Social media posts by our community

【🌸 Gokase Cherry Blossom Viewing 2026 🌸】
From Friday, March 20th to Sunday, May 10th!

The cherry buds are growing darker and larger, and we eagerly await the blooms😊

Please follow the Gokase Tourism Association Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/gokase_kanko/) and post photos of flowers taken in Gokase Town with the two hashtags #GokaseHanami2026 and #PhotoDate (e.g., #March20) 🤳❤️‍🔥
Every day during the event one person will win a specialty product from Gokasecho🎁✨
Outstanding entries will receive a gift set of Gokasecho specialty products🤩👏

Following last year, there is also the "Gokase Sakura Project Award" chosen by members of the student-led Gokase Sakura Project from Gokase Secondary School✨
⚠️This award applies to the weeping cherry at Kijiya🌸

Entries posted with the hashtags may be featured on the social media of the Gokase Tourism Association and the Gokase Sakura Project💡
[Period] From Friday, March 20th, 2026 to Sunday, May 10th, 2026

⚠️Other terms and conditions are posted on the Gokase Tourism Association website. Please be sure to read them before applying. https://www.town.gokase.miyazaki.jp/kanko/index.html
⚠️Please take great care to avoid accidents while photographing.
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In Gokasecho, which at last welcomes spring, you can enjoy many flowers besides the weeping cherry, including rhododendrons and akebono azaleas🌸
Why not take a leisurely flower tour around Gokasecho while soaking up the warm sunshine🤗?
We sincerely look forward to your participation✨

The manhole cards distributed at Roadside Station Kaikoku Shimoda Minato ran out of stock this afternoon (March 20) and distribution has been suspended.
The next restock date is undecided.
We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

*Although Shimoda City’s website still lists them as in stock, they are currently out of stock.*

Located near Kiyomizu-dera, AriHana Kyoto offers a hands-on Japanese cultural experience for the whole family! 🎏

Enjoy traditional play with kendama, origami, and more.
Create your own unique souvenir by painting traditional toys, making an uchiwa fan, trying calligraphy, or designing a kaleidoscope.
Operated by a former nursery teacher, we provide a safe space with nursing and diaper-changing rooms, simple kimonos, and a free drink service. ☕👘

No reservation needed—just walk in and enjoy a cozy indoor spot ideal for Kyoto sightseeing, rain or shine! 🌸✨
If you prefer, you can also make a reservation via our official website.

Experience Japanese culture through play in a Kyoto townhouse
For all age - fun, relaxing, and family-friendly
No reservations required
Open from 10:00AM to 6:00PM. (Last admission is at 5:00PM.)
Closed on Tuesdays

#AriHanaKyoto #kyoto #kyototrip #kyotoworkshop #thingstodoinkyoto #japaneseculture #japanexperience #calligraphyexperience #Origamiexperience #KyotoExperience #KyotoWithKids #FamilyTravelJapan #JapanWithKids #TraditionalJapaneseExperience #visitKyoto #japantravel

Photographed on March 19, 2014.
The weeping cherry trees at Naka-in are in full bloom. 🌸

🌷Special Exhibition “Memories of the Showa Era”🌷

✨Celebrate 100 years of Showa by feeling Showa-era Sakai!!🌟
🌷Enjoy the special exhibition “Memories of the Showa Era” and the Museum Restart Thanks Event!!🌷
🌸Take a time slip to the Showa era in Sakai and savor spring with a packed schedule of events!

📅 Exhibition Period: April 1 (Wednesday) – June 14 (Sunday), 9:30–17:15 (last admission at 16:30)
The Thanks Event runs April 1 (Wednesday)–April 5 (Sunday)
📍 Location: Sakai City Museum in Daisen Park

🔍 For details, search “Sakai City Museum”!
🔗 https://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/kanko/hakubutsukan/exhibition/kikaku_tokubetsu/
syowakioku.html

Photographed on March 19, 2014.
The weeping cherry tree at Chuin was in full bloom.

There’s a Pokémon manhole cover in front of the entrance to Ayame Park!
Come and see it!!

Event Announcement📣

On Sunday, March 29, a lecture titled “The Path of Naumann’s Elephant Revealed by Ancient DNA” will be held at The Churui Museum of Naumann's Elephant😊
The genus Palaeoloxodon, which includes Naumann’s elephant, was an extinct group of elephants that once ranged across Eurasia.
Last year, a research team including Yamanashi University succeeded for the first time in analyzing ancient DNA from Naumann’s elephant and published their findings in a US scientific journal.
We have invited Naoki Kohno of the National Museum of Nature and Science, a member of that research team, to give a lecture on the evolutionary history of Palaeoloxodon across Eurasia and the route taken by Naumann’s elephant.
This is a rare opportunity to explore Naumann’s elephant in depth.
If you are interested, please register in advance by phone🤗

