Ride! Eat! Kitahiroshima! Visit fascinating historical sites passed down from Hokkaido's pioneer frontier days

Located in the center of the Ishikari Plain and adjacent to Sapporo, Kitahiroshima is blessed with rich nature. National Highway 36 passes through the town and was the first main carriageway connecting Hakodate and Sapporo 150 years ago. Along this historic carriageway, the former Shimamatsu Communication Station still stands today. The importance of this building to Hokkaido’s history cannot be overstated – among other highlights, it’s where Professor William Smith Clark from Sapporo Agriculture Collage (now Hokkaido University) spoke the resounding words “Boys, be ambitious!” on his departing day from Hokkaido. The building also was once the residence of Mr. Kyuzo Nakayama, a great contributor to rice cultivation and upland farming for Hokkaido’s cold regions. The tour offers a wonderful opportunity to discover Hokkaido’s frontier days and the development of cold-climate agriculture.