Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival Now underway! More areas are coming into full bloom♪ Please come and visit! Photo credit: Yasunori Okamoto

📣 "Himo Toke ba" Sakai Cycle Stroll will take place 🚲 Explore the moated area and other spots by bike using the limited "Himo Toke ba Sakai 2026 Stamp Passport" ✨ 🚩Meet the conditions and receive a "Myaku Myaku × Haniwa Chief collaboration pin badge" as a later gift! 🎁 📅 Date and time: Sunday, March 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 📬 Applications: Until Tuesday, March 10 🔍 For details, search for "Himo Toke ba Sakai Cycle Stroll"! 🔗 https://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/kurashi/doro/jitensha/sansou/himotokebasakaisansou.html...

Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival Now ongoing! More areas are coming into full bloom♪ Please come and visit! Photo credit::Mr. Yasuki Okamoto

Our popular “Morning Yoga at the Temple” Rental mats for the session on Sunday, March 8 are now down to only 2 slots left! 🧘‍♀️✨ Spend a luxurious, quiet moment in the main hall of Myohoji Temple, listening to your own breath. After balancing body and mind with yoga, the deputy chief priest will offer ・a gentle, warming morning rice porridge that’s kind to the body 🥣 ・relaxing matcha and wagashi (Japanese sweets) 🍵🍡 as a special treat. “I’ve been feeling unusually tired lately…” “I want to reset my body and mind for spring” This is the perfect pampering plan for those feelings. Only 2 slots remain with rental mats included—first come, first served! Hurry up 💨 📅 Date and time: Sunday, March 8 — Gather at 8:20 AM 📍 Venue: Myohoji Temple (4-1-3 Nakanocho Higashi, Sakai Ward) 💰 Fee: 5,000 yen (rental mat +100 yen) 🔍 For details, search “Sakai Morning Yoga” https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/tourism/detail/173...

📣 Exhibition of works by artist Aju! ✨ We will display works by Aju, an artist living in Sakai City who designed the mural inside the Lawson Cafe at the Osaka–Kansai Expo venue, in Gallery Yanagi 2 at Sakai City Museum. 🗓️ Thursday, February 26 – Sunday, March 1 ⏰ 10:00 AM–5:00 PM 📍 Sakai City Museum, Gallery Yanagi 2 💰 Free admission 🔍 For details, search “Sakai City Aju exhibition”! 🔗https://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/kanko/bunka/art_kanrenjigyo/expo_legacy/artist_tenzi.html...

Good morning ☀ This morning in Tsukigase Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival Now on! In full bloom! February 14, 2026 – March 29, 2026 Photo: Yasuki Okamoto

Daiichi Nagisa Park at Lake Biwa, where early-blooming rapeseed flowers blossom. The contrast between the white snow and the yellow flowers is striking.

Today I visited Tsukigase Plum Grove in Tsukigase, Nara City, Nara Prefecture. The plum trees were about three to five percent in bloom.

🌈Sumo Wrestlers from Ajigawa Stable and Chanko Party After Morning Practice ❖Thursday, February 26 only! Enjoy a post-practice social gathering with the wrestlers of Ajigawa stable, home to ozeki Aonishiki (a Ukrainian who won consecutive tournament titles), and share a bowl of chanko ahead of the Osaka tournament!✨ Before the chanko party, you will watch a bit of morning practice. After feeling the power of sumo, you can take photos and receive a commemorative shikishi board with Aonishiki’s handprint. This event is organized with the cooperation of Matsubara City Tourism Association!✨ ⭐Highlights 🔹Watch Ajigawa stable’s morning practice from seated chairs 🔹Take photos with the wrestlers 🔹Enjoy a social chanko hotpot with wrestlers after practice 🔹Includes a shikishi board with ozeki Aonishiki’s handprint ⭐Date and Time 📅 Thursday, February 26, 2026, 9:50 AM–12:30 PM 💰 Participation fee: ¥15,000 (includes a commemorative gift 🎁) 📌 Application deadline: Noon the day before the event (first come, first served) 🔍For details and to apply, search “Sumo Wrestlers from Ajigawa Stable and Chanko Party After Morning Practice” 🔗 https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/tourism/detail/207... We also offer a limited number of accommodation package plans titled “Stay at Hotel Agora and Support Wrestler Agoura” for participants. (Transfers between facilities are not included) 🔗 https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/tourism/detail/207...

Imashirozuka Kofun Park is “imashirozuka kofun kouen” 48-8 Gunge Shinmachi, Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture Imashirozuka Kofun Park features a spacious park developed around the burial mound. With haniwa clay figures and plenty of woodland, it’s a pleasant place for a walk. The kofun has been restored to its former appearance. You can get detailed explanations at the nearby history museum, but visiting the kofun itself is enjoyable as well. This green park spans the equivalent of two Hanshin Koshien Stadiums (9 hectares). The inner embankment that circles the mound measures about 1 km, making it ideal for walking or running, and on sunny days you’ll often see families picnicking. The inner embankment also uniquely recreates the Great King’s haniwa ritual site (haniwa ritual place) in Japan, and the sight of some 190 clay figures representing houses, people, and animals is spectacular! Some of these are available to touch.

