🖼️Onsen website 'From the Information Distribution Bureau' updated📝🆙 The 16th Gokkan Art Festival, a winter event at Kawayu Onsen, opened on February 2. This annual festival takes place around the same time each year and draws many visitors. Event period: From Monday, February 2, 2026 to Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Venue: Around ARtINn Gokkan Art Transmission Device (Kawayu Onsen 3-2-40) The festival offers a delightful space filled with beautiful art. Come and visit🧑‍🎨🎨

Event Announcement 📣 From February 11 to February 14, 2026, Nakasatsunaimura will host “Snow Art Village Nakasatsunai 2026” for four days 😊 You can view the expansive snow art that local snow artist and AOILO Inc. representative Tomohiro Kajiyama creates on the snowy plain from a special 8-meter-high yagura viewing platform 🎵 Please enjoy this snow-made art that you can only see in the art village of Nakasatsunai 🤗 📍Dates: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 ▶ Saturday, February 14, 2026, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM *Canceled in severe weather; event dates may change depending on snowfall conditions 📍Venue: Nakasatsunai Cultural Creation Center and surrounding special event sites 🔶 Indoor Event Venue (Nakasatsunai Cultural Creation Center) 📍 Snow Art Video Screening We will screen past snow art works and footage of the making process. 📍 Snow Art Panel Exhibition (Entrance) A collection of past works shot by drone will be on display 🎶 Explore the history of Snow Art Village Nakasatsunai! https://kankou-nakasatsunai.com/event-list/page-3619/...

🚆 "Nankai Main Line Grade Separation" On-Site Tour to Go Up on the Viaduct👀 📣 One day only on Saturday, March 28! You will be specially allowed onto the railway viaduct under construction and can also see the crossing with the Hankai Tramway! A walking tour along the restricted-access area of the Nankai Main Line "elevated construction" route🚶🏻‍➡️ 🔹 Participants will receive a rare railway item (not for sale) as a commemorative gift! 🎁 🔍Highlights 🔹 Former Suwanomori Station Building 🔹 Walking along the Nankai route through the elevated construction area 🔹 A once-before-opening experience of going up onto the viaduct 🔹 Former Hamadera Park Station building 📅 Date and time 🔹 Saturday, March 28, 2026, 1:20 PM–3:00 PM 📍From Former Suwanomori Station Building to Former Hamadera Park Station building 💰 Participation fee 🔹 5,000 yen (includes commemorative gift🎁) 📌 Registration deadline: up to 3 days before the event date (first come, first served) 🔍For details and to apply, search for "Nankai Main Line Grade Separation" On-Site Tour to Go Up on the Viaduct 🔗 https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/tourism/detail/205...

[Limited time until March 20] A special tour to meet red-crowned cranes in winter Kushiro 🕊️ Two sessions: morning and afternoon. Expert guides lead the way, so even first-timers can enjoy it with peace of mind. You might also spot snowy landscapes and wildlife such as Ezo deer, red foxes, and Steller’s sea eagles…✨ ▶︎ See profile for details https://www.instagram.com/kushiroprincehotel/...

Everyone come! Teshikaga ⭐️ Fireworks Village — Downtown Venue Teshikaga Downtown Photo Gallery on Display! On February 21 and 22, 2026, a photo gallery will be held on Teshikaga Chuo-dori Shopping Street (the street in front of the former Kushiro Shinkin Bank). A collaboration between Teshikaga High School and Miyazaki Flower Shop, food trucks and the Teshikaga Marche, and a small snowy slide for children are also planned. There will be a fireworks display on the night of February 22, so please enjoy both days. [Event Schedule] 2/21 (Sat) 3:00 PM–9:00 PM Photo Gallery / Illumination 2/22 (Sun) 10:00 AM–3:00 PM Photo Gallery / Illumination / Otochu Shoten / Teshikaga High School x Miyazaki Flower Shop / Food Trucks / Camp Meals / Pop-up Marche / Mini Slide Please see the flyer for details. Note that the photo gallery and the fireworks venue are at different locations, so be careful‼︎🚨We look forward to seeing you!

Lake Kussharo in winter. A place where warmth exists within the quiet. The lakeside scenery, visible breath in the air, and the clear atmosphere. Please enjoy this special time that comes only in this season. ❄️Winter only January 19 to March 7 📍Kussharo Prince Hotel https://www.instagram.com/kussharo_ph/...

