What is “Silver Spoon”?
“Silver Spoon” is a youth agriculture manga by Hiromu Arakawa, known for “Fullmetal Alchemist.” It was serialized in “Weekly Shonen Sunday” from 2011 to 2019 and became a massive hit with over 17 million copies in cumulative circulation.
The protagonist, Yugo Hachiken, is tired of competition at his prestigious school and enrolls at Ezo Agricultural High School (Ezo No) in Hokkaido “because it has dormitories.” The story depicts Hachiken, raised in the city, growing alongside his friends as they discover the unknown worlds of agriculture and livestock farming.
Author Arakawa Hiromu herself is from Hokkaido, and her family operates a dairy farm, so the work incorporates realistic portrayals of agricultural realities throughout.
Obihiro City in Hokkaido as the Setting Model
The Ezo Agricultural High School that serves as the setting for “Silver Spoon” is not a real school. However, the setting model for the work is the area around Obihiro City in Hokkaido.
Why is Obihiro City the Model?
Obihiro is the central city of the Tokachi Plain and is known as one of Japan’s premier agricultural regions. Vast field crop areas and dairy farming regions spread across the landscape, making it a perfect environment for the stage of an agricultural high school depicted in “Silver Spoon.”
Author Arakawa Hiromu hails from the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, and her family operates a dairy farm in Otofuke Town (a neighboring town of Obihiro). Because of this, the work vividly reflects the landscapes, culture, and agricultural realities of the Tokachi region.
Geography and Characteristics of Obihiro City
Obihiro is located in eastern Hokkaido and is the seat of the Tokachi General Subprefectural Bureau. It is the largest city in the Tokachi region with a population of approximately 160,000 and has the following characteristics:
- Vast farmland: The Tokachi Plain is Japan’s largest field crop region, with active production of wheat, potatoes, and legumes
- Dairy farming kingdom: High numbers of dairy cattle and a production center for quality dairy products
- High sunshine rate: Among Hokkaido’s cities, it has particularly many clear days, known as “Tokachi clear weather”
- Food treasure trove: Rich in local gourmet offerings such as fresh agricultural products, dairy products, and butadon (pork rice bowls)
“Silver Spoon” Sacred Sites in Obihiro
Here are recommended sacred site pilgrimage spots for “Silver Spoon” fans visiting Obihiro.
1. Obihiro University of Agriculture
Obihiro University of Agriculture is considered one of the models for “Ezo No” that appears in the work. As the only national university specializing in animal husbandry studies, the vast campus includes pastures and farms.
Some facilities are open to the public, and many visitors gather during university festivals and other events. The atmosphere within the campus is exactly like the world of “Silver Spoon.”
Access: About 20 minutes by bus from JR Obihiro Station
2. Tokachi Pasture
The Tokachi Pasture of the Independent Administrative Institution Livestock Improvement Center is a national pasture with approximately 1,700 hectares of vast grounds. From the observation platform, you can see a panoramic view of the majestic Tokachi Plain and the Hidaka Mountain Range, allowing you to experience the nature of Hokkaido depicted in “Silver Spoon.”
Highlights:
- Birch tree avenue
- Panoramic view from the observation platform
- Grazing cattle and horses
Access: About 30 minutes by car from central Obihiro
3. Rokka no Mori (Six Flowers Forest)
A beautiful garden that takes advantage of Tokachi’s natural surroundings where you can enjoy landscapes reminiscent of those in “Silver Spoon.” The appeal lies in flowers blooming throughout the four seasons and the pastoral atmosphere that evokes the work’s setting.
The grounds are planted with flowers depicted on Rokkatei’s packaging paper, allowing visitors to enjoy Tokachi’s nature while strolling.
Access: About 30 minutes by car from central Obihiro
4. Tokachi Sennen no Mori (Tokachi Thousand Year Forest)
A nature experience facility with forests, pastures, and gardens spread across 400 hectares. You can enjoy the landscape of Hokkaido’s great nature exactly as depicted in “Silver Spoon.”
Activities are abundant, including Segway tours and horseback riding experiences, allowing you to engage in agricultural and farm experiences similar to those experienced by the work’s characters.
Access: About 40 minutes by car from central Obihiro
5. Michi no Eki “Nakasatsunai”
A roadside station where Tokachi agricultural products and dairy products are available, allowing you to purchase fresh ingredients like those appearing in “Silver Spoon.” Fresh vegetables grown by local farmers and cheese and butter made from Tokachi milk are popular.
Access: About 20 minutes by car from central Obihiro
“Silver Spoon”-Style Activities You Can Experience in Obihiro
Dairy Farming Experience
Multiple farms around Obihiro offer dairy farming experiences for tourists.
