometowns through volunteer activities in the regions. After their speech, time will be taken to ta