[Shiranuka Town, Hokkaido] Passing on the Town's Fading Flavor to the Next Generation! Business Succession of the Soul Food "Torijin" by a Different Industry

The manufacturing and sales business of "Torijin, Lamujin, Butajin," soul foods beloved for over 50 years in Shiranuka Town, Hokkaido, was succeeded by Shiranuka Printing Co., Ltd. from Tomiya Store Co., Ltd. in April 2026.

These products are indispensable seasoned meats for local barbecue events and are also popular as Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation) return gifts.

Barbecues with family under the blue sky at sports festivals.
That aroma spreading in the garden on a summer evening.
For those who grew up in Shiranuka Town, "Torijin" is a memory itself.
With the closure of "Tomiya Store," which manufactured them, their history was quietly about to end.

However,
"We cannot let this town's flavor disappear—."

With that thought, a person stood up.
It was Hiroyuki Sasaki (45), the third-generation president of Shiranuka Printing Co., Ltd., a printing company in Shiranuka Town.

From printing to meat processing. It was a challenge in a completely different field.

Meanwhile, Mr. Toshiyuki Yoshimatsu, president of Tomiya Store, had protected this flavor for 30 years.

Mr. Yoshimatsu was also one of those who had inherited this flavor.

How has this interrupted baton been passed down through each era?

We asked about the background.

▶The full story of the "Torijin, Lamujin, Butajin" business succession is available on Shiranuka Town's official note.

From left: Lamujin, Butajin, Torijin. Soul food of Shiranuka Town residents.

Below, partial excerpt:

■A flavor inherited beyond blood ties

The man in the center of the photo is Mr. Yoshimatsu. He is teaching how to use the machinery at the newly established processing plant at Shiranuka Printing.

Mr. Yoshimatsu:
This product was originally something I also inherited from someone else.
About 50 years ago, my father ran "Tomiya Store," and I helped him.
An acquaintance's "Miyamoto Shoten" was also a family-run individual store.
Their son said he wanted to turn it into a convenience store.
Miyamoto Shoten used to make "Lamujin," lamb seasoned in a Genghis Khan style.
When they changed their store to a convenience store, they could no longer make it. So, they asked if Tomiya Store could take it over, and that's how I inherited it.
There was no blood relation. We were just colleagues doing business together in town.
At that time, Shiranuka Town's population was about twice what it is now, and it was bustling.
There were many individual stores, about 30 in town.
In Shiranuka Town, there's a culture of grilling meat and having barbecues at events where people gather, such as fireworks festivals and chamber of commerce festivals, and each store sold its original seasoned meat.
Lamujin, made by Miyamoto Shoten, was also loved by the townspeople in such an environment.

■Running towards 65 as a goal, with the waves of the times

Mr. Yoshimatsu:
In 2019, when I was 50, there was a turning point. The waves of 10% consumption tax and cashless payments also reached Shiranuka, and I hesitated whether to introduce a new cash register. But since there were many elderly customers, I could imagine complaints.
Furthermore, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the entry of large chain stores, individual stores decreased. So, I closed the physical store and specialized in the manufacturing and sales of "Torijin, Lamujin, Butajin."
It was rooted in the local community and was well-received as a Furusato Nozei return gift, which helped a lot.
Sales were good, but I had decided to quit the business when I turned 65. That was something my wife, who is the same age, and I had decided long ago.
"Until 65" – I ran with all my might, making that my goal.

■Shiranuka Printing's challenge of "cross-industry succession"

In 2025, Mr. Yoshimatsu finally turned 65, and Tomiya Store closed down.
"Torijin, Lamujin, Butajin" were also on the verge of disappearing.
It was President Sasaki of Shiranuka Printing who took over.
Shiranuka Printing handles the production of calendars, posters, pamphlets, etc., in the town, as well as printing government-designated garbage bags. It is an indispensable printing company in the town, continuing for three generations: grandfather, uncle, and now President Sasaki.
Shiranuka Printing has another face.
That is its role as an intermediary for Shiranuka Town's Furusato Nozei, connecting local businesses with donors.
Before the Furusato Nozei system began, Shiranuka Town operated the e-commerce shop "Shiranuka-cho Shoten (now Eizaburo-ten)," working to deliver local products directly nationwide. After the town hall operated it for three years, they publicly recruited private companies to operate the business. It was Mr. Sasaki, who was then a managing director, who stepped forward.
Mr. Sasaki, in his 20s, quickly caught on to the trends of IT and paperless operations. With a sense of crisis about whether printing alone would be enough in the future and his inherent challenging spirit, he jumped into the completely inexperienced world of e-commerce.
After that, the Furusato Nozei system started in 2008, and Shiranuka Town began offering return gifts from 2010. The e-commerce shop experience was vital at that time.