NITORI Hokkaido Aid Fund

Outline of fund

We established the Hokkaido Aid Fund in 2005 to provide support for a range of activities aimed at revitalizing the region including activities geared towards preserving and promoting culture and traditions, environmental protection and conservation activities, and planting and growing trees.
With a strong emphasis on public goods and public interests, the fund supported activities carried out by over 1200 organizations over the course of fifteen years. Activities that are expected to contribute to Hokkaido are aimed at resolving issues affecting the region in a timely fashion.

The Hokkaido Aid Fund supports activities mainly in the following areas: the environment, tree planting, education, tourism, welfare and culture. (Since fiscal 2013, we have been working on joint projects with the NITORI Culture Foundation in the areas of tree planting and culture.)

  1. Environment: Initiatives aimed at protecting, preserving and nurturing nature, and protecting the environment
  2. Tree planting: Activities aimed at breathing new life into the region, including planting cherry and maple trees
  3. Education: Activities aimed at developing human resources in areas such as the arts, culture and literature
  4. Tourism: Activities aimed to contributing to tourism in Hokkaido
  5. Welfare: Activities aimed at protecting and supporting the elderly, socially vulnerable and young people
  6. Culture: Activities aimed at promoting a wide range of culture, in areas such as the arts, literature and education

Examples of major activities in each field

Environment-related activities

Environment-related activities
Name of Activity Ishikari City 21st Century Citizen's Forest Creation Project
Aim of Activity Forest conservation and creation involving citizens of Ishikari City, including elementary school children. “A gathering of children (from Ryokuendai Elementary School) to open the doors to foresting in their home city.”
Location Gonosawa Fureai Training Center/Ishikari City
Organization KUMAGERA — Ishikari forest volunteer group
Date of Photo July 29, 2006
Environment-related activities
Name of Activity Citizen's Urban Water Landscape Project for the Regeneration of Riparian Nature Zones
Aim of Activity Fostering future generation and revitalizing region through regeneration of riparian areas.
Location Barato River bank (5-sen, Oyafuru Minami)/Ishikari City
Organization Citizens' Forum on the Environment of Barato River (NPO)
Date of Photo September 17, 2006
Environment-related activities
Name of Activity Tree-planting festival for real forests protecting life
Aim of Activity Planting of trees through community activities with local residents including children.
Location Next to Muroran Municipal Kohoku Kindergarten/Muroran City
Organization Yumekobo Tom Sawyer Club (NPO)
Date of Photo September 9, 2007

Education-related activities

Education-related activities
Name of Activity ZEF and other environmental activities; utilization of new energies
Aim of Activity Raising awareness on issues concerning the environment, resources and energy through creating go-carts running on biodiesel and waste plastic oil fuels under the new Environmental Chemicals Section established in April 2005. Also providing educational activities to get more Hokkaido residents to think about the environment on a global scale.
Location Sapporo Convention Center/Sapporo City
Organization Hokkaido Tomakomai Technical High School Volunteer Club
Date of Photo October 29, 2005

Tourism-related activities

Tourism-related activities
Name of Activity Otaru Snow Light Path
Aim of Activity The Otaru Snow Light Path is a festival named after the poetry collection Yuki akari no michi (“snow light path”) written by Otaru native writer, Sei Ito. The festival is an ecological event promoting the love for people and planet Earth with volunteer citizens, schools and local communities creating candlelight-decorated snow paths by hand.
Location Unga Plaza, Temiya venue, etc./Otaru City
Organization Otaru Yukiakarinomichi Executive Committee Office
Date of Photo February 11, 2006

Welfare-related activities

Welfare-related activities
Name of Activity Fairs inviting disabled people living in Asahikawa to experience sports andinternational goodwill ice sledge hockey games. Sports providing support for the disabled.
Aim of Activity Dissemination of sports for the disabled through activities such as international ice sledge hockey goodwill games inviting a South Korean team.
Location Asahikawa Taisetsu Arena/Asahikawa City
Organization Asahikawa Handicapped Sports Support Association
Date of Photo January 26, 2008