◆Ise Lobster Festival Period: Saturday, October 5, 2024–Saturday, November 30, 2024 ※Checkout until Sunday, December 1, 2024 ※Reservation applications start: Saturday, September 14–Friday, November 22, 2024 (phone reception 9:00–17:00) ※Applicable to stays for two or more people (one night) ※The lottery is not first-come, first-served for reservations, reception, or applications ※No accommodation discounts are available ◆Overview ◉Accommodation reservations are accepted through Friday, November 22, 2024. ◉Stays on Saturday, November 16 and Sunday, November 17 may be difficult to reserve due to a local town event. ◉Ise lobster is offered to adults (junior high school students and older) and children (ages 6 through elementary school). ◉Each guest may choose one lobster cooking method. ※Choose one of three lobster cooking methods: sashimi, boiled, or oni-gara yaki (roasted in the shell). ※The available cooking methods and their details may vary by accommodation. ◉The lottery tickets are limited to the first 500 people who draw at the venue. ※The order is not based on reservation, reception, or application sequence but on the order in which lottery tickets are actually drawn at the venue (Tourism Association). ◉Lottery eligibility covers adults and children (ages 6 through elementary school). ※Infants (ages 0–1) and toddlers (ages 2–5) are not eligible. ◉The lottery ends once the 500-ticket limit is reached. ◉After the lottery ends, accommodation reservations will continue to be accepted without special benefits. ◉Only guests who made accommodation reservations through our Tourism Association are eligible for the lottery. ※However, lottery tickets are awarded on a first-come basis to those who actually come to the Tourism Association in person. ◉When you pay the reservation deposit, you will receive a “Reservation Deposit Receipt,” which you must present to draw a lottery ticket. ◉Lottery tickets can be drawn at Roadside Station Shimogamo Onsen Yunohana (Tourist Information Center). ◉Roadside Station Shimogamo Onsen Yunohana is open from 9:00 to 17:00. Accommodation Procedure ◉Apply for accommodation via the application form, email, or phone. ◉Once our Tourism Association arranges your accommodation, we will mail you an accommodation information letter. ◉After you receive the accommodation information letter, please transfer the stated accommodation fee to the designated bank account. ◉After confirming your transfer, we will mail you the Reservation Deposit Receipt. ◉Once you receive the Reservation Deposit Receipt, please come to Minami-Izu Town. ◉Present the Reservation Deposit Receipt at the Tourism Association reception to draw a lottery ticket. ◆Steps to the Lottery Ticket ① Apply (via form, etc.) ② Accommodation arrangement (rooms may be unavailable) ③ Accommodation information letter mailed ④ Guest transfers accommodation fee ⑤ Reservation Deposit Receipt mailed ⑥ Lottery ticket drawn at the Tourism Association ◆Accommodation Benefits (Prize Redemption) With numbered tickets ・Five winners: accommodation subsidy voucher worth 15,000 yen each ・Ten winners: accommodation subsidy voucher worth 5,000 yen each ・Twenty winners: live Ise lobster (one box, approximately 1 kg, 2–7 lobsters) ・Seventy-five winners: frozen Ise lobster (150 g–300 g) ・Ten winners: Irozaki Ocean Park shopping voucher worth 3,000 yen ・Thirty winners: Irozaki Ocean Park shopping voucher worth 2,000 yen ・Fifty winners: Irozaki Ocean Park shopping voucher worth 1,000 yen Without numbered tickets ・100 yen discount on purchases at Irozaki Ocean Park ※Present the non-numbered lottery ticket plus a parking ticket at the register ※Lottery participants will receive a free parking voucher for Irozaki Ocean Park ※If the lottery ends, accommodations will be offered as regular Ise-lobster-inclusive stays without the lottery benefits.

Today, during the break, I went to HK TEA. It fruit triple chocolate with passion honey and egg waffles. It is very tasty. 😊

Photographed 9/27/24. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu approach to the temple.

Visited 9/25/24. After Prayer to Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, we visited LEC COFFEE. It is an original chai and an apple tart. 🍎 It is very tasty. 😊

Photographed 9/25/24. It is Hanachozu of Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin.

