Event Announcement 📣 On September 20th (Sunday), the 50th Hakurin Park Festival will be held in Taiki Town 😊 This autumn industrial festival offers a unique taste of Taiki Town, with its mountains and sea 🎵🎵 The event will kick off with a powerful performance of the local folk art "Hikata River Taiko," created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Taiki Town's establishment in 1978! The special stage will feature performances by local children, a karaoke show by enka singer Keisuke Yamauchi, and an impersonation live show by Hiro Aoyama, making for a jam-packed program ✨✨ In the exhibition and experience booths, there will be popular activities like the "Fluffy Dome," badge-making, coloring, and woodworking workshops for children to enjoy. Plus, a gathering of "working vehicles"! 🚓🚒 The gourmet and product exhibition area will be rich with delicious local cuisine, including food booths and a direct sale of Taiki beef. Additionally, specialty products from sister city Sōma City, Fukushima Prefecture, and friendly city Yoshioka Town, Gunma Prefecture, as well as products from the Galactic Federation, will all be available to savor 😍 There will also be a "Fall Chum Salmon Catching" event exclusively for children under elementary school age, and the finale of the event will feature a fun lottery! 🎀 It's a day of fun for both adults and children. We hope you come with your family to create wonderful memories 🤗 🔶 Date: September 20, 2026 🔶 Venue: Hakurin Park, Taiki Town 🔶 Contact: 50th Hakurin Park Festival Executive Committee (Taiki Town Tourism Association Office) TEL: 01558-6-2114 https://visit-taiki.hokkaido.jp/sp_detail.php?id=150...

Taken on September 14, 26. This is the Ai-Tai fortune slip from Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Taken on September 14, 2026. This is a windmill in front of the Otorii gate at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. I thought it might be one of the last chances to see it, so I went to take a look.

Taken on September 14, 26. This is the flower water at Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin.

Tove Jansson Akebono Children's Forest Park in Hannou City, Saitama Prefecture A forest park that Tove Jansson, the author of Moomin, cherished. The sight of people spending time under the golden trees embodies the "free and quiet moments" she loved. May this gentle peace be quietly passed on to the future.

Mentaiko! Spiced pollock roe, even when translated into English, isn't immediately familiar for many native speakers. "Spicy fish eggs" gets the meaning across clearly, but isn't likely to win any new converts. For either committed fans or the merely curious though, there are Mentai Parks that combine a large variety of mentai-flavored foods, a production line where Mentaiko is made, and a surprisingly expansive play area complete with games, slides, trick art and even a theater showing Mentaiko videos, all at no entry fee. Visitors can watch the magic happen with windows that offer a behind-the-scenes look at Mentaiko production, or hear about Mentaiko-related trivia from a cheerful Mentaiko professor character. That there should be one such Mentai Park would be a curiosity, an idiosyncrasy of Japan, which can often be found celebrating things seen as oddities from a more global perspective, but in fact there are no less than a half dozen, spreading west to east from Kobe, Biwako, Tokoname, Izu, Gunma and Oarai. If you are in the area of one, you could do far worse than visit. The food court offers Mentaiko (of course) and very little else, but that can take the form of onigiri, noodle dishes, baguettes, or even ice cream. There is a free tea dispenser, which is a further nice gesture. You may find yourself coming home with a cuddly soft spiced pollock roe toy, or awaken a new love of mentaiko-flavored ice cream. Whatever the case, the price is right, and its sure to be a distinct and pleasant experience.

Taken on September 9, 2026. This is the autumn display at Kawagoe Prince Hotel. The Kawagoe Festival is just around the corner next month, isn't it?🏮

Captured on September 9, 26. This is the autumn display at Kawagoe Prince Hotel. 🍁 The Kawagoe Festival will be held on October 17 and 18. 🏮

Autumn in Nikko The World Heritage Site, Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shrine. Just off the main path, vibrant autumn quietly thrived.

Captured on August 17, 26. This is the "Kawagoe Tanabata Musubuomoi Wind Chimes" at Kajimachi Hiroba Square.

Photographed on July 26, 2026. These are the red thread wind chimes at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Taken on July 30, 2026. These are the matchmaking wind chimes at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Photographed on July 30, 2026. These are the matchmaking wind chimes at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Photographed on July 30, 2014. These are the matchmaking wind chimes of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Taken on August 5, 2014. This is the wind chime for matchmaking at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, along with the main hall designated as an Important Cultural Property.

Photographed on September 3, 26. These are the matchmaking wind chimes at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Photographed on September 3, 2014. These are the matchmaking wind chimes at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Taken on September 3, 2026. This is the matchmaking wind chime from Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. I have many more photos of the matchmaking wind chime, so I would appreciate your company.

Photographed on September 3, 2014. These are the matchmaking wind chimes at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. See you next year.

Photographed on September 3, 26. This is the matchmaking wind chime at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. The matchmaking wind chime event has ended.

Taken on September 8, 26. This is bitter cream coffee and chocolate terrine.

Taken on September 8, 26. This is the Starbucks Kanetsuki-dōri Store.

This is a fortune slip for good relationships and connections, featuring the Aida fish.

Today, I visited the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. I came to express my gratitude for passing the exam. I thought there would be fewer people since it was 8 AM on a weekday, but it turned out to be the Good Relationship Prayer Festival.

Photographed on September 1, 2014. These are the matchmaking wind chimes at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. I made a big move from Yokohama to Kawagoe, and my energy ran out before sunset, so I left early.

Taken on September 1, 2026. These are the matchmaking wind chimes from Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. The matchmaking wind chimes have ended.

Ashinoko Lake in Hakone offers a "Pirate Ship Cruise" Interestingly, none of the ships are "pirate" ships proper, but designed and modeled from European navy vessels from the age of sail, making them a sort of museum exhibit you can experience! There have been a long line of ships in Hakone; The Pioneer, which sailed Ashinoko from the cruise's start in 1961, was joined by the Victoria and the Royal to make up the first generation. The iconic trio that succeeded the first generation were the Vasa, inspired by the 17th century Swedish Royal vessel of the same name, the Victory, based on the HMS Victory of Trafalgar fame, and the Royal II, based on the 18th century French "Royal Louis." No trace of pirate associations to be had, but for many European sail vessels are inextricably linked with pirates, who enjoy good PR. I blame Jack Sparrow! The "Vasa" was retired in 2019 after almost three decades of service, and the newest ship is the "Queen Ashinoko"- Perhaps characteristically of recent developments in Japan, it is no longer modeled on a foreign antecedent but is a Hakone original, albeit unmistakably aiming for the same aesthetic as the other vessels. Hakone is famous for its Onsen, and many people visit with Onsen in mind. But if you should find yourself in the area, why not consider a lake cruise as well? Its certainly an unexpected and interesting diversion to find yourself on a boat that looks like it sailed out of European history in a tranquil lake to the southwest of Tokyo!

Taken on September 1, 2026. This is the matchmaking wind chime at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. The matchmaking wind chime will be available until September 6.

The straight road in the city center is adorned with ginkgo trees. Tokyo is one of the regions in Japan with particularly abundant ginkgo trees, and their presence transforms the urban landscape into vibrant autumn hues. The yellow leaves, tinged with the light of dusk, seem to ease the hustle and bustle of the city just a little. (Location: Shinjuku, Tokyo)

Photographed on September 1, 26. These are the matchmaking wind chimes at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. I found a red thread wind chime.