Main experience content:
- Milking experience
- Bottle feeding calves
- Butter and ice cream making
- Tractor test drives
By actually experiencing the work that the characters in “Silver Spoon” do daily, your understanding of the work deepens.
Agricultural Experience
The Tokachi region offers seasonal agricultural experience programs such as potato digging and wheat harvesting.
Experienceable tasks:
- Harvesting potatoes and corn (summer to autumn)
- Tractor operation experience
- Agricultural product sorting and packaging work
You can physically feel both the difficulty and joy of agriculture as depicted in the work.
Horseback Riding Experience
“Silver Spoon” features many scenes of equestrian club activities. There are riding clubs and ranches around Obihiro where even beginners can safely experience horseback riding.
Recommended facilities:
- Tokachi Sennen no Mori (trekking course)
- Various riding clubs (experience lessons)
Horseback riding in Hokkaido’s great nature will be a valuable experience where you can truly feel the world of the work.
Obihiro Cuisine: Food Pleasures in “Silver Spoon” Style
Many dishes made with Hokkaido ingredients appear in “Silver Spoon.” Here are must-try gourmet options when visiting Obihiro.
Butadon (Pork Bowl)
The soul food of Obihiro is butadon. Thick-cut pork flavored with sweet and spicy sauce is boldly piled on rice. While “Silver Spoon” features pig farming scenes, Tokachi pork is tender and juicy—exquisite.
Famous shops:
- Pancho (the original butadon restaurant)
- Ton-den (popular with locals)
- Ippin (known for thick-cut pork)
Tokachi Dairy Products
Tokachi is known as a dairy kingdom with abundant fresh milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, and other dairy products.
Recommended products:
- Yotsuba Dairy products (milk, butter, cheese)
- Tokachi-no Fromage (cheese workshop)
- Tokachi Sennen no Mori ice cream
Just as Hachiken and the others make pizza and cheese in “Silver Spoon,” Tokachi dairy products are rich in flavor with outstanding ingredient quality.
Bread and Sweets Using Tokachi Wheat
Wheat grown on the Tokachi Plain is high quality and popular as an ingredient for bread and sweets.
Recommended shops:
- Masuyashoten (100% Tokachi wheat bread)
- Rokkatei (Marusei Butter Sand, etc.)
- Cranberry (famous for sweet potato)
Wheat field scenes appear in the work, and tasting products made from that wheat allows you to appreciate the cycle of agriculture.
Potato Dishes
Tokachi is a major potato production area. Fluffy Tokachi potatoes go well with any dish.
Popular menu items:
- Imomochi (potato cake)
- Jagabutter (potatoes with butter)
- Potato salad
- Croquettes
While the harvesting scene of potatoes appears in “Silver Spoon,” you can enjoy them in various forms.
How to Access Obihiro
By Airplane
Tokachi Obihiro Airport is the nearest airport.
- About 1 hour 30 minutes from Haneda Airport
- About 1 hour 45 minutes from Centrair Airport
It takes about 40 minutes by bus from the airport to central Obihiro.
By Train
JR Obihiro Station is the main station.
- About 2 hours 30 minutes by express from Sapporo Station
- About 2 hours 20 minutes by express from New Chitose Airport Station
Train travel is also recommended, as you can enjoy the Tokachi Plain landscape from the train windows.
By Car
About 3 hours 30 minutes from Sapporo via the Doto Expressway. Using a rental car allows you to freely visit surrounding ranches and tourist spots.
Best Season for Obihiro Tourism
Spring (April to June)
- Farming begins with snowmelt
- Beautiful season of fresh greenery
- Relatively few tourists, allowing for leisurely enjoyment
Summer (July to August)
- Lush farmland stretches exactly as depicted in “Silver Spoon”
- Agricultural experience programs are abundant
- High sunshine rate, perfect for tourism
- Many agricultural products available for harvest experience
Autumn (September to November)
- Harvest season with the most abundant agricultural experiences
- Beautiful autumn foliage
- Abundant fresh agricultural products
- Many food festivals and events
Winter (December to March)
- Snowy pastures are fantastical
- Understand the realities of winter agriculture and dairy farming
- Few tourists, allowing for peaceful time
- Winter-exclusive experience programs available
Recommended Accommodations for “Silver Spoon” Fans
Farm Inns (Agricultural Family Lodging)
Accommodation facilities where you can stay with actual farming families and experience the daily life of agriculture and dairy farming. A stay where you can pseudo-experience dormitory life like in “Silver Spoon” is possible.
Features:
- Early morning milking experience
- Farmer’s home-cooked meals
- Close-up observation of agricultural sites
Hotels in Central Obihiro
Staying at hotels in the city center provides a convenient base for sightseeing.
