📣 The much-loved Candle Night from last year returns as “Chapter 2” 🕯️ Inside the dimmed restaurant, candlelight flickers gently. A night theater is projected across the entire wall 🎥 This year’s production steps up the staging to deliver an even more immersive, special evening experience 🍝 It’s perfect for dates and anniversaries, and also ideal for anyone who wants to make a weekday night a little more luxurious 💕 🕯️ Candle Night Chapter 2 📅 Event period: Tuesday, January 13 – Saturday, February 28 🗓 Available Monday through Thursday only (excluding public holidays) 📍 AOI NAPOLI UMISOBA We look forward to welcoming you.

Kuwanouchi Shrine Night Kagura & Kotono Shrine Night Kagura From the evening of January 10 into the morning of January 11, the Kuwanouchi Shrine Night Kagura and the Kotono Shrine Night Kagura were safely offered again this year 👹 I can still hear the drumbeat pounding in the back of my ears and the clear, high sound of the flute ringing in my mind 😆 You could hear the dancers’ breathing, see children watching intently, and feel the atmosphere of kagura as locals and returnees to Gokase gathered together ✨ We were treated to another wonderful performance this year 🥰 This beautiful night was made possible by the preservation society members who trained diligently, the local women’s association who served warm meals and drinks through the night, and the officers and staff who worked tirelessly to ensure smooth operations. The smiles of the visitors who return to this place each year exist because of the devoted support of these community members 👏 We would be happy to watch over this proud Gokase kagura tradition with you again next year and the year after 💕 Thank you very much to everyone who came from afar in the cold!

That green friend you see around town What is Marimo Pay?? A one-minute introduction! Master Marimo Pay to enjoy Akanko more conveniently and affordably Find out more via the link in the profile🔗 Instagram profile https://www.instagram.com/akan_tourism_association/...

Four top spots to see frost flowers at Akanko! 1. Thin ice with no snow cover 2. Clear, early mornings when temperatures fall below −15°C 3. Completely calm, windless days 4. Consult a professional guide to enjoy the scenery with peace of mind Note: Frost flowers are extremely delicate natural phenomena. Even if these conditions are met, you may still be unable to view them.

The Hiruzen Highlands are an idyllic corner of Japan nestled in the north of Okayama prefecture. The highlands are a popular resort area locally but see comparatively little foreign tourism, meaning it remains one of the region's better-kept secrets! Those who feel tired of the usual throng of tourists are sure to be soothed by the pastureland and mountain vistas. Hiruzen boasts the largest Jersey Cow farm in Japan, and some of the best milk i've had in the country. Hiruzen is not all undulating vistas and bucolic pleasures, though- It has its own amusement park! "Joyful Park" feels somewhat nostalgic, and has fun rides that are sure to delight any children you bring along. I have been a few times, and seen both monkey and dog shows performed there. The attached restaurant makes excellent use of local sheep for really delicious jingisukan mutton at an affordable price! After the crowding of parks like USJ, it is very refreshing to be able to go on any ride you'd like at a reasonable timescale. Hiruzen is perhaps at its best in fall, but can be a bit chilly in winter, so fair warning!

January 11th MtJonen summit sending up plumes of drifting snow Around noon today a trough of low pressure began passing over Azumino, turning a calm morning into fierce winds… The ridgeline of the Northern Alps visible from Azumino also turned white as snow plumes rose.

Morgenrot over the Northern Alps Scenery to behold in Azumino during winter Azumino, a town that makes you love mornings—this view is the best!!

SUP experiences on the Kushiro River this winter!! They finally start tomorrow. Kushiro River winter-only tours! Lotus leaf ice SUP cruising and Sunset & Night SUP adventures, we bring you SUP experiences that transcend time and space. For details and reservations, follow the link in our profile. Instagram profile link https://www.instagram.com/kushiro.lakeakan/... SUPER FANTASTIC → Time‑and‑space‑transcending SUP experience tour banner

Good morning. Yesterday, Tomakomai hosted the Tomakomai City Coming-of-Age Celebration for 20-year-olds.✨ Congratulations to the honorees and their families! Tomakomai’s official mascot, Tomachop, also tried on a kimono.👘 If you’d like to see Tomachop in kimono, please visit the Tomakomai Tourist Information Center.

