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, [...]
Earlier this month, the Hokusei team was on hand at the 84th Tokyo International Gift Show to assist an American buyer in connecting with Japanese suppliers. With offices in Japan and the US, we can facilitate seamless import and export of product between the two markets and provide in person support as the need arises. Here are some action photos [...]
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 [...]
Allport Editions, a Hokusei North America partner and leading publisher of greeting cards, participated in this year's International Stationary and Office Products Fair Tokyo (ISOT). The Allport booth was very busy this year, with interest from numerous Japanese companies. Hokusei North America and its parent company Hokusei Products worked together to support Allport's ISOT attendance, including selection of products to [...]
The start of the International Stationary & Office Products Fair Tokyo (ISOT) is less than 12 hours away. This is one of the largest events of its kind in the world. We are excited that Portland based Allport Editions is participating for their second year in a row. Hokusei Products Japan is with the Allport Editions team providing language and [...]
Okinawan visitors to Portland Gear On June 23, Hokusei North America hosted a business group from Japan's Okinawa Prefecture. The group was interested in learning more about Portland's creative scene, including design, food & beverage, and fashion. In the future, many of the Okinawan visitors hope to incorporate Portland elements into their retail stores' design, product offerings, and [...]
From May 30 to June, Shotaro Tomita, CEO of Hokusei Products in Japan visited the Greater Portland area. Along with team member Yurie Wata and the Hokusei North America team, Tomita-san held a wide number of meetings with various companies, government agencies and other organizations. One of the highlights of the Hokusei Products visit to Portland was a meeting with [...]
On May 13, Hokusei North America welcomed three Japanese legislators to Portland. Messrs. Abe, Suzuki and Taguchi, all Members of the Shizuoka Prefectural Assembly, were hosted by Hokusei during the Assemblymens' recent mission to Portland. During the meeting between the Assemblymen and Hokusei North America, a number of topics were discussed, including urban development, neighborhood activism, and the potential for [...]