✨We will hold an art tea gathering in collaboration with Takahiro Koga✨ The art tea gathering that received high praise at the Osaka-Kansai Expo event hosted by Sakai City will be held at Sakai Risho no Mori! The venue is Muichian, a reconstructed four-and-a-half-mat tea room that Sen no Rikyu used for tea service at the Grand Kitano Tea Ceremony hosted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Surrounded by works from ceramic artist Takahiro Koga, active both in Japan and overseas, you can enjoy a special experience of actually using his pieces to prepare and taste tea. We will also offer a guided tour of Sakai Taian, the tea room that reproduces the National Treasure Taian—Sen no Rikyu’s only surviving work—in its original form. Seats are limited and accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, so please make your reservation early. 📅 Date: Saturday, March 7 📍 Venue: Sakai Risho no Mori 💰 6,600 yen (includes admission to the permanent exhibition) 👥 30 people (first-come, first-served) 🔍 For details, search for "Sakai Risho no Mori Art Tea Gathering"! 🔗 https://sakai-rishonomori.com...

The winter forest is muddy Miyanomori, which rings the ski area, can be climbed and descended in about an hour to the shelter at the summit. On a warm day with temperatures around 0°C, the old man who lives opposite Miyanomori says he sometimes climbs it twice a day. With that reliable old man, I climbed Miyanomori too. - Thanks to the previous day’s warmth, the snow had melted, and on the packed snowshoe tracks the snow seemed walkable in rubber boots. ※Snowshoe: a device attached under boots to prevent sinking deeply into snow. Also called kanjiki. Once I bravely started walking in rubber boots, trouble began. Looking sideways and up, my feet slipped off the packed tracks and I plunged into the snow. Apparently, when your feet get caught in snow it’s called “nukareru” (to sink in). Seeing me struggle so much, the old man walked ahead for me. He climbed at a surprisingly quick pace. Out of shape from lack of exercise, I couldn’t catch up, so I climbed at my own pace without rushing. I snapped a photo of his back along the way. The old man would wait a short distance on and tell me things like, this tree died because deer ate its bark, or, it’s rare to see a vine this thick. Traces where deer had raced across slopes too steep for people, and deer prints beside the snowshoe tracks. It was a walk through this quietly snow-covered forest, feeling the presence of living creatures. 📷️ 📷️ 📷️ There are said to be over 30 stone monuments in Miyanomori. Even the old man doesn’t know why they’re there. Perhaps villagers once placed them to protect the forest. Snow perched atop a tree. Someone on social media had called a cornice “like braised pork,” and I remembered that. I saw several large katsura trees. Their branch tips twist and curl. Behind the direction signboard, the disturbed snow marks a deer trail. Something like a nut lay on the snow. From the shelter you can take in a panoramic view of the town. Just then, a ski class was in full swing at the ski area below. 📷️ 📷️ 📷️ Here are scenes from a winter walk in Miyanomori. #Miyanomori #Walk

Akanko in the early morning of February 9th chilled down to −16°C! Despite the heavy clouds, we were still able to catch a clear sunrise☀ The wind was a bit strong, but in spots where the trees sheltered us, frost flowers appeared❄✨️ You can book the early morning walking tour from the URL below. 　　↓ https://ja.kushiro-lakeakan.com/things_to_do/19977/... Please note that the tour route and start time may change depending on ice conditions on the lake and the weather.

📣 Morning Sumo Practice Observation at Ohtori Taisha and a Shinto Lecture “Shinto and Sumo” ✨ One day only: Wednesday, February 25! With the Grand Sumo Osaka Tournament in March just around the corner, Arashio-beya will stay at Ohtori Taisha and hold morning practice sessions. You’ll see rikishi training up close, sweaty and covered in clay as they clash seriously. It’s a different tension and power from the tournament itself. We’re also holding a special lecture by a Shinto priest on “Sumo and Shinto.” Learning about the relationship between Shinto and sumo will make watching the sport even more enjoyable ✨ 🔹 Participation gifts: commemorative items from Arashio-beya and a limited-time goshuin (temple seal) from Ohtori Taisha 👀 Highlights 🔹 Watch Arashio-beya’s morning sumo practice from front-row seats 🔹 Shinto priest’s lecture “Sumo and Shinto Rituals” 🔹 Shrine visit and a brief introduction to the shrine by a Shinto priest 📅 Date and Time 🔹 Wednesday, February 25, 2026 — 7:20 AM to 11:00 AM 📍 At Ohtori Taisha 💰 Participation Fee 🔹 ¥7,000 (includes a commemorative gift 🎁) 📌 Application deadline: up to 7 days before the event (first come, first served) 🔍 For details and to apply, search “Morning Sumo Practice Observation at Ohtori Taisha and a Shinto Lecture ‘Shinto and Sumo’.” 🔗 https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/tourism/detail/192...