🦀 A luxurious, reservation-only winter delicacy to savor❄ From Natural Garden in Naka Ward, Sakai City comes the winter reservation-only Crab Extravaganza Bento🍱✨ This indulgent bento is packed with the season’s crab, concentrating savory and sweet flavors One bite delivers an unforgettable taste…!🤤 It’s a perfect treat for special occasions or a thoughtful gift for someone dear✨ At the shop, in addition to the Crab Extravaganza Bento, you’ll find many items made with trusted ingredients and great taste! Customers often say, “Natural Garden’s bentos offer a flavor you can’t buy elsewhere!” They are very popular🍱 Natural Garden also hosts a much-loved buffet restaurant featuring seasonal vegetables and tofu🥦🍲✨ Experience these winter-only flavors at Natural Garden! We look forward to your reservation✨ If you’re interested, check the details below👀 📅 Crab Extravaganza Bento sales period Sunday, January 4 – Saturday, February 28 💰 Price: 2,900 yen (tax included 3,132 yen) *Available for order from 5 boxes* *Please reserve at least 3 business days in advance* 🚩 Store information Natural Garden 🕒 Business hours Restaurant (90-minute seating) ▶︎ First seating: 11:00–12:30 ▶︎ Second seating: 12:45–14:15 🍴 Shop hours 10:00–19:00 ✖ Closed: Tuesdays (open on public holidays) 🚃 Access: 9-minute walk from Fukai Station on the Nankai Senboku Line; parking available 🔍 For details, search “Natural Food Restaurant Natural Garden” https://sakai-natural-garden.jp//

Photographed on January 11, 2014. After the New Year’s fire brigade ceremony at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine, I visited Chabudai-san. It’s lemonade. When it’s cold, lemonade is the thing. 😊🍋🍯

Photographed on January 11, 2014. This is the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine’s Fortune Tai Omikuji for new adults only.

I went to Hatsumode at Inuyama Naritasan Temple in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture. These are a monkey chimaki from Nikko Saru Land and Arii.

On January 10th, we held a donto-yaki. Preparing for it was hard, but seeing the children so happy made it worthwhile.

Himeji Castle stands out against a clear, bitterly cold sky.

This is Mount Fuji as seen from an airplane.

Minase Shrine 3-10-24 Hirose, Shimamotocho, Mishima District, Osaka Prefecture Minase Shrine stands on the site of an Imperial villa from the Heian period once used by Emperor Go-Toba. The shrine enshrines three emperors: Emperor Go-Toba, Emperor Tsuchimikado, and Emperor Juntoku. After the Jōkyū War, following Emperor Go-Toba’s exile to the Oki Islands, Nobushige Minase and his son Chikanari Minase—who had served the retired emperor—built a memorial hall on the former Minase Imperial Villa site to honor his spirit, and that is considered the origin of the shrine. Selected as one of the 100 Famous Waters: Rikyu no Mizu One of Minase Shrine’s notable features is Rikyu no Mizu, a spring chosen for the Environment Agency’s list of 100 Famous Waters. This spring water has long been used as an offering to the deities, and many visitors still come to collect it. It is said that Sen no Rikyū favored this water, and a tea-offering ceremony using it takes place each year in the shrine’s tea room, Toshintei (Toshin-tei Tea Room). Visitors may take up to 20 liters home per person. Water collection hours are from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

From Hakuba Mountain Harbor, you can see breathtaking views of the Northern Alps on clear days. The first time I saw them, I was so captivated by the scenery that I lost myself for a while.

Kamigamo Shrine 339 Kamigamomotoyama, Kitaku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture Kamigamo Shrine, located in the Kitaku ward of Kyoto City, is one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto. Its formal name is Kamo-wake-ikazuchi Shrine, and its main enshrined deity is Kamo-wake-ikazuchi-no-Okami. 🐴 Divine Horse “Kamiyama-go” A divine horse, Kamiyama-go, has been dedicated to Kamigamo Shrine. Visiting daysOn Sundays, national holidays, and festival days, the divine horse is presented to visitors in the horse stable before the Second Torii Gate. LineageKamiyama-go is a former racehorse descended from a famous horse that once competed in G1 races. White Horse Viewing RitualOn January 7 every year, the White Horse Viewing Ritual takes place: Kamiyama-go approaches the shrine, is shown to the enshrined deity, and is given soybeans.

Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine offers a "Mirai An-tai" fortune slip exclusive to new adults. It runs until January 12. I hope to receive one too. 😊

Shimanto City, Kochi Prefecture — Little Kyoto of Tosa What is the Little Kyoto of Tosa? About 550 years ago, amid the Onin War, Lord Norifusa Ichijo, the former kampaku, relocated to Nakamura (now Shimanto City) and established his residence there. In homage to Kyoto, he laid the foundations for shrine and temple construction and the development of the town. ※kampaku: the highest court noble post assisting the emperor Lord Ichijo’s move brought many Kyoto cultural elements to the area and fostered local pride. Even today, place names and shrines recalling Kyoto—such as Gion, Kyomachi, Kamogawa, and Higashiyama—remain. Because the community has long preserved ties with Kyoto, the Nakamura district of Shimanto City is known as the Little Kyoto of Tosa. The town, however, sits in a region prone to natural disasters. Flooding of the Shimanto River, fires, and earthquakes have erased most old buildings, yet the grid-like street pattern formed from the medieval to early modern periods still survives. History of the Tosa Ichijo Family The Tosa Ichijo family began when Lord Norifusa Ichijo moved in 1468 (Onin 2) to Hata no shō in western Kochi Prefecture (present-day Shimanto City), his hereditary estate. The lord directly managed the manor, controlled logistics along the Shimanto River basin, and laid the groundwork for the town to prosper as a trading hub linking Kyushu and Kansai. Norifusa’s son Fusaie remained as a local lord instead of returning to Kyoto, expanding Hata no shō and bringing the Tosa Ichijo clan to its peak. The Tosa Ichijo governed this land as court nobles-turned-daimyo for 106 years—through Fusafuyu, Fusaki, and Kanesada—until they were driven into Bungo by Motochika Chōsokabe in 1574 (Tensho 2). Historic sites that evoke the Ichijo family Tama-hime’s grave Tamahime, a daughter of Prince Fushimi-no-miya Kunitaka and the wife of Ichijo Fusafuyu, came to Nakamura in 1521 (Dai-ei 1) when she married. Because she arrived on June 22 and died on August 22, the 22nd of every month is still affectionately observed by locals as Tamahime Day. Fuwa Hachimangu Shrine During the Bunmei era (1469–1487), the Ichijo family invited the kami from Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine in Kyoto to serve as the protective shrine for Hata. The honden preserves Muromachi-period architectural style and is the oldest shrine building in Kochi Prefecture, designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Ichijo Shrine Established in 1862 (Bunkyū 2) on a plot of the former Nakamura Gosho Site by local volunteers honoring the Tosa Ichijo legacy, the shrine precinct contains Ichijo-related historic features such as the makeup well and the “never-blooming” wisteria. Shimanto City Museum "Shirotto" This castle-shaped museum stands within the Nakamura Castle Ruins. From its keep-like building you can look out over the Shimanto River and Higashiyama and enjoy sweeping views of the town. The museum exhibits valuable materials on Shimanto’s nature and culture, as well as the history of the Tosa Ichijo, the Nakamura Yamauchi family, late-Edo period patriots, and Shimanto-born socialist Kotoku Shusui. Festivals and events that evoke Little Kyoto Seasonal events that recall Kyoto culture are held here, including the Tosa Ichijo Kuge Gyoretsu Fuji Matsuri (May), the Daimonji Okuribi bonfire (lunar calendar July 16), the Fuwa Hachimangu Grand Festival (September), and the Ichijo Grand Festival with the Sacred Fire Procession (November). Shimanto City carries a deep historical bond with Kyoto and a living tradition of inherited culture and performing arts. It is for these reasons, and its historical name Nakamura, that the area came to be called Little Kyoto of Tosa—Nakamura. A history linked to Kyoto, a culture passed down through generations. Come and feel the charm that makes Shimanto City known as the Little Kyoto of Tosa.

I watched the New Year’s fire brigade ritual by the Kawagoe Wakatobi Association at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine. They look sharp.

Photographed on January 1, 2014. This is a beckoning cat omikuji from Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. 🐈 It looks like something good might happen.

This is Nakajima Park in Sapporo. There is a large pond, but it has frozen for winter and has become a path for red foxes.

This is the Year of the Horse omikuji from Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. May it bring you blessings as well.🐴✨