Many people might hear "Takikawa City" and think, "Where's that? I've passed through there, but I've never actually been there."
Takikawa City is located roughly halfway between Sapporo and Asahikawa, the central cities of Hokkaido.

It is the central city of the Sorachi region and became famous as the setting for the NHK morning drama series "Cho-chan" (aired in 1987).

In Takikawa City, there are many things that can only be found here, and many things that can only be experienced in Takikawa City.

Takikawa City is not often featured as a tourist destination, but we'd like to introduce you to its hidden charms.

Table of contents
1. Matsuo Jingisukan Main Store
2. Takikawa Sky Park
3.Takikawa City Museum of Art and Natural History
4. Takikawa Children's Science Museum
5. Takikawa Fureai no Sato
6. Takigawa Maruka Park
7. Local specialty products of Takikawa
~Afterword~

I'm sure everyone has heard of Matsuo Jingisukan at least once, right?

Matsuo Jingisukan, a restaurant that is now nationally renowned and known to virtually everyone in Hokkaido, originated in Takikawa City, where its main store is located.

Matsuo Jingisukan was founded in 1956 (Showa 31) as Matsuo (formerly Matsuo Lamb Meat Co., Ltd.).

At the time, lamb had a strong odor and many people disliked it, but the method of marinating the lamb in a special sauce became popular, and its name quickly spread throughout Hokkaido.

Using apples and onions from Takikawa City, our local area, as the main ingredients, we use a marinade that incorporates over a dozen kinds of seasonings and spices to eliminate the characteristic odor of lamb and bring out the meat's natural flavor.

Furthermore, Matsuo Jingisukan has developed its own original, specially designed pot, and their Jingisukan, cooked in this pot with Hokkaido vegetables, is absolutely delicious!
It goes well with both alcohol and rice, and everyone can enjoy it.

Be sure to try this traditional flavor that Takikawa City is so proud of, at Matsuo Jingisukan Main Store!

[Matsuo Jingisukan Main Store]
Address: 3-5-12 Myojin-cho, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-22-2989
Opening hours: 10:00 AM - 22:00 PM (Last order 21:30 PM)
Closed on: December 31st and January 1st

In Hokkaido, signs called "country signs," which combine a town symbol with the name of the city or town, are installed at the boundaries of cities and towns as road landmarks.
The glider is depicted as a symbol of the city of Takikawa.

In Takikawa City, from spring to autumn, if you look up at the sky, you can see the city's symbolic glider gracefully soaring through the air.
Takikawa Sky Park offers introductory glider and motor glider flights.

The view of Hokkaido's landscape from approximately 500 meters above ground is breathtaking!
I could barely feel any sound or vibration; the only sound I could hear was the wind.

Watching them slowly and gracefully soar through the sky makes you feel as if you've become a bird yourself, and an amazing and moving experience awaits you!

Furthermore, even those who don't fly, or those with small children, can learn about the sky and enjoy playing in the sky at the Sky Museum (Aeronautical Museum) and related facilities.

Takikawa Sky Park is Japan's first park themed around sky sports, boasting a park area of ​​96.5 hectares.
Why not visit Takikawa Sky Park in Takikawa City to experience the wonders of the sky and reconnect with nature, something often lost in urban life?

[Takikawa Sky Park]
Address: 139-4 Nakajima-cho, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-24-3255
Operating period: Mid-July to mid-August
Opening hours: 9: 00 to 17: 00
Closed days: Open every day during the season
Introductory flight: Adults: 7,500 yen, High school students and younger: 4,000 yen

The Takikawa City Museum of Art and Natural History is a museum that houses both art and natural history departments in a single building.
Let's take a look at this museum, packed with the history and culture of Takikawa City, a unique museum that can be enjoyed by people of all ages!

Art Museum: Japanese painter Eien Iwahashi, Western-style painter Masumi Ichiki
The museum features permanent exhibition rooms showcasing the works of three artists associated with Takikawa City, including calligrapher Ueda Sokyu.

Take your time to reflect and quietly appreciate the works of the artists from Takikawa City.

Natural History Museum: Takikawa City has a valuable fossil of the Takikawa sea cow, which is designated as a natural monument of Hokkaido.
The Takikawa sea cow was an animal that lived 500 million years ago, when the area around Takikawa City was still covered by the sea.

