Photographed on February 15, 2014. This is Hanatetsu's hanachōzu (flower hand-washing basin).

This photo was taken on a day during spring break when I had nothing planned. The cherry blossoms were just starting to open, and the spring weather put me in the mood for a walk, so I went out by myself. Since it was a rare chance, I decided to go somewhere I don’t usually visit and walked from Yamato Station to Seya Station. Along the way, I was drawn to a small shrine whose name I didn’t know and stopped by. The shrine grounds were almost empty, and I was struck by how old the place felt. Amid it all, an especially weathered torii gate and a single cherry tree looked so beautiful that I felt a sudden wave of nostalgia and took this photo.

On Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7, we from Reihoku will also exhibit at the “Kikuchi City and Reihoku Joint Product Fair in Fukuoka (Budoubatake),” held at the agricultural products direct sales shop Budoubatake in Minami Ward, Fukuoka City. The seasonal best of Reihoku’s sea and mountains comes together in Fukuoka! On the day, we will offer many of Reihoku’s proud specialty products. 🎁Fun Feature At the venue, customers spending 1,000 yen or more can enter a prize drawing! 📅Event Details Date and Time: Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7, 2026, 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Venue: Agricultural products direct sales shop Budoubatake (2-1-1 Nakao, Minami Ward, Fukuoka City) Program: Specialty product sales, tourism PR, prize drawing, support from Kumamon, and more. Please feel free to come and visit us ✨

Expo Memorial Park Myakumyaku Senri Banpaku Park, Suita City, Osaka Prefecture Two monuments of Myakumyaku, the official mascot of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, have been relocated to Expo Memorial Park and are now on display. 📍 Exhibition Location and Period Location Inside Expo Memorial Park, near the Tower of the Sun Two figures titled “Welcome” and “Excitement” Period From February 21, 2026, through the end of May 2026

National Museum of Ethnology Suita City, Osaka Prefecture, senri banpaku park The National Museum of Ethnology (commonly known as Minpaku) was established in 1974 as a joint university research institute for cultural anthropology and ethnology, and it opened in 1977 on the site of Expo Memorial Park in Senri, Osaka. As one of the world’s largest ethnology museums, it integrates research in cultural anthropology and ethnology with museum activities. The National Museum of Ethnology holds some 345,000 items—everyday tools, traditional clothing, and more—collected by researchers from around the world. Its exhibitions are organized into nine regional displays covering the globe, alongside cross-cultural exhibits on music and language.

This is a spring scene viewed from Motohakone in Kanagawa Prefecture. The combination of Mount Fuji, Lake Ashi, fresh green foliage, and a torii (shrine gate) looks like a painting.

Event Announcement 📣 This one-day-only event lets you enjoy natural wines from Aizawa Winery, where grapes are lovingly cultivated as close to nature as possible.🍇 Taste a variety of wines alongside handmade pizza, pasta, and cheeses.🍷 📍Date and Time: Sunday, March 8, 2026 📍Hours: 2:00 PM–8:00 PM 📍Venue: Pontise shop, 16 Nishi 3 Jo Minami 10 Chome, Obihiro City 📞Inquiries and Reservations: TEL: 0155-63-7723, Email: info@aizawanouen.com https://tokachibare.jp/sake-museum/...

❄️Mori no Snow Park 2026❄️ Here is a brief look at the recent “Mori no Snow Park 2026 in Kawayu Onsen.” There were plenty of activities, including cross-country skiing, a tipi bonfire, an Akaezomatsu (Siberian fir) distillation workshop, slide talks, snow candles, and a variety of delicious foods!! This winter event is now an annual tradition, so if you couldn’t attend this time, please come next year. Look forward to it!

📢Program Broadcast Announcement📢 STV Sapporo's "Dosanko Weekend" will feature the town of Teshikaga! The program is scheduled to air on Saturday, March 7 at 9:25 AM.👀✨ The production team conducted interviews and filming around town, and we've been told that the program will showcase Teshikaga from various angles. We hope you'll enjoy it!❣️ Please be sure to tune in!‼

Ski Festival The children of Nishiokoppe Elementary School held their annual ski festival to showcase what they learned in ski lessons ⛷ The recent warmth had turned the snow into a hard, crunchy surface. There were worries it might be difficult to ski on, but the participating students steadily warmed up and skied smoothly. Once everyone was ready, the younger grades started their runs. Their names were announced along with each child’s stated goal for how they wanted to ski, and then they set off. When the younger children skied, instructors sometimes skied alongside them to provide close guidance. Even on less-than-ideal snow, the instructors skied backward with poise and stability. Impressive work. - As a side note, it was a clear, sunny day. The sun was just above the slope when you looked up, and many parents wore sunglasses 😎 Not only the children skiing but also the staff filming for the village broadcast were bathed in sunlight. - As the grades went up, more children skied at faster speeds. After finishing their runs, the children cheered from the bottom of the slope for those coming down. The final skiers, the sixth graders, came down with such momentum that they stopped just at the edge of the area where their juniors were seated, kicking up snow in a dramatic display. You could hear bright yellow cheers. When everyone had finished skiing, we enjoyed cocoa prepared by the parents. The cocoa, warmed in a pot, warmed us through with its deliciousness. Well done to the children, the teachers, and all the parents. #Ski Festival #Ski

Photographed on March 1, 2014. After the monthly ceremony at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, I relaxed at Starbucks Kanetsuki‑dōri Store. I had an Earl Grey bouquet and a tea latte, and an Earl Grey Basque cheesecake.

