Today was the Ennichi of Kawagoe Kumano Shrine Precincts and Kawagoe Senarai Benten Itsukushima Shrine. There was a dedication.

Higo Green Melon, a specialty of Kikuchi City, is now in season! Higo Green Melon grows larger than ordinary melons, with thicker, very tender flesh. It also contains plenty of water and juice, with a sugar content of 14 degrees or higher. Higo Green Melon is in season from late April through early July. It is mainly produced in Shichijo Town, Kikuchi City. Shichijo Town is blessed with clear spring water selected among Kumamoto’s Top 100 Famous Waters, such as Maekawa and Shimizu springs. Rich in minerals and oxygen, this water helps grow delicious melons. Producers tend the melons every day without rest, which ensures careful attention and results in sweet melons with beautifully netted rinds. Higo Green Melons are mainly sold at Roadside Station Shichijo Melon Dome in Shichijo Town. All melons sold at the Melon Dome undergo strict sugar tests with an optical sensor. Only melons that meet the sugar level of 14 degrees or higher are displayed for sale. Introducing Kikuchi’s proud specialty, the Higo Green Melon! To share this deliciousness and charm with many people, we have planned a special hands-on program! Title “Play Sommelier and Judge Sweetness♪ Sugar Level Challenge & Ultimate Melon Parfait Making in Kikuchi” In this program, you will make a parfait lavishly using Higo Green Melon. The melons used for the parfait are specially managed for the event date. Therefore, you will taste perfectly ripened, sweet melons on the day. We will use a generous half melon per parfait, making it satisfying to eat and great for photos. We will also top the melon with rich milk soft serve from Toride Farm. Garnishes will include strawberries grown in Kikuchi. Why not try making an original melon parfait you can’t find anywhere else? In addition to making the parfait, each participant will receive one whole melon to take home so you can enjoy it with your family. The take-home melon will be measured with the sugar sensor on site. You will be asked to guess the sugar level of the melon you selected. Those who guess the exact sugar level will receive a prize. We look forward to your participation♪ Please make reservations by scanning the photo QR code. Date: Saturday and Sunday, June 14–15, 2025 (20 participants per day) Time: 10:00–12:30 Place: Roadside Station Shichijo Melon Dome Participation fee: 7,700 yen per person Contact Kikuchi Tourism Association Address: 1273-1 Kumafu, Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture 861-1331 TEL: 0968-25-0513

Toyooka Iris Garden is still in full bloom. Over 200 varieties of iris set against the scenic Ina Valley. Please enjoy your visit. For more details about the Iris Garden, see below: https://www.vill-nagano-toyooka-kanko.jp/tourism/tourist-spot/hana/3280/...

Spring is in full swing! In Taiki Town, the flower season has truly begun. Shibazakura (moss phlox) are at their best on Mount Mewa! Around Sakashita Senkyo and at Taiki Shrine, we found a variety of flowers. The last two photos show new leaves sprouting beneath the withered kashiwa oak leaves still clinging to the branches! https://visit-taiki.hokkaido.jp//

Photographed on May 15, 25. After work, I took a walk around Shinjuku. It was my first time in Tokyo in a yellowtail. Soy latte and blueberry rare cheesecake. 🫐

Photographed on May 15, 25. Prayer at Takanawa Shrine in Shinagawa.

The hydrangeas blooming in the tea plantation in the sky were wonderful. Ibigawa, Gifu Prefecture 2024/7 gifu Shot on iPHONE 11 PRO

This is one of the dark groove waterfalls near Yoro Valley in Chiba Prefecture, which I visited last fall. It was before winter and there wasn't much greenery, so I'd like to shoot again in the summer next time. The Hot spring on the premises was the best.

This is one photo taken at Ashikaga Flower Park. In the evening, when the sun was about to set a little, I took a picture of the white wisteria flower in front of the pond as the theme, and I felt that the balance between the red and white colors of the Japanese maple tree on the left was beautiful. There were so many people that it was very difficult to shoot with as few people as possible.

The Torii (shrine gate) gate with light shining through the blue autumn leaves was very mysterious

An aerial photo of Tomakomai ✨🛫 Can you sense the generally flat terrain with little elevation change? To the northwest of the city stands Mount Tarumae, an active volcano with an elevation of 1,041 meters. 1. Lake Utonai (does it look a bit like the shape of Hokkaido...?) 2. The city viewed from above Tomakomai West Port 3. The oil storage facility in eastern Tomakomai 4. Mount Tarumae lava dome (in the distance you can see Lake Shikotsu and Mount Fuppushi in Chitose)

Participate in the contest for the first time.