The fossil was discovered in 1980 in the riverbed of the Sorachi River, which flows through the city.
It is estimated that it reached a length of approximately 8 meters and weighed about 4 tons.

These creatures resemble what we now call manatees and dugongs, and they were called "sea cows" because they ate seaweed growing on the seabed like cows.

The Takikawa sea cow is a sea cow adapted to cold climates, characterized by its lack of teeth and significantly reduced upper limbs.
This valuable fossil, which reveals that manatees adapted to cold climates in Japan through unique evolution, has been designated a cultural property by the city.

Image provided by: Hokuryu Town Portal Site

In addition, the exhibition hall also displays skeletons of other species, including the Jordanian sea cow, an ancestor of the Takikawa sea cow; the Steller's sea cow, which became extinct due to overhunting; the Tyrannosaurus Rex, a favorite among children; and skeletal specimens of Protoceratops and mammoths.

I can't stop feeling excited and thrilled!

Image provided by: Hokuryu Town Portal Site

Experience the sheer size and power of the Takikawa sea cow, a natural monument of Hokkaido, and the ancient dinosaurs that once lived there!

[Takikawa Art and Natural History Museum]
Address: 2-5-30 Shinmachi, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-23-0502
Opening hours: 10:00 AM - 17:00 PM (Last entry at 16:30 PM)
Closed on Mondays (open on public holidays, closed the following weekday), the day after public holidays, and from December 31st to January 5th.
Admission fees: General admission 620 yen, High school students 370 yen, Junior high school students 250 yen, Elementary school students 120 yen

Image provided by: Hokuryu Town Portal Site

The Takikawa Children's Science Museum has three rooms: "Mysteries of the Universe and Earth," "Mysteries of Humanity," and "Mysteries of the Natural World." It's not just a place to look around; there are many exhibits that encourage visitors to touch, be amazed, and become interested, providing opportunities for hands-on learning rather than just CG or fictional science.

Image provided by: Hokuryu Town Portal Site

What particularly catches the eye is the moving globe – plate tectonics!

This gigantic, three-meter-diameter, moving globe—Plate Tectonics—allows you to understand how continents were formed and other phenomena through the actual movement of the globe.

Image provided by: Hokuryu Town Portal Site

There is also a section featuring handmade exhibits, where you can find experimental devices made from everyday materials such as plastic bottles.

Visitors are amazed by the sheer size of the handmade, life-size model of the asteroid explorer "Hayabusa."

Furthermore, there's a children's corner for even younger kids, so the whole family can enjoy themselves together.

Takikawa Children's Science Museum is a place where you can learn, play, and have fun. It's the only place in Japan that has a moving globe – plate tectonics!

[Takikawa Children's Science Museum]
Address: 2-6-1 Shinmachi, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-22-6690
Opening hours: 10: 00 to 17: 00
Closed on Mondays (open on public holidays, closed the following weekday), the day after public holidays, and from December 31st to January 5th.
Admission fees: General admission 310 yen, High school students 210 yen, Elementary and junior high school students 100 yen
*The entrance and reception area are shared with the Museum of Art and Natural History.

Takikawa Fureai no Sato is one of the largest hot spring facilities in central Sorachi, Hokkaido.
Let's take a look at the charms of Takikawa City, one by one, including its hot springs, experience programs using local food, and various other facilities!

Spa

This hot spring boasts excellent water quality and is highly valued by the locals.
The spring water is a sodium chloride and bicarbonate spring, and is said to be good for the skin.

The baths come in a wide variety of types, including two open-air baths (a wooden bath and a rock bath), and ten indoor baths: a high-temperature bath, a low-temperature bath, a jet bath, a bubble bath, a waterfall bath, a children's bath, a reclining bath, a cold bath, a dry sauna, and a wet sauna.

Take your time and relax in the local hot springs to soothe your body and soul.

Accommodation

Additionally, Takikawa Fureai no Sato has cottages available for overnight stays.

The five cottages are fully equipped with electrical appliances and cooking utensils, and some even come with yukata (Japanese-style robes), a hot spring bath, and karaoke.
It can be used in a variety of situations with family and friends.

Experience program

The first experience program is a "soba noodle making experience," where you can make soba noodles using buckwheat flour from Takikawa.
After you've finished making your own special soba noodles, you can sample them or take some home with you.

