Photographed on January 24, 2014. This is Chabudai-san's morning meal. This week it is a kabuto (turnip) and milk soup. The amanatsu marmalade is very tasty. Time has flown, and today the winter break comes to an end.

Recruiting the 32nd Tokachi Aozora Lady ☀️ We are now accepting applications for the Tokachi PR ambassadors known as the Tokachi Aozora Lady, who will promote Tokachi’s tourism and local products through activities at events within Tokachi and product fairs inside and outside Hokkaido, as well as media appearances. Would you like to brighten Tokachi’s tourism with your cheerful smile? If you are interested, please feel free to apply 🤗 📌Eligibility 📍Women aged 20 or over living in Tokachi who are physically and mentally healthy and able to agree to all terms of the Tokachi Aozora Lady program guidelines and participate in tourism events and product fairs both inside and outside the region (married or unmarried). 📍Holders of a regular driver’s license who have obtained approval from their workplace and family to carry out Lady activities. 📌How to apply Please attach a photo to your résumé, write your reason for applying, and include information confirming that you meet the eligibility requirements, then mail or bring it in person to the Tokachi Tourism Federation Secretariat by Friday, February 20. We look forward to receiving many applications 🎵 https://tokachibare.jp/20506/...

Hokkaido Travel for Women Project Mombetsu City Tourism Support Division Original goods featuring Rinne Himi are on sale! Store exclusive • Rinne Himi acrylic figure • Rinne Himi pin badge On the website, Rinne introduces the charms of Mombetsu City! Search for “Hokkaido Travel for Women Project” now‼ Website, YouTube, Instagram, X

The 63rd Monbetsu Drift Ice Festival Friday, February 6, 2026–Sunday, February 8, 2026 Main ice sculpture decided! Itsukushima Shrine, marking its 150th anniversary as the shrine’s founding, Monbetsu City Please check the official website for details on events and more

With the drift ice sightseeing season underway, the Monbetsu City Tourist Volunteer Guide Association will open a temporary tourist information desk to help make visitors’ trips to Monbetsu more memorable. This weekend and next weekend, the desk will be at the bus terminal, and the following week it will be at the Drift Ice Festival venue… We will provide information on the city loop bus, restaurants, and Monbetsu’s attractions.👍 We are also running an Instagram follow campaign. Follow the Guide Association’s official Instagram account and receive a postcard featuring photos taken by our members as a gift‼︎ Take home a memento of Monbetsu’s lesser-seen charms.✨ Hours are 10:00–15:00 (may vary slightly) Please stop by and use the service…

Kousanji, a Koyasan Shingon temple in Inaricho, Tanabe City, is in Wakayama Prefecture’s southern region, where cold days continue, but a single hikanzakura planted on the temple grounds has reached its peak bloom. Plum blossoms are also beginning to open here and there, letting you feel spring drawing closer little by little.

Utonai-ko (Lake Utonai) looks at first glance like a snowy plain when it freezes over. Roadside Station Utonai Lake posts warnings across its social media asking people not to walk onto the ice and not to leave the trail and enter the scrub. Please keep these notices in mind for the safety and coexistence of people and wildlife.🙏 (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Today I explored Kawagoe. Chabudai’s HOT natsumikan. It warms the body. ☺️🍊 Yesterday I explored Tokyo and Ōmiya.👟

hoshino resort tomamu Ice Village This is a wedding at the Ice Chapel. Three ceremonies are held each day, and fireworks are set off at the end of each service.

In front of Yonezawa Shrine in Yamagata Prefecture. I photographed a lone tree against the blue sky, using the raised snowbank formed by roadside snow clearing as the foreground.

In Shimizu Yoshiwara, Shizuoka City. I took a long exposure before sunrise over Mount Fuji, keeping some city lights in the frame to capture the pre-dawn scene.

On a bitterly cold winter morning, before the sun broke the horizon, I found a frosty fantasy on the window glass.

Around Shiga Highlands / Ishinoyu. On a cold morning, rime ice had formed on a small tree at my feet and glittered.

At Shiga Highlands. Against a clear blue sky, trees dusted with fresh snow on their branches stood out beautifully.

Around Maruike in the Shiga Highlands. On a morning after fresh snow fell, the sparkling new snow was dazzling.

The exercise rides for horses at Tokachi Ranch have started again this year. They are said to have begun to relieve lack of exercise in pregnant mares. Now they have become a popular midwinter event in the Tokachi region.

On a snowy night, I finished my meal and stepped out into the inn’s garden. I thought about the arrangement of the Shirakaba trees, imagined stopping the snow, and let the scene grow in my mind.

