Meeting the "Flower That Brings Happiness," Kirengeshoma — Summer Hikes up Mt. Kurodake Around Obon, the elusive Kirengeshoma begins to bloom quietly in the mountains 🌼 Listed as Vulnerable (Category II) on the Ministry of the Environment’s Red List and thrust into the spotlight by an NHK morning drama, this flower is said in local lore to bring happiness to those who see it. Kirengeshoma once grew in large colonies around Morotsuka Village and Mt. Kurodake, but its numbers have drastically declined due to deer browsing. Now, it survives only in limited areas where local residents continue conservation efforts. Mt. Kurodake is designated an Important Habitat by Miyazaki Prefecture, and besides Kirengeshoma it shelters many rare Kyushu mountain plants and wildlife, making it a precious natural treasure. On this hiking tour, local guides will accompany you, pointing out rare plants and offering nature interpretation so you can fully savor the rich forest. 🟡 Tour Overview: Mt. Kurodake Hike 📅 Date and Time: Saturday and Sunday, August 23–24, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM 📍 Meeting Point: Obarai Community Center (escort from Shiitake no Yakata 21 available) 🎒 Eligibility: Ages 3 and up (minimum 4 participants to run / maximum 10) 💰 Fee: Adults ¥5,000 / Children ¥4,000 (lunch and guide fee included) 📝 Registration Deadline: Saturday, August 16 Hike Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (suitable for beginners to intermediate hikers) 🌱 Please wear comfortable clothing and hiking boots or non-slip athletic shoes. A special summer day to meet the elusive flower. We look forward to your participation!

Teshikaga Day-Trip Baths Guide Teshikaga offers many hot springs with free-flowing natural source water. With options ranging from public baths to hotel hot springs, you can choose a day bath that suits your preference. Here is a roundup of recommended day-trip baths in Teshikaga. ♨️ https://masyuko.or.jp/enjoy/?cats=663%2C669...

Midsummer in Teshikaga Spots you should definitely visit 🐻☕️ 📍Sakhalin Spruce Nature Trail ___________________________ A walking trail behind Kawayu Visitor Center (ig: @kawayu_vc). It’s an authentic forest you can drop into easily. Staff at the facility can provide a 20–30 minute guided walk on request.✨ This season is especially recommended as gozentachibana moves from white flowers to red berries. On the second-floor cafe (ig: @cafesoftwood) you can enjoy meals and tea, so you can make the most of your visit to Kawayu Visitor Center.🍙🌿 https://masyuko.or.jp/enjoy/eco_museum/...

Today, I attended the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Monthly Festival. It is a rim musubi wind chime. 🎐