Next up is the "Bread Making Experience," where you can make bread using 100% Haruyutaka wheat from Takikawa. You can also make sweet buns and other types of bread by making a reservation in advance.
We also offer a "pottery experience." This experience, where you start by kneading pottery clay, allows you to feel like a professional potter.

Even if you have no experience and it's your first time, our instructors will teach you carefully, so you can rest assured. Let's create a one-of-a-kind piece of pottery with your own hands!
*Please note that all experience programs must be booked at least one week in advance.

Local beer

Additionally, the building houses a brewing facility called "Takikawa Craft Beer Brewery," where Sorachi Beer is produced.

A wide variety of flavorful Sorachi beers are available, so please try the unique craft beers of Takikawa, carefully brewed using traditional methods.

In addition to these, there is a park golf course adjacent to Fureai no Sato, and canoe experiences at the Takikawa City B&G Marine Center, so there are so many things to do that you can't possibly see them all in one day.

Takikawa Fureai no Sato... As the name suggests, this is a village where you can connect with many people and the Takikawa River.

[Takikawa Fureai no Sato]
Address: 76-1 Nishitakikawa, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-26-2000
Opening hours: 10: 00 to 22: 00
Closed holiday: irregular holiday
Admission fees: General (junior high school students and older) 620 yen, Elementary school students 310 yen, Infants free
*For information on cottages and various experience programs, please contact Takikawa Fureai no Sato.

Takikawa Maruka Plateau is located in Ebeotsu, which is north of Takikawa City.
Ebeotsu-cho was a town that once existed in Sorachi District, Hokkaido, and merged with Takikawa City on April 1, 1971, to form the new Takikawa City.

Ebeotsu is a place rich in nature, and has long been a center for apple orchards, cultivating apples under the brand name "Ebeotsu Apples."
Maruka Plateau, located in Ebeotsu, is a vast plateau where sheep and cattle graze, creating a picturesque Hokkaido landscape.

In early summer, rapeseed flowers bloom all over the area, creating a vibrant yellow carpet that covers the land!
With the largest rapeseed cultivation area in Japan at 177 hectares, it has also been selected as one of Hokkaido's 100 Most Inspiring Moments.

The Takikawa Nanohana Festival, held annually at Maruka Plateau, is the largest event in Takikawa City.

Also, in early autumn, the cosmos flowers, another symbol of Takikawa City depicted on the country sign mentioned earlier, bloom in vibrant colors on the slopes of Maruka Plateau.

The site includes the Maruka Kogen Auto Campground, which is equipped with various rental items and shower facilities, and you can enjoy playing in the water in the central waterway and catching insects.

Further up the mountain, you'll find an observation deck. Blessed with the magnificent natural beauty of Hokkaido, the Maruka Plateau Observation Deck offers breathtaking panoramic views that vary depending on the season and time of day, including the Shokanbetsu mountain range, Mount Pinneshiri, rural landscapes, the cityscape of Takikawa, and night views—a truly spectacular Hokkaido vista!

Takikawa City's Maruka Plateau, nurtured by the vast natural beauty of Hokkaido, is a place you should definitely visit. Be soothed by the tranquil and expansive plateau and captivated by the colorful seasonal flowers.

[Takikawa Maruka Plateau]
Address: 3949 Ebeotsu-cho, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-75-5451
[Takikawa Maruka Plateau Campsite]
Address: 3949 Ebeotsu-cho, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-75-2181
Operating period: Mid-July to mid-August
Opening hours: 8: 30 to 21: 00
Price: Campervan site 6170 yen
Standard site (with power supply) 5140 yen
Standard site (no power supply) 4110 yen
Free tent site: 2570 yen

Takikawa City boasts a variety of local specialties nurtured by Hokkaido's unique natural environment.
We will now introduce some of Takikawa's unique local products, which are made with a strong focus on using local ingredients.

Genghis Khan

Takikawa City is the birthplace of seasoned lamb barbecue.
In Takikawa City, there are three types of seasoned lamb dishes: Matsuo Jingisukan, Kobayashi Jingisukan, and the delicious Hanajiri Jingisukan.

All of these are Genghis Khan dishes that have been loved by locals for many years. When you visit Takikawa, be sure to try all three Genghis Khan dishes and find your favorite.