Today, after renewing my license, I took a walk in Kawagoe. This is the love water of Kawagoe Kumano Shrine. It is an autumn specification. 🍁

Visited on 9/21/24. LEC COFFEE's original chai and coffee jelly. available always. 😊

Photographed 9/21/24. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

September 23 (Mon) Red spider lilies announcing the start of autumn 🍁 Hello everyone 🤗! Gokase Town had an intense thunderstorm yesterday ⛈️, and today dawned bright and clear with a refreshing breeze 😌☀️! The atmosphere has completely shifted to autumn 🍁 — it feels so pleasant… ✨ Along the roadside in Gokase Town, as autumn approaches, you can sometimes spot striking red flowers 👀 — red spider lilies ☺️💡 So today I photographed the red spider lilies blooming near Yuuhi-no-Sato Ohashi bridge in the Kuwanochi area 📸💫 As their name suggests, red spider lilies reach their peak around the equinoctial week and are known as flowers that announce the start of autumn; they are also called lycoris or manjusha-ge 🤔 Their vivid red color and distinctive shape really catch the eye 👏 When I was shooting, various swallowtail butterflies swirled around them, creating an incredibly beautiful scene 🥹✨ Because their bulbs are poisonous, people have long planted them around rice paddies, fields, and graves to deter moles, so they carry a traditional Japanese charm that stirs nostalgic feelings when you look at them 😌… Spring and autumn especially bring out the beauty of plants — they are wonderful seasons 🍁. Let’s continue enjoying Japan’s four seasons 🤩✨

Photographed 9/21/24. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine. It's an autumnal color.

Photographed 9/21/24. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine and yo-yo omikuji. On the left is the miraculous rice plant Isehikari. I put them all in.

Photographed 9/21/24. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu approach to the temple. 🌻

Visited on 9/15/24. It is a rice set (+ fried chicken) from Tomori Shokudo. The miso soup and side dishes with many vegetables are also delicious. It is a set meal with a good nutritional balance. 😊

Visited on 9/15/24. After the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Monthly Festival, we went to the Starbucks Bell Ring Street store. It was a Sunday, so it was crowded. It is a pumpkin spice latte and Mont Blanc with chestnuts and roasted green tea. 🎃🌰

This is an exhibition at the Kawagoe Prince Hotel in honor of the Kawagoe Festival. The Kawagoe Festival will be held on 10/19 (Sat) and 20 (Sun).

Photographed 9/19/24. Hachimangu Shrine in the Precincts of Izumo Ihabi Shrine had been changed to Tenjinjigisha. The Instagram of Izumo Ihabi Shrine was also opened.

I ran errands and Town Town hall Mt. Moro, and Prayer the Izumo Ihahi Shrine yellowtail a long time. This year, I'm going to try to Prayer Yabusame Festival as well. 🐎

Photographed 9/15/24. This is Yatagarasu-sama of Kawagoe Kumano Shrine.

Photographed 9/15/24. Prayer at Kawagoe Kumano Shrine. It is a circle of nagi using the nagi of the sacred tree of Kumano. It is the same as the circle of Kaya no Rinokuguri and cleanses impurities. Benefit is said to be good luck, protection from disaster, and peace and safety.

