Hokuroku values local readers and registered members.

Hokuroku is online media published by Masayoshi Sakamoto, the first editor-in-chief, and Hiroyuki Akashi, the executive producer. They have gathered skilled creators in Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui prefectures; established the editorial office at a co-working space in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture; and finally launched the media covering the Hokuriku region including the prefectures above on May 31, 2020.

Rather than dividing information by prefectures or cities, Hokuroku will deliver information on a regional scale, helping to make your daily life enjoyable and fruitful.

Articles and gathering spots

For the time being, Hokuroku focuses on two types of content. One is articles posted in episodes, starting on Mondays; the other is gathering spots updated daily.
There are free and paid articles. Each article is divided into five episodes. Episode 1 starts on Monday and Episode 5 ends on Friday. As of the last day, all episodes are readable at once.

Hokuroku simultaneously has prepared gathering spots, which are social interaction places for general readers, and for free and paid members. The gathering spots include a place where you can freely announce and check the latest events and campaign information in the Hokuriku region, and a place where you can freely advertise and check information about opening and closing stores. Another is an exhibition where you can post pictures of your children’s drawings and crafts, and a bulletin board about your lost cats and dogs.

Some convenient functions are available if you register as a free or paid member. We look forward to your registration.

Now we would like to provide a list of our patrons.

With the help of three companies, The Kitanippon Shimbun (Toyama Prefecture), The Hokuriku Bank (Toyama Prefecture), and Readyfor (Tokyo), Hokuroku held crowd-funding via the internet from February 10, 2020 to collect donations for making the online media.

The first target was one million yen (about ten thousand US dollars), and Hokuroku finally collected 2.67 million yen (about 27 thousand US dollars) from 140 supporters.

Hokuroku loves to show its gratitude for the three companies involved in the crowd-funding and 140 patrons; it has created a list of them. As long as Hokuroku remains, it will keep running the list.

(Click here for the list)

Now, we’ve started Hokuroku. If the Pacific coast with Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Kyoto is the front of Japan, our Hokuriku region is hidden. Hidden Japan is, however, real Japan as most Japanese know.

Hokuroku will be deeply rooted in this historical and cultural ground.

Masayoshi Sakamoto

First Editor-in-Chief of Hokuroku

May 31, 2020