Kitafunaoka Coffee Roaster House Again !

by Kazu

The courtyard of Kitafunaoka Coffee Roaster House had not been finished. Something would be built on the ocean side of the house. The fine view of the ocean and Oshima Peninsula was like an oil painting. 

The cloud covered the sky and drifted so swiftly. It would rain soon after our departure.The ocean was not shining and the color of gray was getting darker. 

We might want to leave there soon after savoring delicious coffee and sweets. Many people visited the coffee roaster house and bought their favorite coffee so happily. I imagined to live there with my wife.

 

Italian Family Restaurant "Bokka" in Date City !

by Kazu

We visited the local Italian Restaurant "Bokka" in Date City to have chef's signature pasta carbonara. My choice was topped with dried salty seaweed. Of course, we dropped by Kitafunaoka Coffee Roaster House to have selected coffee and sweets.  

The cafe was near our favorite Kitafunaoka Train Station facing closely ocean and residential area. Oshima Peninsula and its coastline could be seen far away.  

It was cloudy on that day and the landscape looked vague as if white transparent screen covered the scenery. The coffee roaster house was like the normal sweet home  but the north side of the house had only small windows.     

 

Sapporo City Wakia Up !

by Kazu

The train station building of Sapporo was illuminated in red and pink after the sunset on that day. The color of red and yellow stimulates our appetite and conspicuous consumption. Many people were allured to the building.  

The next day, the magic hour started at the crack of dawn. The silhouette of the horizon was like a backdrop of shadow picture. The gradation of orange to dark blue was breathtaking and fascinating. 

Soon the color of orange turned to pink and the dark blue turned to pale blue. The world was getting the colors and starting to move in this real world of human beings.    

 

Behind the History !

by Kazu

The newly activated hydrogen producing unit in Mikasa City where tons of coal had been produced until decades ago.  Half-burnt wood chips and sawdust creates Carbon mono-oxide and by adding mist, we can get hydrogen (H2) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2). 

The Carbon dioxide will be mixed up with the ash from the boiler and the water in the shaft and gallery of abandoned coalmine. The mixture will be poured in the gallery and shaft so that it becomes carbonate. 

The hydrogen creating unit was built on the premises of the abandoned coalmine in Mikasa City. The tower to roll up and down the lift in the shaft is still standing on the ground. It is the symbolic icon of the coalmine. I hope the city will rise again.

 

So Complicated !

by Kazu

Have you ever seen such complicated structure of machine ?　It is impossible for me to draw the blueprint of such complicated structure. The theory could be understood but to design such art work of science was too tough for me.

As I mentioned on the previous post, CO+H2O=CO2+H2 was the theory of the complicated unit but the actual flow of the gas and the treatment of that can not be managed without ample knowledge and skill, I thought. 

The stakeholders, citizens, City Councillors, former coal miners, scientists and various kinds of people visited there and listened to the explanation by the staff of the unit.

 

Toward the Hydrogen Society !

by Kazu

The hydrogen making unit started to work in Ponbetsu, Mikasa City where top quality coal had been produced before. Even now, hundreds of thousands tons of bituminous coal must be under the ground.   

So complicated structure of the hydrogen making unit seemed to be tough to maintain and I could not understand amply the flow of the gas created by half-burning sawdust and coal. 

I had an impression of the thinness of the pipes and delicate devices of the unit. I heard that the unit was imported from Germany and the custom-made facility was so expensive.I imagined the long way toward the future supported by hydrogen.

 

Hidrogen Extraction Unit in Mikasa City Activated !

by Kazu

This is the facility to extract hydrogen from half-burned wood powder and coal. It was like CO+H2O= H2 +CO2. The CO2 would be mixed with waste water from the closed coalmine and fry ash from the boiler of the electric power factory in adjacent towns.  

Getting enough money from NEDO New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, Mikasa City built this factory to transfer the technology to Asia. Many challenges could be anticipated but so far, it must be the best choice.  

This "Ponbetsu" mine has a hectic amount of coal under the ground and a small flame would be kept burning under the ground and extract H2 after extracting . It was the godsend to the world, I thought.