On this day, foodie Kawanishi visited Tokoro Terrace in Shiga Akanuma, Suwa, Nagano Prefecture. This stylish spot, known in Suwa for selling kanten, also houses a cafe and dining area.☕ Tokoro Terrace promotes making kanten part of everyday life with the motto “bringing kanten closer to you.” The person who introduced the shop that day was manager Kurane. Next to the shop and cafe is a factory specializing in tokoroten, so the tokoroten served here comes fresh from the adjacent factory!!! I dislike vinegar-and-soy dressing, and since I learned about kuromitsu I’ve been hooked♪ It’s virtually zero calories (excluding the kuromitsu lol)!!! Kanten comes in many forms—block kanten (bō kanten), string kanten, and powdered kanten—and it’s a versatile ingredient you can add to rice, miso soup, or salads. As a child, I couldn’t wait for the school lunch day with mandarin orange milk kanten and used to pace around the serving area... Kanten provides dietary fiber and doesn’t overpower other ingredients, so it shines in main dishes, appetizers, and desserts alike—truly the Shohei Ohtani of the ingredient world!!! That day I found a pack of 100 sticks of kanten; some customers buy that size a few times a year!!! The quantity and enormity were astounding lol At the cafe, they use that kanten in tokoroten, cream anmitsu (their most popular item), soft serve, and even the hugely popular pudding. They serve lunch (11:00–14:00), where a salad with added kanten enhances the flavors of the main dish. The place is welcoming to men and has counter seating, so you can easily enjoy a casual cafe visit or lunch.🍴 You can also enjoy coffee made from beans by Yuhigahama Coffee of Matsumoto alongside the sweets, so try them together.☕ The entire shop is barrier-free, so customers in wheelchairs can enter with confidence. Many visitors come in three generations—grandmother, mother, and grandchild—and enjoy the cafe together. Why not consider this as a souvenir from Suwa? ◎ Tokoro Terrace 📍 1545-1 Shiga, Suwa (5-minute drive from Suwa I.C. toward Lake Suwa; parking for 40 cars) ☎ 0266-52-1056 ◎ Hours: 10:00–18:00 ・ Shop hours: 10:00–18:00 ・ Cafe hours: 10:00–17:00 (Lunch 11:00–14:30) ◎ Closed: Thursdays and during the New Year holidays (Dec 31–Jan 2) ◎ Online shop available.

Visited on 9/12/24. CAFE ANDON's lemonade and coffee jelly sundae. It is very tasty. 😊

Nouvelle Bairindo Suwa Store (Confectionery House Nouvelle) On this day, foodie Kawanishi visited Nouvelle Bairindo Suwa Store (Confectionery House Nouvelle). It’s such a famous shop that virtually everyone in the Suwa area knows it! The exterior is stylish and, true to its name, evokes a charming confectionery house. Among Nouvelle’s offerings, the flagship item “Kurumi Yamabiko” is one of Kawanishi’s personal favourites. It uses fresh milk from the foothills of the Yatsugatake Mountains in Shinshu to make a slowly cooked special walnut caramel, which is wrapped in a crisp cookie. The cookie shell is not sweet, the walnut caramel inside is pleasantly sweet, and the balance between them is perfect!!! This treat is so addictive that you really can’t stop. Apart from my eldest son and second daughter, who have nut allergies, my whole family—including my parents—are huge, huge, huge fans www The company’s current president is said to be the creator of this hit product! Thank you so much for the supremely delicious Kurumi Yamabiko! It was released in 1985, so this year marks its 39th anniversary!!! The person who assisted us that day was Yudasaka, section chief of the administration department. According to him, Bairindo strongly values using local ingredients. Did you know each store also has shop-limited sweets? Here they are ↓ ・Suwa Store → Cream puffs ・Okaya Main Store → Waffles ・Shimosuwa Store → Shaved ice and pies (custard pie available at all stores plus a Shimosuwa-only original flavor) ・Chino Store → Soft serve ice cream (also sold at Okaya; Yamabiko soft is Chino-only) ・Cheesecake appears to be another store-limited sweet, so please do visit the stores! Hot on the heels of “Kurumi Yamabiko” is “Suwa no Tsuki.” The walnut caramel inside is the same as Kurumi Yamabiko, but here it’s mixed with white bean paste, making it extremely popular with elderly people who find Kurumi Yamabiko hard to swallow. Mixing in white bean paste improves the texture and throat feel, making it easier to eat than Kurumi Yamabiko — that’s why it’s so popular! It’s an impressive innovation. This conversation gave a glimpse of why it appeals to so many people. Ranking in the top three is Suwa Kurumi Caramel!!! It started with four designs representing nearby locations: Suwa → Karin, Shimosuwa → Manji stone Buddha, Okaya → Silk-rearing deity, Chino → Jomon Venus. The president was so eager to have representations for Hara Village and Fujimi that Hara Village’s celery and Fujimi’s tomato were created, completing characters for six neighboring municipalities. There’s actually a backstory behind Fujimi’s highland red ruby. A tomato grown by students in the horticulture department at Fujimi High School had been selected for judging at the Tokyo Olympics, but as everyone knows the Games were postponed by one year. When the president learned about the students’ tomatoes left without an outlet, he simply said, “Let’s use them as ingredients for the Highland Ruby!” That kind of manly decisiveness is electrifying. Those tomatoes continue to be sourced to this day. It made me think that the president’s commitment to local produce has produced these big hit items. Finally, Yudasaka’s top recommendation that day was the “Asaichi Cocco Sable.” The eggs come from chickens raised at Yatsugatake Central Agricultural Practical School in Hara Village. It’s a simple sable that remains soft while retaining a solid buttery flavour. Foodie Kawanishi’s personal top pick is the exquisite Kurumi Yamabiko!!! I learned for the first time that they also sell whole uncut loaves in their original shape, with wooden boxes or special knives included… it’s a dream product 🌟 If no one was watching, I’d probably bite straight into it www These appear only a few times a year!!! Maybe I’ll buy one as a birthday present 🎶 It’s an irresistible item for Kurumi Yamabiko lovers! Nouvelle Bairindo’s products also make wonderful souvenirs. Many sweets are inspired by or made with ingredients from the Suwa area. When my family brings souvenirs, Nouvelle Bairindo is our one and only choice w When people think of popular sweet souvenirs from the Suwa region, they think of Nouvelle Bairindo. If you visit the Suwa area or find their products at a retailer, please do buy and enjoy them!!! ◎ Nouvelle Bairindo Suwa Store (Confectionery House Nouvelle) 📍 1-2556-7 Jonan, Suwa, Nagano Prefecture 〒 ☎ 0266-54-7971 Hours & Closed days: 10:00–19:00 Closed only on New Year’s Day