The 87th 'Kurofune Festival' crowdfunding campaign opened for contributions on Sunday, March 1st! 🚢✨ This project aims to bring everyone together to make the Kurofune Festival even more exciting🤝🌊 We offer a variety of rewards depending on the donation amount🎁✨ We sincerely appreciate your support! 🙇‍♀️🔥 *If you visit the site and add the project to your favorites, it will be featured as a highlighted project⭐ For details 🔍 Search for "CAMPFIRE Kurofune Festival" 〈Crowdfunding page〉 https://camp-fire.jp/projects/918377/view... 〈Contact〉 Kurofune Festival Executive Committee Office (Shimoda City Tourism and Exchange Division) 0558-22-3913

A scene photographed at Kuramae Shrine featuring mimosa and cherry blossoms together. The spring beauty is in full bloom.

My first visit to Japan turned magical when I found a lone Sakura at the entrance to Ueno Park, blooming early on the first day of March. Locals, tourists, people of all ages, and even birds were enjoying the symbol of Spring. To immortalize their joy, I simply had to photograph the birds enjoying the blossoms. I feel proud of this photo, and very lucky to have witnessed such a magical Spring moment in the heart of Tokyo.

Today I attended the monthly ceremony at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. In keeping with the Hinamatsuri on March 3, I received amazake and a doll and had a ritual to ward off bad luck.🎎 Because Hinamatsuri is also called the Peach Festival, I took a photo of a pink aidaimeshi omikuji (love-shaped sea bream fortune).

Photographed on February 15, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower-filled water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Sapporo Moiwayama Ski Area The night view was beautiful and simply stunning.

Nana Field Road 2026 in Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture runs through Sunday, March 8, 2026. Feel spring in a field of four million rapeseed flowers. Stay at a partner hotel in Kamogawa City to receive a free flower-picking ticket (10 stems). It takes about two hours from Tokyo Station by train, express bus, or car. It is an 18-minute walk from Awa-Kamogawa Station.

The 28th Minami no Sakura and Nanohana Festival Finale Town’s 70th Anniversary Commemoration “Night Cherry Blossoms ☆ Shooting Stars” Period: Friday, February 27, 2026; Saturday, February 28, 2026; Sunday, March 1, 2026 Time: 6:00 PM–7:30 PM Release section: a 400 m stretch from Harumachi Bridge to around Kinomiya Bridge ※The event may be canceled due to rain or other conditions. ※The Inoriboshi® will be released a little upstream from the Roadside Station. ※This event is expected to be very crowded. ↓If you want to avoid crowds, please join the tour below.↓ ・Tour organized by Minamiizu Town Tourism Association: Night Cherry Blossoms ☆ Shooting Stars Tour (until 2/28) Reserve/Apply here → https://x.gd/EGMCM... ・Vendors will be located behind the Tourist Information Center and Yunohana Chokubaijo (Yunohana Farm Stand). There will be special vendor stalls during the Night Cherry Blossoms ☆ Shooting Stars event from 2/27 to 3/1. ※The posted images are from 2015. ※The Milky Way Project🄬 is a registered trademark, so unauthorized use is prohibited. Commercial use by entities other than individuals is also prohibited. 【The 28th Minami no Sakura and Nanohana Festival】 Held from February 1 to March 10 🌸About “The 28th Minami no Sakura and Nanohana Festival” https://x.gd/8BXol... 🌸Bloom status (updated regularly) https://x.gd/iyca6... 🌸Parking status (updated regularly) https://x.gd/zbToA... 🌸Live camera https://x.gd/smGtI...

Tomakomai, known for having relatively little snowfall even in Hokkaido. As you can see, there was almost no snow in front of the station yesterday. However, please be aware that mornings and evenings still get quite cold. Many drivers in the city tend to change their tires from mid to late April. Those who drive over inland mountain passes in Hokkaido sometimes wait until after Golden Week in May to switch tires.

Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival Now underway! More areas are coming into full bloom♪ Please come and visit! Photo credit: Yasunori Okamoto

This was photographed at Hinode Bridge on the Biei River in Biei, Hokkaido. On a subzero morning I went to capture the sunrise, and in the cold so intense that even batteries stopped working, I saw others waiting for the sunrise besides myself.

The illumination of the World Heritage site Shirakawago is held only a few times a year. Lately it has become hard to get reservations, and even when you can, finding heavy snow is rare. I managed to go there twice to shoot: the first time there was almost no snow. The second time, however, I succeeded in photographing Shirakawago in such heavy snowfall that walking was difficult. I take landscape photos with gratitude for those encounters.

I went to Oshino Village in Yamanashi Prefecture for a photo shoot one early morning in February. The sky was clear, and I was able to see the magnificent Mount Fuji. The temperature was below freezing; there was no snow, but a white frost covered the ground. Corn cobs were hung out to dry and gleamed in the morning sun, so I took a shot with Mount Fuji in the background. Japan’s number one Mount Fuji shone brilliantly.

I felt the weight of the snow on the trees. I took this in the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture.

I photographed the misty mountains in the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture.