CHIPPUBETSU, Hokkaido—As sightseers from Thailand marveled at the pristine white snow, their gleeful cries echoed throughout the landscape.

They had traveled to Chippubetsu, a town located on the Sea of Japan side in central Hokkaido. The locale is one of the snowiest areas across Japan’s northernmost main island.

Guiding the group of Thai tourists was Pemika Kanchanothai, 31, of Chippubetsu’s planning department, who goes by her nickname, An. The temporary official is responsible for promoting inbound tourism.

CHILDHOOD GOAL REALIZED

An hails from Phayao province in northern Thailand.

She was so fascinated by J-pop as a child that An was determined to someday be able to both read and understand the lyrics. This became the driving force propelling her journey of learning Japanese.

After specializing in Japanese during high school, she went on to enroll in the Japanese department of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce in Bangkok.

This included a year studying abroad at Shimonoseki City University in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

There was a moment during that year that moved her to tears. She realized she was able to fully comprehend a railway announcement about train changes and it struck her that she could “finally truly understand Japanese.”

Another especially memorable experience during her year in Japan was seeing cyclists in business attire. This was unlike Thailand, where the tropical climate’s average yearly temperature of 29 degrees meant no one rode bikes in business suits.

“Since only people of high social standing wear suits in Thailand, I was surprised that their Japanese counterparts use bicycles instead of cars,” said An.

All of these exciting encounters further encouraged her desire to live in Japan at some point.

Upon graduating from university in the Thai capital, one of her acquaintances told An about a public relations position in Chippubetsu. An knew of Hokkaido, but only had basic knowledge of the region.

Chippubetsu town has a population of 2,200, of which more than 40 percent are elderly residents. The municipality’s core industry is agriculture.

Although Chippubetsu is only an hour away from both Sapporo and Asahikawa, it has few tourist attractions of its own and was slow to catch the nationwide wave of booming inbound tourism.

The town saw An as an ideal figure to promote it, with an eye on the ultimate goal of attracting visitors and new residents in the long term.

When An arrived in Chippubetsu for the first time in April 2018, she was impressed by the sight of “no cherry blossoms in spring” because of the lingering snow.

In an attempt to share her sense of astonishment on Facebook, An made an account for the town on her first day at the municipal office.

An began sharing Chippubetsu’s charms as seen through fresh eyes during bicycle trips. This extended to every sense—photos accompanied by Thai featuring seasonal scenery, food and farming quickly garnered likes.

Still, magnificent local views were not enough to convince Thais to travel all the way to Chippubetsu. One person on Facebook asked An “where to shop” in Chippubetsu, and she replied, with a sigh, that there are “no such places here.”

Her supervisor Shinji Kitagaki, head of the town’s planning division, provided the troubled An with a piece of advice: “You should only show them what interests you.”

SMALL-TOWN CHARMS

An thus proposed a five-day tour including a tomato harvest at a farm and a juice processing experience at a factory. Bathing in an onsen and staying in a housing complex run by the town were also part of the package.

She successively pitched itineraries that would be novel for Thais, such as making miso, a calligraphy event, excursions to a snow-covered landscape and visiting a “snack” hostess bar. Rather than leaving it to her coworkers, An asked farmers and shop owners for cooperation on her own.

The first such tour came to fruition in September 2019, with the arrival of four Thai visitors connected with through Facebook.

Word of mouth about An’s packages has since spread, highlighting the “beautiful rural scenery,” “massive, never-seen-before farming machinery” and “the kindness of the town’s residents.”

Seeing her shop dedicated to traditional “mochi” rice confectionaries prove popular among tour participants, Chihiro Okada, 43, along with other locals, said she is content with the changes An’s efforts have brought to the town.

“Given An-chan’s incredible skills to involve town residents, she should be called a real influencer,” said Okada. “She made us realize that daily life aspects of this town can serve as tourism resources. I want her to live here forever.”

An’s tourism program, to the dismay of all involved, was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I nearly lost sight of my objective of remaining in Chippubetsu,” An recalled.

Kitagaki once again helped her lift her spirits and soldier through the difficult time, telling her that “sharing your happy days on social media will bring them back here in the future.”

The travel project resumed in winter 2023, with a total of more than 30 package tours taking place to date. Now that An has 690,000 followers on Facebook, there are some 300 applications for tour groups of up to 10 people.

IT GOES BOTH WAYS

An is not the only Thai on Hokkaido deepening over 600 years of ties between the Southeast Asian nation and Japan. Soccer player Chanathip Songkrasin, known as “Thailand’s Lionel Messi,” is the first Thai to compete in Japan’s top-tier J1 League.

Songkrasin played for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo between 2017 and 2021, and Supachok Sarachat from the Thai national team is on its current roster.

An’s tourism endeavors have, in turn, transformed the way she sees her homeland.

In November 2024, she and a friend went on a trip to northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai, a historical city where An spent her high school years.

The two visited a number of popular sightseeing spots such as a night safari park, night market and tea field. Seeing how thrilled her friend was with these attractions that had seemed commonplace to An moved her as well.

This revelation showed An how difficult it is to truly appreciate the charms of the town one lives in.

An’s current goal is sharing Chippubetsu’s appeal with the rest of the world. And she likewise hopes to guide residents of Chippubetsu around Chiang Mai someday.