A sunset view reflected in the countryside taken by my 12-year-old son.

[Forest Park Is Open] Forest Park in Nishiokoppe Village opened with the start of Golden Week. The event was packed with activities. Food trucks and vendors came from various places, making the Golden Week period lively. Thank you to everyone who visited! Here’s a closer look at the playground attractions. Batting: 20 pitches per turn 200 yen Strikeout game: 12 pitches per turn 200 yen (The first home run of the year was apparently hit by a village resident!) Battery cars: Airplane and sheep shapes 1 ride 100 yen Dinosaur shape 1 ride 200 yen Go-karts: Single-seat 1 lap 300 yen Two-seat 1 lap 400 yen (This go-kart course has many curves and tricky spots for a thrilling ride) Bouldering: Shoe rental 1 session 100 yen *No use with outdoor shoes or socks* *Use with indoor shoes you bring is OK* (You’ll use your arms and legs—your whole body!) Other free play equipment includes a bounce dome, a Tarzan rope, spring riders, swings, and more. Relaxing on the lawn is also recommended. Please wait a little longer for the tent site to open. For meals, please visit Ku-raku inside the park! Takeout is available, so feel free to ask. We look forward to many visitors again this year! #Nishiokoppe Village #Hokkaido #Forest Park #Open #Playground attractions #Come and play

Photographed on May 15, 25. For work, I went to Shinagawa. The City Bakery is a CB plate in Atré Shinagawa.

[Special Collaboration Soft-Serve Ice Cream for the Detective Conan Movie “The One-Eyed Shrapnel” Now on Sale!] A limited-time special soft-serve ice cream collaborating with the now-screening Detective Conan movie “The One-Eyed Shrapnel” is being sold at eateries throughout Minamimaki Village 🍦🐄 With the new Minamimaki Village Dining Map produced by the Minamimaki Village Chamber of Commerce in hand, please enjoy the local cuisine 🥗🍲🍜🍴 ■ Shops Offering the Special Soft-Serve Ice Cream 1 Takizawa Farm Co., Ltd. 2 Restaurant Saikochiten Co., Ltd. 3 Restaurant Straw Hat 4 Minamimaki Village Rural Culture and Information Exchange Center Co., Ltd. (Vegitable With) 5 Hanafubuki 6 Restaurant 141 8 Kominka Meals and Sweets Furusato 9 Canadian Rocky 16 White Rabbit Those are nine shops in total (the numbers correspond to the shop numbers on the dining map) *Depending on the shop, sales begin on Saturday, May 17 or Sunday, May 18. ▼ View the Minamimaki Village Dining Map here https://www.kanko-nobeyama.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/mmmfoodmap.pdf...

Photographed on April 12, 25. It is Hanachozu of Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin.

Is it a heron couple? That's what I thought. I felt that the pure white wings of the heron on the deep green were very clear and beautiful, so I stood here and took a picture. I don't usually take pictures of birds, but when I see a heron, I just snap the shutter.

May 5, 2025 (Reiwa 7) 4:48 Photograph of Oarai Isosaki Shrine "Kamiiso no Torii (shrine gate)" On that day, the Sunrise rose through the thin clouds, and the gentle light illuminated the sky, the sea, and the shrine. Not only the Sunrise and the Torii (shrine gate) gate, but also the bubbling waves are beautiful.

It is a cherry blossom that I saw in Nemuro, which is said to be the latest blooming declaration in Japan. It was still a little chilly in Hokkaido, but there were people here and there who came to see it, and I was able to enjoy the second flowering.

Near the Lake Nukabira, the Tauszvets River Bridge, which can only be seen when the Water is low. The magnificent scenery of the Nature spread over the bridges where the Japanese National Railways once ran was and fascinating.

This photo was taken from Haguroyama Shrine in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, when I went to see the first sunrise of this year. I waited from midnight to see the first sunrise for the first time, and the first sunrise I finally saw was so beautiful that it was worth the wait. I realized that this is a traditional Japan tradition.