Morning light set the fresh snowfield aglow, making the trees’ frost and the snow surface sparkle.

The morning sun rose above Minokake Rock in Minami‑Izu, and the surface of the water began to gleam.

On a chilly morning in late February, a mist hung over the sea around Minami‑Izu’s Minokake Rocks, lending the scene a dreamlike quality.

Photographed on January 20, 2014. This is LEC COFFEE’s strawberry latte and a sweet potato tart. It’s cold again today.

Photographed on January 20, 2014. This is a sweet potato tart from LEC COFFEE. 🍠 I am on winter break until my transfer. Today, I tried face yoga.

Event Announcement📣 On Sunday, January 25, 2026, Roadside Station Nakasatsunai will host the Nakasatsunai Winter Festival 😊 Enjoy a full lineup of snow activities, including snow rafting, a snow treasure hunt, and a snowy slide! Make the most of the cold winter day and have fun! Food trucks will also be on site, so you can enjoy tasty treats 🎵 📍Program Highlights ・Snow rafting (one ride 100 yen, limited to the first 250 participants) ・Stamp rally (limited to the first 100 children in elementary school or younger) ・Snow treasure hunt (for elementary school children or younger) ・Sledding 🛷 (free sled rentals available) ・Marshmallow roasting (3 pieces for 50 yen; available while supplies last) ・Hot milk served (limited to the first 100 people) 📍Date and Time: Sunday, January 25, 2026, 10:00–12:00 📍Location: Roadside Station Nakasatsunai South Side Special Venue Bring your family and friends and come to Roadside Station Nakasatsunai 🤗 https://michinoeki-nakasatsunai.jp/post_event/post_event-1311/...

You can get to the hotel straight from the airport and straight from the station. Easy access is another reassuring part of your trip. Unwind with a relaxing experience at Kushiro Prince Hotel. You can book via the profile URL. 📍Kushiro Prince Hotel https://www.instagram.com/kushiroprincehotel/...

Shobara, one of the snowiest areas in Hiroshima Prefecture ⛄✨ This week’s cold wave dumped a lot of snow!! Now is your chance to fully enjoy the ski resorts and winter in Shobara💞 Win delicious rice grown in Shobara—14 winners will be chosen by lottery!? We’re also holding the “Winter in Shobara” Instagram posting campaign✨ ⛄Ski more for less by visiting Hiroshima Prefectural Forest Ski Resort ↔ Dogoyama Highland Ski Resort!⛄ During this season (Dec 2025–Mar 2026), present a used lift ticket (one-day ticket) from either ski resort at the other resort to get a one-day lift ticket there at half price as part of the campaign! 📌Campaign period: until Sunday, March 15, 2026 *Used lift tickets (one-day tickets) from the same ski resort are not eligible for the discount. *The half-price benefit applies only once per used one-day lift ticket. *The campaign may end once subsidy funds run out. For details, see below🔽 https://www.shobara-info.com/5484...

The strawberry season has arrived! Here are spots in Nagano City where you can enjoy strawberries. 1. Nagano Berry Farm If you want to go strawberry picking within Nagano City, this is the place to go! They minimize pesticide use and make the most of Nagano’s abundant natural environment, so you can enjoy safe, secure, and delicious strawberries to your heart’s content. Reservation method: Strawberry picking is by advance reservation. Please make a phone reservation with JA Nagano Agri Naganuma or book online via Jalan Net before your visit. Phone number: 026-295-1093 (JA Nagano Agri Naganuma) Price: 50 minutes all-you-can-eat Weekdays ¥2,100 Weekends and holidays ¥2,400 *For details, please see the Nagano Berry Farm website.* 2. Garden Hananomi Nagano Yoshi Strawberry Farm This is a farm shop where you can buy freshly picked strawberries. They grow and sell various varieties, focusing on benihoppe, as well as black strawberries and white strawberries. On weekends (Saturday, Sunday, and holidays) they also sell special strawberry daifuku! Phone number: 070-1238-9151 Hours: Around 10:00–16:00 Closed: None (the farm shop is open every day) *Strawberry daifuku and similar items are sold only on weekends and holidays.* *They may be closed occasionally due to circumstances.* *For details, please check the official website or official accounts.* #strawberry #strawberry picking #strawberries #Nagano City #Nagano Prefecture #Nagano sightseeing #Nagano travel #nagano #naganocity

Ooyama Sky Lantern Event Following last week, the second Ooyama Sky Lantern will take place tomorrow, Saturday, January 24th. We are thrilled to welcome Yutaka Hozumi, the well-known reporter from FM Yokohama, as the event MC.