Matsuo Jingisukan
Manufacturer: Matsuo Co., Ltd.
Retailer: Matsuo Jingisukan Main Store and others
Address: 3-5-12 Myojin-cho, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-23-2989

小林ジンギスカン
Manufacturer: Kobayashi Meat Shop Co., Ltd.
Stores: Kobayashi Jingisukan Main Store, Kobayashi Jingisukan Branch
Address: 13-34 Nishi 11-chome, Ebeotsu-cho, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-75-2506

Delicious Hanajiri Genghis Khan
Manufacturer: Hanajiri Nikuten
Retailer: Hanajiri Meat Shop Co., Ltd.
Address: 1-11-21 Shinmachi, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-23-2241

《Mixed-flower ducks at Takikawa Shinseien》

Takikawa City is also famous for its Aigamo ducks.
At Takikawa Shinseien, the ducks are fed antibiotic-free feed, and the farm is committed to maintaining a high quality throughout the year by carefully managing their rearing environment.

Takikawa Shinseien's Aigamo ducks, cultivated with such meticulous care, are a premium product available in stores nationwide.
The rich aroma unique to Aigamo ducks is so addictive that you'll be hooked after just one bite!

Please try the duck meat from Takikawa Shinseien at least once.

Manufacturer: Takikawa Shinseien, a sheltered workshop of the Takikawa Social Welfare Corporation.
Retailers: Takikawa Shinseien, Takikawa Fureai no Sato, Michi-no-Eki Takikawa
Address: 725-1 Ebeotsu-cho, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-75-6363

Sorachi Beer - Apple Dry

As mentioned earlier, Sorachi Beer is brewed at the Takikawa Craft Beer Brewery located inside the Takikawa Fureai no Sato building.

Sorachi Pilsner, made with Sorachi Ace hops, offers a refreshing finish; Sorachi Ale is a slightly bitter, reddish-brown, hard-boiled beer; and Sorachi Weizen, with its distinctive aroma and strong fruity notes, is popular with women and resembles a beer cocktail.

We offer three types of Sorachi beer, as well as an apple & dry beer made with apple juice from Takikawa.
Let's get lost in the delicious and unique craft beers of Takikawa City.

Manufacturer: Takikawa Craft Beer Brewery
Retailer: Takikawa Fureai no Sato Roadside Station Takikawa
Address: 76-1 Nishitakikawa, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-23-3008

Takikawa-produced rapeseed oil

This natural rapeseed oil is extracted from rapeseed harvested from the vast rapeseed fields of Takikawa City, and contains no chemicals or additives whatsoever.

Manufacturer: JA Takikawa
Retailers: JA Takikawa Nanohana-kan, Takikawa Fureai no Sato, Michi-no-Eki Takikawa
Address: 4-1-31 Honmachi, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-22-3401

Takikawa Rapeseed Flower and Onion Sauce

Onion cultivation in Takikawa has a long history, beginning around 1907 (Meiji 40).
This onion sauce, made with Takitama onions and rapeseed oil, goes perfectly with any dish!

Manufacturer: JA Takikawa
Retailers: JA Takikawa Nanohana-kan, Takikawa Fureai no Sato, Michi-no-Eki Takikawa
Address: 4-1-31 Honmachi, Takikawa City
TEL：0125-22-3401

《NANOHANA OIL SAUCE》

A stylish oil-based sauce made with rapeseed oil from rape blossoms.
This dish was created by the chef-owner of Trattoria La Pecora, an Italian restaurant in Takikawa City.

Simply pour it over pasta, salads, meat, or fish dishes to enhance their flavor.

Manufacturer: Noguchi Farm
Retailers: JA Takikawa Nanohana-kan, Takikawa Fureai no Sato, Michi-no-Eki Takikawa
Address: 2243-14 Ebeotsu-cho, Takikawa City

Each item is a special product packed with the best of Takikawa City.
These products make great souvenirs, and we encourage you to try the local specialties nurtured by the natural environment of Takikawa City, which have been cultivated with care by locals for generations.

~Afterword~

We've shared some of the hidden charms of Takikawa City; what did you think?

Takikawa City is not often featured as a tourist destination, but there are many things that can only be found in Takikawa.
Each and every one of them is fascinating, a testament to the natural beauty of Takikawa City and the dedication of its local residents.

Please visit and experience the charm of the historic city of Takikawa with your loved ones!

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