Shintoku and Tokachi-Shimizu Train Travel Campaign 2025 Last winter’s popular winter train travel campaign This summer! From Shintoku Town and its neighboring town Tokachi-Shimizu, ride the train from either station and collect a Train Travel Stamp in this event 🎫 ーーーーーーーー🚃ーーーーーーー🚃ーー Period: July 1 (Tuesday)–August 31 (Sunday) Train Travel Stamp Distribution Stations 🚉 Shintoku Station · Tokachi-Shimizu Station Distribution Locations and Times 🕰️ Shintoku Station — 7:10–18:25 Tokachi-Shimizu Station — 6:55–17:05 (Due to operations, staff may be temporarily absent) Participation Conditions 💡 1. Use a train and alight at Shintoku Station or Tokachi-Shimizu. 2. Inform the ticket gate staff that you would like to receive the Train Travel Stamp. ※Distribution applies only at the time of alighting. ※Entry tickets and commuter passes are not eligible. ※One stamp per person. ※The Train Travel Stamp is a printed slip and does not include a prewritten date. ※Please write the date yourself. ※Stamps will not be distributed outside the listed times. ーーーーー🚃ーーーーーーー🚃ーーーーー And now! The first 100 people to collect stamps from both stations will receive an Original Mounting Sheet as a gift 🎁 Redemption Location — Tokutoku Community Center, 2nd floor, in front of Shintoku Station Redemption Time — 9:00–18:00 ※Please present the Train Travel Stamps from both Shintoku Station and Tokachi-Shimizu for redemption. ※Be sure to write the date on your Train Travel Stamp before exchanging. ※When redeeming, we will stamp the back of the Train Travel Stamp as proof of distribution. Plus! Show your Train Travel Stamp around town in Shintoku Town or Tokachi-Shimizu Town to receive special local benefits and deals 🉐 You must write the date before using benefits. Benefits are valid only on the date written on the Train Travel Stamp. ※If the date on the Train Travel Stamp is the same, you may receive benefits at multiple stores and facilities. ※Please confirm store and facility information yourself. ※Benefits may change depending on circumstances at stores or facilities. ー🚃ーーーーーーー🚃ーーーーーーー🚃ー In Shintoku Town specifically, sponsors from north to south and west to east support this campaign, so why not explore the town by rental bicycle? 🚲 Rental Desk — 2nd floor of the Tokutoku Community Center Shintoku Town Tourism Association Desk Business Hours — 9:00–17:45 Fees — City cycles, mountain bikes: free Electric-assist bicycles: 1,000 yen per day ※Limited quantities available, so please feel free to contact us. ーーーー🚃ーーーーーーー🚃ーーーーーー Shintoku Town Participating Shops and Facilities #Soba-dokoro Minatoya @sobanoyakata @ramen_miurashouten @ishimatsu_susi @tuktuk_shintoku #Shokujidokoro Sekiguchi #Heiseien @yuka_cyoko #Snack Fuusen @setouchi.urapp4313 / @oyatsuya_hana3 @t_kinokotan #Miyagiya Ryokan #Minshuku Sahoro House @kyodogakusha_shintoku #Village 432 @tokachi_sahoro_resort_official @lake_inn2141 @kamuimintara2000 @higashitaisetsusou Tokachi-Shimizu Participating Shops and Facilities #Ebisuya Confectionery #Soba-dokoro Mitsushina @idaten4947 #Ryokan Ariake @tokachi_millennium_forest ーーーー🚃ーーーーーーー🚃ーーーーー🚃 #Hokkaido #Tokachi #Shintoku Town #Tokachi-Shimizu Town #shintoku #shimizu #Shintoku Town Tourism Association #Shimizu Town Tourism Association #Shintoku Station #Shimizu Station #Tokachi-Shimizu Station #Train Travel #Campaign #JR Hokkaido #hokkaido #tokachi #station #tokachi #shintoku #tokachishimizu #welcomeshintoku

📣 Notice: Black Ships Museum Closed and Ryugu Cave Promenade Closed to Traffic The Black Ships Museum will be closed on Tuesday, July 1 and Thursday, July 10 for interior cleaning.🧹 Also, the Ryugu Cave upper promenade will be closed to traffic on Tuesday, July 8 for repair work.🚧 ※Visitors can still view the cave from the stairs below. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and cooperation.🙇‍♀️

It is Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture. Every year in May, the moss phlox is in full bloom. The disadvantage is that there are many people during the day.

It is a thatched circle of Kawagoe Kumano Shrine.

I was able to capture the scenery that makes me feel the old-fashioned atmosphere of Japan in the photo.

I was able to make good use of the front bokeh and photograph Nagahama Castle, which has an overwhelming presence.

I had an errand and early in the morning, and when I left the house at about 5 o'clock, I was able to take a picture of Hikone Castle standing against a golden background caused by the sunrise.

This is one of the first photos I took near Tokyo Station. I looked up at the tall buildings and enjoyed the city air while taking landscape photos that I couldn't take in my Local area. When I entered the station building, I saw Tokyo Station that I could see through the window, and I involuntarily clicked the shutter. The painting-like frame composition expresses the presence of Tokyo Station. Gari is a stylish photo that can only be taken in Tokyo.

The Northern Alps taken from inside a car. The cars don't stop, and I can't get this view out of my head when I pass the tracks.

Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture Ikuta Shrine

Kumamoto Prefecture Unnamed Trail Kumamoto, not just place names, It's also a fog, a rain, A telephone pole, quietly marking the boundaries of travelers' memories.

