The “Walking Variety” program is based on the rule that “each step is worth 1 yen, and you can only earn as much as you walk. The stage is set in Moseushi, Hokkaido, a town known for its difficult-to-read place names. The town is known as one of the leading rice-producing areas in Japan, producing “Nanatsuboshi” rice, which has received the highest ranking of “Special A” in the national rice eating quality rankings for 11 consecutive years. The tour will parade through the countryside of this peaceful rural town in search of exquisite gourmet foods that go well with rice.

Later-in-life marriage is a major concern recently and there are many ideas about how to motivate middle-aged men and women to find a life partner. This show picks one of the most unique ideas, holding a “life-partner-finding-party” on a train. Once they take a train, they cannot go anywhere by the time the train arrives its destination. In addition, due to the space limitation, participants are supposed to sit close each other to talk. These environmental factors are expected for giving special occasion for partner-finding activities. In this show, three regional trains are featured, and they plan parties based on different reasons and concepts. In the studio, host comedians will watch those trains and give us comments. Why do they plan these parties and how do they conclude?

HOST

Masato, a kick boxer, Jungle Pocket, a comedian trio

YEARS

2019

DUR/FORMAT

54min/HD

EPISODES

1

This is a reality show featuring tug-of-war, fighting according to the regional rule developed in Atsuma Town, where severely damaged by the earthquake in 2018. Townsmen of Atsuma challenge against the championship team from Tomakomai City. The town tries to win the TV broadcasting rights for their two-minute promotional clip, produced by a famous Japanese comedian trio. Masato, a K-1 kickboxing champion joins the town’s team to help, but it is still hard for the town to beat the city. We show why the town needs promotion and how the clip is produced. Then the viewers must be excited to watch the eyes-opening tug of war.

HOST

Ntsuna

YEARS

2018

DUR/FORMAT

60min/HD

EPISODES

1

An Amazing food documentary about a thousand –year history of soup stock. The soup stock is the fundamental essence in Japanese dishes, and kombu or sea Kelp, harvested in the northern sea of Hokkaido is known as the best ingredient for the stock. We introduce why northern sea of Hokkaido grows good quality kelp and how it was exported from Hokkaido to Okinawa, Kagoshima and even China.

HOST

Haruo Kikuchi(Photograher)

YEARS

2022

DUR/FORMAT

24min/4K

EPISODES

1

We will present images taken by Mr. Haruo Kikuchi, a photographer and filmmaker who was attracted to Biei after seeing the photo store of the late Mr. Shinzo Maeda and decided to move to Biei, as well as images of the beautiful four seasons that are unique to the area. Full 4K high-definition video, including plenty of aerial drone footage, will show you all of Biei’s charms.

Shinichi Tsutsumi, a famous and very popular Japanese actor, travels to three remote islands off the coast of Hokkaido that little known. We show Tsutsumi’s impressive encounters with the people who live there. In a small village of Rebun Island, Tsutsumi meets an 84-year-old fisherman, who is the only man living in the village. The man is not only a skilled fisherman but also an excellent calligraphy writer, and Tsutumi listens to the man’s talk why he never leaves the village and how he plans the future. In Yagishiri Island, people breed sheep and produce quality mutton that critics evaluate one of the bests in the world. Tsutsumi looks for the answer why such good mutton is made in small remote island. In the third part, Tsutsumi visits Matsumae Town and meets an 80-year-old” Ama” woman. “Ama” means a female fishing skin diver. Every day, she sails to a small desert island off Matsushima, and dives to catch kelp. Her diving counts as many as 200 times a day despite her age. Tsutsumi wonders her secret to maintain health. Viewers will enjoy knowing how people live and how natures are like in remote areas of Hokkaido, viewers will have little chance to visit.

This nature documentary features the town of Rausu in Hokkaido, located in the heart of Shiretoko Peninsula, known as a World Natural Heritage site. This area is called “the sea of four seasons,” due to the drastic change of the life of its creatures and its environments, season by season. Drift ice comes from far east Russia and covers the whole surface of the sea, contributing to its unique ecosystem, which is different from any other place on the earth. We show the beauty of the four seasons, especially pictures under the sea.

HOST

Ryoko Yonekura

YEARS

2015

DUR/FORMAT

2015

EPISODES

1

This is a restaurant show, featuring a petit French restaurant that awarded three stars on Michelin Guidebook. Hiroshi Nakamichi, the owner chef, is one of the only two Japanese French chefs that awarded three stars. We visit France following Nakamichi, and present how he researches and develops his cooking. In the latter part, Ryoko Yonekura, a famous Japanese actress, appears as a navigator, and she is invited to this restaurant. Yonekura tastes the chef’s special dish, and it was impressive enough for her to shed even tears. Viewers will know Hokkaido is the repository of brilliant ingredients and those fit not only Japanese cuisine but also high-quality French.

A heartwarming documentary to show how people connect the hearts between rural and urban. Tokachi, eastern Hokkaido, is known as Japan’s largest farming area producing wealthy agricultural, dairy, and husbandry items. In this decade, farmers in Tokachi have been hosting more than 20,000 high school students from all over Japan. Students stay a few days to challenge dairy and husbandry works. This “farm-stay” project has nurtured the connection of people’s hearts, and brought urban residents chances to admit the possibilities that rural holds. Young urban fellows spend a few days at farms, start having relation with rural, then they recognize Hokkaido as their second homes. The program shows how they are impressed by the rural life, as well as what they do to contribute to Hokkaido when they grow up. Viewers will also be amazed by the fascinating pictures and sceneries of Hokkaido.

“Hokkaido Drone Travels” is a series of short programs that showcases the beauty of Hokkaido’s four seasons. The beautiful land and sea of Hokkaido, fields that look like geometric patterns, and other unique drone footage carefully selected from more than 100 episodes broadcast so far. This is a full 4K program produced by HBC Hokkaido Broadcasting Co.

This is the New title (4K) that was broadcasted in November 2020. In this program, a famous photographer named Hiroki Inoue meets an Ezo Red Fox in Hokkaido. He is the first Japanese to be awarded first place for the Nature Category of the National Geographic “TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR.” He has continued to vigorously take photos of nature and living creatures in Hokkaido. We will show a fox life until the fox grows up and is on its own.