Presiding officer's meeting in Sorachi sub-prefectural area!

by Kazu

My superior Mr. Yuji Takeda delivered the speech that I wrote for the presiding officer's meeting held in Horoshin Hot Spring Hotaru-kan on January 30(Thu.).
It was about the aging and decreasing population in Japan, increasing cost of  maintaining infrastructures and the burden owed by each municipalities, streamlining the way of conducting administrative work,  

the regional policy for revitalizing the area and the actual plan to be implemented for Sorachi in not-so-distanced future. The main purpose of the seminar was to explain about our strategy and tactics and to ask the presiding officers for cooperation in order to maximize the effect of our effort and the effective and efficient cooperaion between the municipalities and us.  

Mr. Takeda explained about the current situation of our area and the forecast of population. Among the sub-prefectural areas in Hokkaido, Sorachi may be the most aging and population-decreasing area and it shows the future of whole Hokkaido and Japan.
I am not sure if his gentle voice invited the audience to the world of nodding and dream or not but I asked him to give more punch in the speech after the seminar and before the reception.

At the beginning of the reception, Mr.Takeda was asked to propose a toast and said that he was instructed by me to give more impressive speech. The presiding officers said "Wow !" and laughed at the relationship between Mr. Takeda and me.
As a result, he could give the most impressive short comment to the audience for the first time on that day.
Thank you very much for patience and generous attitude to me, Mr.Takeda!

Beginning with the impressive speech, the reception was in high tension from the start. The appetizer included sour-tasted see weed "Mozuku-su", poached egg and seafood cocktail.

Crab meat soup was so tasty and the sauteed bamboo shoots and pork with bell peppers were like Chinese cuisine.

Octopus carpaccio, sushi-grade fresh shrimp and sliced yellowtail are from the different kinds of cuisine,  occidental and Japanese, but on the same tray of dinner. Numata Town is located at the northern end of Sorachi sub-prefectural area and about one hour from the west coast of Hokkaido by car. That is why so nice sushi-grade fresh seafood with cutting edge can be savored in the town of delicious rice.

Mushroom and veggies boiled with broth might be the shadow protagonist on this stage of dinner.  They were so tasty with subtle twist of the flavor. I am not sure the presiding officers recognized the hidden recipe of this dish or not. Generally speaking, the meals provided by the restaurant named "Seseragi" in this hotel are loved by the citizens and the tourists so much. I have not met the chef of the restaurant but I think I can be a good friend of him, considering the direction of the cuisine.

The pork steak with grilled veggies and mushroom was the main dish of the dinner followed by fried testis of cod and sushi.
To be honest, I thought this was the last dish of the dinner and went to check the hot spring bath in the annex building of the hotel. This hotel is also having tough time to run keeping the grade of service and cuisine. Please visit and use the hotel in Numata Town !