Earlier this month, Hokusei's team in Japan had had the honor of hosting a visitor from the Portland Japanese Garden's Director of buying and merchandising. The purpose of the visit was to explore Japanese crafts for potential sale at the garden's gift shop. During the directors' trip, Hokusei staff in Japan was by her side, to introduce the director to [...]
This past January 1, the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture was struck by a powerful earthquake. The most deadly in Japan since 2016, this earthquake also caused a tsunami on the Sea of Japan coast, widespread landslides, and countless structure fires. Among the many communities damaged, Wajima suffered a considerable amount of damage. This city is known for its beautiful [...]
In mid-January, Portland and its surrounding areas were struck by a weather pattern that caused considerable damage and inconvenience. Highly unusual for the Portland area, a snow storm was followed by a precipitous drop in temperatures, falling to the mid-teens (Fahrenheit). Then, freezing rain occurred, covering any exposed surface to be covered in ice. Shortly after the first wave of [...]
On behalf of the Hokusei teams around the globe, Hokusei North America would like to wish a Happy New Year to our customers and business partners in the U.S. & Canada. According to the Asian zodiac, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, which is said to bring abundance, growth, and progress. We certainly aim to make that the case [...]
During the week of December 4, one of Hokusei North America's parent company's Japanese clients visited the Portland area. The visitor was Takenori Sakao, the founder and head brewer of Brew Classic, a craft beer brewery in the city of Kanazawa. Sakao-san has bought fruit puree from Hokusei in the past, and was eager to check out Portland's beer [...]
Last month, Portland Gear, a Portland-based fashion brand and Hokusei business partner, announced the opening of its new flagship store in downtown Portland. Known for its promotion of Portland, local sports teams, and community causes, Portland Gear opened its original flagship store in 2016, near the Providence Park sports stadium. With this new announcement, the company shared that it had [...]
On November 2 & 3, Hokusei Japan participated in a "Portland Day" event that took place in Tokyo's trendy Jiyugaoka neighborhood. The 2-day event was sponsored by Travel Portland, and was blessed with fantastic weather. The event's program featured a rich combination of a on-site pop-up marketplace, a DIY/crafting session, and presentations about Portland by craftspersons, food & beverage [...]
On October 26, Hokusei North America and its parent company, Hokusei Products of Japan, hosted a webinar for professional beer brewers in Japan. The main focus of the webinar was non-alcoholic beers, which are increasingly popular in the United States. In fact the number of Americans drinking a non-alcoholic beer at least once a week increased eightfold between 2020 and [...]
In late-September, Hokusei North America hosted Masahiro Kusunose, the founder of Uchu Brewing one of Japan's most popular craft breweries, located in Yamanashi Prefecture. The purpose of Kusunose-san's visit was to learn more about Oregon's craft beer market, including newly-founded breweries, hop selection, and Oregon Fruit Products' purees. The Hokusei North America team took Kusunose-san on a visit/tour of [...]
This, month, Portland's renowned Japanese Garden celebrated its 60th anniversary. Founded in 1963, less than 20 years after the end of World War II, the garden was established to strengthen ties between Portland and Japan. Built on the former site of the Portland Zoo, the 12 acre garden has become one of Portland's most popular tourist destinations. Over the decades, [...]