Takachiho Cheonan Kawara Here, Shenyin never needs tickets, A river, moss green, It is enough to calm the soul and return the mind to the mountain.

Fukuoka・Itoshima Totoro Forest Trail Some roads, there is no navigation, but there are always people who remember how to go. The angle at which the sun shines down, like a whisper of the forest, says: "Go inside, and you will meet you in childhood."

Dogs on Mount Aso The wind blows in the ears, but it is unhurried. Because no matter how big the mountain is, it can't compare to the familiar embrace. A dog of an old couple, The years that have passed are far longer than volcanoes.

Kumamoto Aso Mountain Road Into the silence of the fault, Step by step, as if listening to the earth's breath. The distant mountains are like waves, the clouds are whispering, And I am a speck of dust walking through the core.

This one is located in Kumamoto. The wind has not arrived, the rain is thin, Mountains and clouds talk about a whispered dream. The footsteps are quiet, the heart is also quiet, It was as if the world was holding its breath for this meadow.

This one is located in Kumamoto. Low afternoon clouds pressing down on the mountains, The grass buried all the thoughts in the wet soil. The yellow flowers bloom quietly, Not for whom, but to prove the weight of the season.

This photo was taken near Kurokawa Onsen. The sky is low, and there are two transparent umbrellas on the side of the road It's like the silence of guarding each other. It's not a way home, It is the starting point of going deep into the forest and into the heart. Silent fir forest, Whispering silent memories and distant places.

This photo was taken in Cheonan Kawara (Teniwado Shrine Okumiya). The legendary gathering place of eight million gods, Light fell from above the cave, as if whispering the remnants of mythology. Thousands of stone piles, It's praying, it's waiting, It is also between people and gods, An unbroken mind.

This photo was taken on the Itoshima Totoro Forest Trail. The greenery spreads out into a labyrinth of paths, The house stands quietly at the bend, It's like waiting for a late afternoon with the wind. Even if there is a chinchilla slowly passing by in the next second, It would not be surprising either - This land was originally inhabited by gentle gods.

Taken in Itoshima, the "Couple Rock" in the picture is connected by a rope, symbolizing connection, prayer and sacred enchantment, and is one of the most representative tranquil scenery on the coast of Itoshima. The two rocks are silent, but they are tightly linked, With God's knots, entangled in prayers and beliefs for thousands of years. This is not a symbol of separation, It's a gesture of watching over each other, In the sound of the tide and the wind, the existence of the agreement is reiterated day by day.

This photo was taken off the coast of Itoshima, Fukuoka Prefecture. The white torii stands quietly in the intertidal zone, Is it the door of faith, or the gap in time? The sea does not speak, but it always listens, Like this empty existence, Open a window into the invisible mind.

This photo was taken in Ōhori Park in Fukuoka City. An unmanned ship, Anchor quietly in the heart of the lake. In the background is the silhouette of a city tall building, The foreground is a thick shade of layers of pine forest, Time seems to be frozen in this moment, Only light and wind are still moving. This water surface is not just a reflection of the city, It is also a floating island of the soul.

This photo was taken in Ōhori Park in Fukuoka City. Summer afternoon in Ohori Park, Willow branches hang down, like verses brushing the surface of the lake. The swan boat waits quietly for the tourists, The water of a lake reflects distant mountains and clouds, It's as if time stands still in this tranquility, People unconsciously slow down their pace and breathing.

This photo was taken in the neighborhood of Ohori Park in Fukuoka City. Ohori Park is not just a lake and greenery, It also extends into a street corner landscape like this: The breeze blows, the sun falls from among the leaves, The bike moves briskly and the runner concentrates on the crossing. These most mundane routines, The most sparkling moment of the trip.

This photo was taken of Kora Taisha in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Climb three hundred stone steps, and finally between the torii gate and the mountain forest, I saw the picture of the world. The city is like a tide, people's hearts are like smoke, only at this moment, Only then did I really understand: standing tall is not for pride, But to see clearly - all the hustle and bustle, can calm down in the wind.