Recommended areas:
- Around JR Obihiro Station (convenient access)
- Entertainment district (many dining options)
Hot Spring Inns
Tokachi River Hot Spring is known as “beauty water” moor hot spring. It’s ideal for relieving sightseeing fatigue.
Access: About 20 minutes by car from central Obihiro
Cultural Connections Between “Silver Spoon” and Obihiro
Existence of Agricultural High Schools
Multiple agricultural high schools exist around Obihiro where agriculture can be studied.
- Hokkaido Obihiro Agricultural High School
- Hokkaido Otofuke High School
At these schools, students practically learn crop cultivation, livestock farming, food processing, and other skills, serving as models for the educational settings depicted in “Silver Spoon.”
Tokachi Agricultural Culture
Tokachi’s agriculture has a history and tradition continuing from the pioneer era. Large-scale agriculture utilizing vast lands coexists with family-operated dairy farming and other diverse agricultural forms.
The agricultural realities depicted in “Silver Spoon”—the difficulty of management, successor issues, struggles with nature—are exactly the issues faced by Tokachi farmers.
Food Education and Local Production for Local Consumption
Obihiro emphasizes food education, such as utilizing local agricultural products in school meals. The initiatives to contemplate “the meaning of eating,” which is a theme of “Silver Spoon,” are actually being carried out.
Learning Tokachi and Obihiro’s Appeal from “Silver Spoon”
The Nobility of Agriculture
Through the work, you can understand how food is produced and how much effort farmers invest. Visiting Obihiro allows you to understand this reality more deeply.
Attitude Toward Facing Life
“Silver Spoon” sincerely depicts the process of raising livestock and shipping it as meat. Obihiro dairy farmers and livestock farmers similarly face life in their work.
Severity and Blessings of Nature
While Hokkaido’s nature is beautiful, it also has harsh climate conditions. The cold winters and agricultural realities influenced by weather depicted in “Silver Spoon” are what Tokachi farmers experience daily.
Bonds with Companions
One of the work’s major themes is bonds with companions. In Obihiro’s agricultural community too, mutual help and cooperation among farmers play important roles.
How to Enjoy “Silver Spoon” Sacred Site Pilgrimage
Reread the Work Before Visiting
Before visiting Obihiro, it’s recommended to reread “Silver Spoon.” By recalling scenes, foods, and farm work depicted in the work while touring, you’ll gain deeper emotional impact.
Visit According to Season
“Silver Spoon” depicts agriculture throughout the four seasons. Spring planting, summer growth, autumn harvest, winter harshness—visiting in each season allows you to experience different aspects of the work.
Interaction with Local People
If possible, try to interact with local farmers. By participating in agricultural experience programs or farm inns, you can directly hear about the agricultural realities depicted in “Silver Spoon.”
Photography
There are countless photo spots: the vast Tokachi Plain landscape, farm animals, fresh agricultural products. However, trespassing on private property without permission is strictly forbidden. Practice good manners while photographing.
Enjoying Local Cuisine
Tasting dishes and ingredients appearing in “Silver Spoon” is also a highlight of sacred site pilgrimage. Enjoy Tokachi-exclusive gourmet food such as butadon, dairy products, and potato dishes.
Notes for Obihiro Tourism
Securing Transportation
Since public transportation is limited outside central Obihiro, renting a car is recommended.
Clothing and Items
- Even in summer, mornings and evenings are cold, so bring a cardigan
- Sunlight is strong, so hats and sunscreen are essential
- For farm visits, wear clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting dirty
- In winter, prepare thoroughly for cold (temperatures can drop below minus 20 degrees Celsius)
Etiquette for Farm Visits
- No trespassing on private property
- Don’t touch animals without permission
- Don’t raise your voice (animals become stressed)
- Always take trash with you
- Be considerate not to interfere with farm work
Facilities Requiring Reservations
Agricultural experience programs and some farm visits require advance reservations. Always confirm before visiting.
Conclusion: The Deep Connection Between “Silver Spoon” and Obihiro
“Silver Spoon Silver Spoon” is a story of agriculture and youth modeled after the Tokachi region around Obihiro City in Hokkaido. Through the work, you can learn many things: the nobility of agriculture, the meaning of eating, and the attitude of facing life.
By visiting Obihiro, you can actually experience the landscapes, foods, and agricultural sites depicted in the work. The vast Tokachi Plain, fresh agricultural products, and encounters with warm people will become unforgettable memories for “Silver Spoon” fans.
Through sacred site pilgrimage, not only does your understanding of the work deepen, but it also becomes an opportunity to think about Japan’s agriculture and food culture. Please visit Obihiro and experience the world of “Silver Spoon.”
Tokachi and Obihiro’s great nature and agricultural culture will surely welcome you warmly. The story of youth and growth depicted in the work will come alive more vividly within the actual landscape.
