From 2004 to 2007, the event was held on the twisty and narrow gravel roads of the Tokachi region near Obihiro.
He wished to acknowledge his home district of Tokachi, but the kanji for Tokachi (十勝) literally mean 'ten wins' and it was felt that this might be bad luck, limiting his wins in any tournament to ten.
The next most populous municipality in Tokachi is the adjacent town of Otofuke, with less than a third of Obihiro's population.