2026 Sapporo Snow Festival 8-chome Hiroba! At the Akan Tourism Association booth, our beloved Marimokkori from Lake Akan is making an appearance!! Our association staff are sharing the charms of Lake Akanko together with it♪ Please come and see us 🟢

Photographed on January 23, 2014. This is the Shishiyama at Kanda Myōjin Shrine.

Azumino’s breathtaking viewpoint – Mount Nagamine summit From here you can enjoy views of the Northern Alps♪ I gazed out over Azumino, dyed entirely in white!!

Early morning walk tour on February 8! It was forecast to be cloudy, but the sky cleared beautifully. Though small, we saw frost flowers and caught MtMeakan and the moon together♪ I couldn’t capture it in photos, but diamond dust also appeared. We tried freezing soap bubbles in subzero temperatures, poured hot water into the air to watch it freeze, and enjoyed full-body winter fun at Lake Akanko with Nordic-style snow angel play♪ You can book the early morning walk tour from the URL below. 　　↓ https://ja.kushiro-lakeakan.com/things_to_do/19977/... Please note that the tour route and start time may change depending on lake ice conditions.

February 8th Snowy landscape at Daio Wasabi Farm Japan’s largest wasabi field is also wrapped in snow Perhaps because the snow absorbs sound, a quiet world spreads out

February 8th Snowy Scenery in Azumino The snow that fell steadily since last night has turned Azumino into a sea of white.

February 8th Hotaka Station on the JR Oito Line, the gateway to Azumino sightseeing It snowed last night, and Azumino is blanketed in white Visitors should take care with their footing!!

Photographed on January 23, 2014. This is Sukuna Hikona, the enshrined deity of Kanda Myōjin Shrine.

The Sagicho of Imao Winter Fire Festival "Sagicho" A rare start in falling snow? It was bitterly cold, but the festival burned bright. Imao, Kaizu City, Gifu Prefecture February 8, 2026

We visited the Otaru Snow Festival on a day when the snowfall felt almost unreal, layers upon layers of snow covering everything in sight. The cold was intense, yet the spirit of the people was even stronger—unshaken, cheerful, and welcoming. Despite the heavy snow, they warmly invited us to become part of the festival, as if we belonged there all along. Though the air was biting, the kindness and smiles around us filled the atmosphere with joy. As evening fell, the sight of countless candles glowing softly along the canal was nothing short of magical—the gentle light reflecting on the snow and water turned Otaru into a living winter dream.

Suisen Road in Minamiboso, Chiba Prefecture: a heartwarming flower field blooming along the narrow mountain village paths

Photographed on January 23, 2014. I visited Kanda Myōjin Shrine during the winter holidays. Akari Jinba looked sleepy. 🐴

Staying at Kussharo Prince Hotel, you hear the trumpeting calls of whooper swans at Lake Kussharo in the morning. In temperatures colder than −10°C, the fireplace crackles as the firewood pops. Listen to the clear surface of the lake and the quiet sounds spreading along the shore. This stay turns the solitude you can only experience here into sound. 📍Kussharo Prince Hotel https://www.instagram.com/kussharo_ph/...

The countryside has vast rice paddies, so when it snows they turn into a wide white plain. It’s three minutes from my home, and straight ahead at the end of the road is Lake Biwa.

This is a snowman made from the snow that fell on February 8th. I sent the photo to my one-year-old and three-year-old grandchildren who live in Tokyo. They were overjoyed. Isn't it adorable?

Photographed on February 6, 2014. These are the red plum blossoms at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.🌸 Spring is approaching, but it is snowing today and quite cold.

Photographed on February 7, 2014. The 19th Koedo Kawagoe Amateur Chindon Festival took place.

The 60th Tomakomai Skating Festival is now open! The festival is packed with attractions, including the ever-popular ice mega-slide, snow sculptures, food stalls, and a lively stage program. Of course, the famous shibare-yaki is also available At the tourism association booth, we have a Tomachop lottery and drinks ready, so please stop by ⛸

Photo taken on February 2, 2014. This is a hanachōzu (flower basin) from Hara Florist.