Osaka Expo France Pavilion 🇫🇷 At night, the colors change to the three colors of the national flag in turn. #EXPO2025 #Osaka Expo #French Pavilion #oaaka #Osaka

🎪 Ebisujima Côté Rivière ✨ EBISUJIMA CÔTÉ RIVIÈRE 🚩 [Updated May 16] Because rain is forecast for Sunday morning, the event time has been changed to 12:00–17:00. 🌿 Why not relax by the riverbank of Ebisujima, where time flows gently, and enjoy shopping for antique goods 🪑, gourmet food 🍽️, and DJ music 🎶? ✨ 🔍 For details, check @ebisujima.cote.rivi

05/ [French Pavilion] Mainly sponsored by LVMH, the exhibition celebrates Maisons such as Louis Vuitton and Dior, as well as exceptional craftsmanship and creativity. In the exhibition in collaboration with Louis Vuitton and architect Shohei Shigematsu, 85 trunks are used to project the process of manufacturing into an open trunk. It was a masterpiece. Before becoming a couturier, Christian Dior originally wanted to be an architect. As an exhibition that reflects this spirit, one of the highlights is "Lady Dior" by architect Kazuyo Sejima. On the way, you will come out into the outside space. This space is like resting chopsticks, and when you feel calm、、、 there is a 2,300-year-old olive tree. I have come to touch the tree to get energy so that I can live a long life. And the Croissants sold at the French Pavilion are popular, so be sure to try them. #EXPO2025 #Osaka Expo #French Pavilion #LVMH #Louis Vuitton #Dior #Osaka #osaka

🍵 Yamashigi’s Kama-iri Tea 🍵 The season for delicious new tea 🍵 Kama-iri tea grown in Yamashigi no Mori is now ready! Yamashigi no Mori is an old farmhouse in the forest, high in the mountains above 600 meters. This farmhouse, more than 140 years old, used to bustle as a transportation hub in the days before cars. Travelers and cargo moved along the ridgelines with the best views, rather than the lowlands by the rivers. We picked the tender new shoots that grew lushly in Yamashigi no Mori and made them the traditional way to create this "Yamashigi Kama-iri Tea" 🍵 It is made only from the first flush. During Golden Week, households with tea fields focus entirely on picking tea. Several tea factories in the village run at full capacity from morning until night. Yamashigi’s kama-iri tea was produced amid that bustle. It stays boxed in Morotsuka until it reaches your home—never leaving the village—(in reality it is delivered in a bag). Kama-iri tea is a method the people of Morotsuka have continued making for generations. It was brought from China long ago and now survives only in pockets around Kyushu. It accounts for only about 0.02% of the tea distributed nationwide. It offers a gentle sweetness and a slightly toasty aroma. Pour after the water boils and you wait a bit, drink quickly, and from about the third cup the leaves open fully and the aroma drifts—the characteristic kama-ka (kettle scent). Kama-iri tea is common in Morotsuka Village but rare across Japan. 🍵 You can buy it at the online shop Morotsuka Store, at Donkotei’s storefront, and at Morokko House. ※Because quantities are limited, please order early 🙇‍♀️

[2025: Bicycle Rentals Start in Teshikaga] Bicycle rentals are now available at four locations across Teshikaga! Whether you want to enjoy the scenery from a bike, can’t drive but want to reach nearby attractions, or have other needs, this service suits many situations. Please use it to match your travel plans 🚲✨ For more details, see Teshikaga Navi 🔍 https://masyuko.or.jp/news/rentalbike2025/...

2025 Summer Poster Complete! Summer is just getting started! You might dread another hot summer, but last year’s highest temperature was 33°C (recorded at the weather station in Irouzaki), and we had no extreme-heat days. In other words, Minamiizu Town is a cool retreat. Soak up summer at this seaside escape with its beautiful waters! * Posters are provided free to members of the Tourism Association. * Non-members can purchase the small size (B2) for 500 yen or the large size (B1) for 1,000 yen. * We do not ship posters. Beaches are listed here https://www.minami-izu.jp/?p=we-page-entry&spot=183791&cat=18711&pageno=3&type=spot...

WEDNESDAY Doudeshou Caravan 2025 — It's Happening!!! The “WEDNESDAY Doudeshou Caravan 2025” event will take place at Blanche Takayama Ski Resort in Nagawa Town! Date: Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025 (national holiday) 10:00–16:00 Venue: Blanche Takayama Ski Resort For details, please check the special site “2025 WEDNESDAY Doudeshou CARAVAN.” Site URL https://www.htb.co.jp/caravan2025...

Ginkgo biloba photographed at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden last autumn is 🍁🍂 one of the characteristics of the warm orange and yellow gradation and the contrast with the green trees in the background. I also took a picture with a creative way of hitting the light, so please pay attention to it 💡