📍Date and time: Sunday, March 29, 2026, 1:30 PM–3:00 PM
📍Venue: The Churui Museum of Naumann's Elephant
📍Capacity: 40 people (first come, first served)
📍Fee: Free (participants may also view the museum’s exhibits free of charge)
🔶Advance registration required by phone: 01558-8-2826 (closed Tuesdays)
📞Contact: The Churui Museum of Naumann's Elephant, Makubetsu Town TEL: 01558-8-2826 (closed Tuesdays)

https://tokachibare.jp/event/xo_event-23045/

Hello everyone, this is Jewelry Town. Shosenkyo Gorge, a Japan Heritage site, is bathed in the soft light of spring and welcomes a season of crisp, refreshing air🏞️

At Arakawa Dam, early-blooming kanhizakura cherry blossoms have begun to open, giving a sense that spring has arrived🌸

Ride the ropeway up to 1,058 meters and, on a clear day, you can see the distant, beautiful Mount Fuji🗻

Nearby, Jewelry Town stands quietly,
where a variety of raw stones, including power stones inspired by the 2026 zodiac sign 🐎,
rest peacefully, creating a space that gently comforts the hearts of visitors🤗

Surrounded by the calm of nature,
why not take your time and find that one favorite stone in a relaxed moment💎

Enjoy a gentle, peaceful springtime experience that softly colors the season✨
Please do stop by when you can.
All of our staff warmly await your visit.

Introduction to Our Sponsors – The 15th Teshikaga Photo Contest
The winning entries of the 15th Teshikaga Photo Contest have been announced, and we have presented prizes to each winner.

This Teshikaga Photo Contest is held with the support of businesses in Teshikaga. On the official Teshikaga Navi Instagram, we will gradually introduce the sponsoring companies that supported the contest. (In no particular order)

This time we introduce Hotel Mashu‼︎📝Teshikaga Navi shares a wide range of information, so please take a look✨Thank you very much to Hotel Mashu for supporting this event 🙇❣️

We appreciate your continued support for the Teshikaga Photo Contest and for Teshikaga Navi.

https://www.masyuko.or.jp/news/photocon_r08/

♨️Very Popular♨️
Weekday and Sunday-only accommodation discount for residents of Michihigashi, "Kawayu Stay Discount 2026", goes on sale from March 23.✨
The eligible period runs from April 1 to June 30, 2026, so please take advantage of it.🏃‍♂️💨

Kawayu Stay Discount 2026
・Eligible Dates
Weekdays and Sundays between Wednesday, April 1, 2026 and Tuesday, June 30, 2026
※Excluded dates: May 2 to May 5

・Eligible Area
Residents of Michihigashi: Kushiro, Nemuro, Okhotsk, and Tokachi regions

・Participating Properties
Oyado Kinkiyu Annex Suikazura, Kawayu Kanko Hotel, KKR Kawayu (members of the Kawayu Onsen Ryokan Association)

・Discount Amount
Adults: 2,000 yen　Children: 1,000 yen　(no limit on consecutive nights)

・How to Purchase
Via each property's official website or by phone

The program ends when the budget runs out, so neighbors, please make use of it.

📣 World Heritage Balloon Shuttle Bus Service Begins! 🚌✨

📍Free sightseeing bus touring Sakai, the World Heritage town with a gas balloon 🎉
From Friday, March 20, you can easily hop between Daisen Park, where a gas balloon offers sweeping views of the Mozu Kofun Group World Heritage site, Sakai Risho no Mori, which exhibits items related to Sen no Rikyu and Akiko Yosano, and Old Sakai Port, a famous sunset spot! 👀

Make sightseeing in Sakai freer and more comfortable. Please take advantage of this service💕

■ Service period: Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays from March 20, 2026 to March 31, 2027
■ Operating hours: 9:00–18:00 (about one round trip per hour, eight trips per day)
■ Stops: ① Sakai Old Port Porto Mare (Dorsett by Agora Osaka Sakai)
② Sakai Risho no Mori
③ Mozu Kofun Group Visitor Center
■ Fare: Free

From March 20 to 22, the loop-style event Himo Tokeba Sakai 2026 – OSAKA SAKAI EXPO – will be held, letting you experience the charms of Sakai. On the 20th, MYAKU-MYAKU will also appear in Daisen Park.
Why not ride the shuttle bus and easily visit experience programs, gourmet food, and the stamp rally?

🚩 For information about Himo Tokeba Sakai, visit this URL
🔗 https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/news/detail/20251217133435

🔍 For details, search for "World Heritage Balloon Shuttle Bus"!
🔗 https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/feature/detail/106

Six certified geoparks in Hokkaido and one aspiring geopark—a total of seven regions—gather at Shin-Sapporo Sunpiazza!
Each geopark will showcase its attractions through hands-on experiences and local product sales.

Engaru Town will participate as Shirataki Geopark and, with a paid 500-yen "obsidian keychain making" experience, hopes to share the allure of obsidian formed by ancient Earth activity.

This geopark exhibition features lots of events like a "Geo Quiz Rally!" and workshops.
Spend two days feeling the various gifts created by Earth’s activity—come visit the venue!

Venue: Shin-Sapporo Sunpiazza, 1st floor Hikari no Hiroba
(Chuo 2-jo 5-chome, atsubetsu ward, Sapporo City)