The National Alps Azumino Park is a national park spreading at the foot of the Northern Alps in central Nagano Prefecture. The park has two areas: Omachi-Matsukawa in the north and Horikane-Hotaka in the south. The Horikane-Hotaka area lies about a 20-minute drive from Azumino Interchange on the Nagano Expressway. In the Horikane-Hotaka area, the yellow cosmos are now in full bloom. Eight hundred thousand yellow cosmos flowers cover 2.5 hectares of terraced rice fields in a spectacular display. The National Alps Azumino Park is broadly divided into two zones, and the yellow cosmos appear in the Satoyama Culture Zone, so please be careful not to use the wrong entrance. They should be enjoyable through late September. After that, in the Rural Culture Zone, you can see 180,000 cosmos of 12 different varieties. These are expected to peak from late September through mid-October. There are photo spots, and on clear days you can see Mt. Jonen. *Two pink cosmos photos are from last year.*

Visited on 9/12/24. This is a hot sandwich set of avocado and shrimp from CAFE ANDON. It's my favorite combination. I'm allowed to relax before work. 😊

Photographed 9/15/24. It is the square of the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine direct meeting hall. It had changed from a kazaguruma to a wind chime.

Tone River fireworks festival 2024 The star mine of the feast by the four major fireworks masters is a masterpiece It was a fusion of beauty and delicacy. The 30,000 Tone River fireworks festival colored the screen up, down, left and right. Ibaraki Tone River fireworks festival 2024.9.14

Tone River Grand Fireworks Festival Fireworks are a traditional culture that Representatives Japan. It was the first time I went to this Tone River Grand Fireworks Festival, and the night sky was lit up by 30,000 flowers, one of the largest in Japan. Ibaraki Prefecture's proud fireworks masters, Yamazaki Smoke and Fire Factory, No Village fireworks Industry, Beniya Aoki Smoke and Fire Shop, and Margaux, the four major fireworks masters one of the best in Japan, performed gorgeously, and I am grateful and grateful that this scenery seen with Kan inn Castle was born in Japan.

Today, I attended the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Monthly Festival. This is the Otorii Gate. The annual festival of Yawata Shrine in the Precincts was also held.

Photographed 9/14/24. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Prayer at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine today. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.