Maezawa from the President’s Office here as well.
Thank you for your question.
In the case of Universe, Hokkaido is divided into only the following areas:
- Sapporo city
- Sapporo suburbs
- Central Hokkaido
- Southern Hokkaido
- Eastern Hokkaido
- Northern Hokkaido
Looking into it, what people generally refer to as Central Hokkaido appears to include:
【Sorachi Area】
Yūbari, Iwamizawa, Bibai, Ashibetsu, Akabira, Mikasa, Takikawa, Sunagawa, Utashinai, Fukagawa, Nanporo, Naie, Kamisunagawa, Yūni, Naganuma, Kuriyama, Tsukigata, Urausu, Shintotsukawa, Moseushi, Chippubetsu, Uryū, Hokuryū, Numata
【Ishikari Area】
Sapporo, Ebetsu, Chitose, Eniwa, Ishikari, Kitahiroshima, Tōbetsu, Shinshinotsu
【Shiribeshi Area】
Otaru, Shimamaki, Suttsu, Kuromatsunai, Rankoshi, Niseko, Makkari, Rusutsu, Kimobetsu, Kyōgoku, Kutchan, Kyōwa, Iwanai, Tomari, Kamoenai, Shakotan, Furubira, Niki, Yoichi, Akaigawa
【Iburi Area】
Muroran, Tomakomai, Noboribetsu, Date, Toyoura, Sōbetsu, Shiraoi, Atsuma, Toyako, Abira, Mukawa
【Hidaka Area】
Based on that, “Sapporo suburbs” would mean only the areas around Sapporo within Central Hokkaido. More specifically, it seems reasonable to define only the Ishikari Area as the Sapporo suburbs.
In other words, from the following municipalities in the Ishikari Area:
【Ishikari Area】
Sapporo, Ebetsu, Chitose, Eniwa, Ishikari, Kitahiroshima, Tōbetsu, Shinshinotsu
everything except Sapporo itself would be considered the Sapporo suburbs.
Since Tomakomai is not part of the Ishikari Area, I can understand why you feel it’s inappropriate to classify it as a Sapporo suburb.
On the other hand, you wrote that you understand Otaru, but Otaru is classified in a different area from Sapporo—the Shiribeshi Area—so strictly speaking, it should be listed as Central Hokkaido rather than the Sapporo suburbs.
That said, if it were classified strictly, the offer rate for women from Otaru might drop. Since there are also people who commute to school or work from Otaru to Sapporo, I suppose it’s reasonable to include it as a Sapporo suburb.
Tomakomai is farther away than Otaru, but it’s not so far that it’s completely impractical.
For example, women who live in Utsunomiya sometimes go on dates in Tokyo. Compared with the distance between Utsunomiya and Tokyo, Tomakomai and Sapporo actually seem relatively close.
Once you get as far as Niseko, though, it does feel a little too far to call it a Sapporo suburb.
The staff at the Sapporo branch are responsible for assigning these areas, so rather than posting in the question box, I think it would be better to contact them directly.
Personally, if Tomakomai were classified as Central Hokkaido, it would end up in the same area as Cape Erimo and Muroran, which creates the impression that it’s extremely far away. So I do feel that listing it as a Sapporo suburb is reasonable.
By the way, Tomakomai has sometimes been handled terribly—there have even been cases where it was listed as Eastern Hokkaido.
It’s obviously not Eastern Hokkaido, and it makes you wonder, “Is Tomakomai really in the same place as Kushiro?”
> Regarding the travel time to Sapporo, transportation options, and the fact that weekday evenings aren’t possible:
I believe the “Information Regarding Offers” section was intended to include availability and scheduling details. As for transportation options and travel time to Sapporo, though, I think it would also be fine to ask about those when making an offer.
Regarding your request, please try speaking directly with the staff.
