The historic Meier & Frank Building, in downtown Portland, Oregon. As a growing sign of strong ties between Japan and Portland, it was reported last week the MUJI, one of Japan's most popular retailers, will establish one of its largest stores outside Japan in downtown Portland. The store location is said to the Meier-Frank Building, which is centrally-located [...]
Earlier this month, Hokusei North America's partner Portland Gear announced the launch of a collaboration with Widmer Brothers Brewing, one of Portland's oldest craft beer breweries. The “PDX Pils” collaboration beer will feature Portland Gear's logos and signature teal color. Bottles of PDX Pils will be available in all grocery stores, at local bars, and even at Portland Timbers soccer [...]
2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of Hokusei North America's parent company, Hokusei Products in Japan. Since it's entry into the Japanese aluminum market in 1978, Hokusei Products has expanded beyond its Takaoka (Japan) head office to open branches in Hokkaido (Japan), Okinawa (Japan), Stockholm (Sweden), and Portland (USA). The staff at Hokusei North America would like to [...]
Portland is known for its incredible food & beverage scene, including its farmer's markets, craft breweries, urban wineries, and coffee roasters. But, did you know that Portland also boasts a vibrant craft chocolate community? In Portland, there is large number of both craft chocolate-makers and craft chocolatiers. Craft chocolate-makers are artisans or small companies that focus on the "bean to [...]
From Nov 15 to Nov 18 Hokusei Products' (Toyama, Japan) President & CEO Shotaro Tomita and his staff visited Portland, along with the Hokusei North America team. Tomita-san's four days in the Portland area were packed full of meetings with customers, suppliers, support service providers, and representatives of industries with which Hokusei plans to work in the future. In addition, [...]
During the month of November, Hokusei Product's President & CEO Shotaro Tomita and his staff will once again visit Portland and other cities in Oregon. During the Nov 15 - 18 timeframe, the Hokusei Products team and their Hokusei North America count erparts will participate in a number of meeting with Oregon-based companies and organizations. Business discussions will focus [...]
Chef Naoko (Naoka Tamura) is one of Portland's leading chefs, offering delicious Japanese food made with a Portland touch -- incorporating local, fresh, and organic ingredients. Originally opening her restaurant "Chef Naoko" in 2008, Naoko-san revamped operation recently, re-openning her restaurant as "Shizuku by Chef Naoko", as well as providing bento boxes for Delta Airlines' Portland to Tokyo flights. Recently, [...]
Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, as families take advantage of the 3-day weekend to take vacations before the school year swings into full gear. The 2017 Labor Day weekend in Portland definitely feels like summer, as temperatures have blasted up to the mid-90's Fahrenheit (mid-30's Celsius). As some vacationers are cooling down by going to the Oregon [...]
On Monday, August 21 Oregon experienced a total solar eclipse, the first such eclipse to touch the continental U.S. since 1976. Within Oregon, the eclipse started in Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast, and then departed Oregon around the Ontario area near the Idaho Border. It was reported that nearly 1,000,000 visitors came to Oregon to view the eclipse. Among [...]
Each summer, Portland's Japanese Garden offers a number of events showcasing elements of Japanese culture. For the summer 2017 season, the garden is hosting a wide range of events, including tea ceremonies, kabuki, ikebana (floral arrangement), koto (Japanese harp), and more. These events provide excellent glimpses of authentic Japanese culture, and are ideal for both Portland residents and visitors [...]