English News:2008.05
(2008.5.18)
Sakura and Oyster Festival in Akkeshi
An event has been held in the eastern Hokkaido town of Akkeshi in which visitors could enjoy the town's speciality product of oysters under blooming cherry blossom trees. One thousand two hundred Sargent cherry blossom trees are currently in full bloom in Nenohi Park in the town. Temperatures failed to exceed 10 degrees even on the afternoon of the 18th, but visitors enjoyed cooking and eating oysters at the venue. Free oyster grabbing events were also held at the venue, where visitors could enjoy late cherry blossom viewing. The Akkeshi Sakura and Oyster Festival will continue until the 25th of this month.
(2008.5.1)
Hokkaido Hottest in Japan as Temperatures Exceed 30 Degrees
The hottest place in Japan on the 1st was not Okinawa, not Tokyo, but Hokkaido. Despite it being the first day of May, temperatures in some parts of Hokkaido reached over 30 degrees. As of 1 p.m. the thermometer in Abashiri, located in the sunshine, showed 32.1 degrees. The official maximum temperature announced by the Meteorological Observatory in Abashiri was 30.6 degrees, and Hokkaido became the hottest place in Japan on the 1st with temperatures in the town of Yuubetsu reaching 31.6 degrees. In Sapporo too, the temperature in the early afternoon was 26.3 degrees, the earliest "summer day" temperature here in the past 10 years. According to the Meteorological Observatory, temperatures that exceed 30 degrees were limited to today, but early-summer-like fine weather is expected to continue until Sunday.