Imajo Ancient History Museum "imashirozuka kofun rekishikan" 48-8 Gunge Shinmachi, Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture Opening hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last admission at 4:30 PM). Closed: Mondays (open if Monday is a public holiday), the day after public holidays, and during the New Year holidays (December 28 to January 3). Admission: Generally free, though special exhibitions or planned exhibitions may charge a fee. This ancient history museum in Takatsuki City displays haniwa and other artifacts excavated from the adjacent Imashirozuka Kofun, offering a free way to learn about ancient history. Staff members provide various explanations. The Imajo Ancient History Museum also offers a variety of hands-on workshops that both children and adults can enjoy. It is located next to Imashirozuka Kofun.

Shinike Haniwa Factory Historic Park (shiseki shinike haniwa kouba kouen) Kamitsuchimuro 1-Chome, Takatsuki City There is no parking. 😂😂😂 Hours: Haniwa Factory Museum 10:00–17:00 (park grounds open all day) Closed: Haniwa Factory Museum December 29–January 3 This ancient haniwa workshop and kiln site has been recreated within a cluster of high-rise housing. Shinike Haniwa Factory Historic Park preserves one of the oldest and largest haniwa production sites on the hills east of Shinike. Through manga-style ceramic panels and reconstructed haniwa, visitors can enjoyably learn about the Kofun period and the process of making haniwa.

Good morning ☀ #This morning in Tsukigase #Satoyama landscape #Blooming is progressing #A village of flowers, greenery, and water #I want to connect with people who like photography #Nara Prefecture #Nara City #Nara tourism #tsukigase baikei plum festival February 14, 2026 to March 29, 2026 Photograph by Yasuki Okamoto

Expo Memorial Park Plum Festival Senri Expo Park, Suita City, Osaka Prefecture Schedule: From Saturday, February 7, 2026 to Sunday, March 8, 2026 ※Closed on Wednesdays ※Open on Wednesday, February 11 (a national holiday); closed the following weekday, Thursday, February 12, as a substitute holiday Time: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last admission at 4:30 p.m.) Venue: Natural and Cultural Garden Umebayashi, Japanese-style garden Umebayashi, and other locations The Umebayashi in the Natural and Cultural Garden spans about 5,500 square meters and features approximately 120 varieties and 600 plum trees, while the Umebayashi in the Japanese-style garden contains about 40 varieties and 80 trees, offering visitors a chance to enjoy a wide range of plum blossoms.

Tower of the Sun 1-1, Expo '70 Commemorative Park (Senri Banpaku Park), Suita City, Osaka Prefecture Because the number of visitors and viewing times inside the Tower of the Sun are limited, entry is primarily by reservation (reservations accepted until the day before; however, same-day tickets may be sold if spaces remain). The Tower of the Sun, the symbol of Expo '70 (the 1970 Japan World Exposition), was closed to the public for some time, but following renovation work its interior reopened to visitors in March 2018. Inside the Tower of the Sun, photography is generally allowed only on the first floor (the Underground Sun Zone and the first exhibition floor of the Tree of Life). On the routes to the upper floors, smartphones and similar devices must be kept in bags for safety to prevent items from falling. However, you can rent a special smartphone case that allows you to take photos safely even on the upper floors. The rental fee is 500 yen per case; payment is cash only. Thirty-six types of living creatures are depicted. There are 150 steps to the top of the tower, but an elevator is available.

Good morning ☀ This morning in Tsukigase Tsukigase Plum Valley Ume Festival Now on February 14, 2026 – March 29, 2026 Photo: Yasunori Okamoto

＼ 14th Sakai Yosakoi Kaeru Festival is on 🐸✨ ／ A day when the city of Sakai comes together through dance The "Sakai Yosakoi Kaeru Festival" returns this year🎶 Across generations and roles, Change people, rejuvenate, revive, transform the city, return to hometown This is a Yosakoi festival born in Sakai with those hopes🌱 At the venue, ✨ Powerful Yosakoi performances ✨ Friendly spaces full of smiles ✨ Programs that connect with the local community Will be in abundance! From children to adults, Whether it’s your first time or you already love Yosakoi, This festival offers fun for everyone 😊 📅 Date and time: Sunday, March 1 — 10:00 to 18:00 📍 Location: Daisen Park [Large Lawn Plaza], BiG-i Multipurpose Hall For details, check @sakai_kaeru! 🔍 Search for “Sakai Yosakoi Kaeru Festival” for more information! 🔗 https://www.instagram.com/sakai_kaeru...

Naritasan Osaka Betsuin Myooin (Naritasan Fudoson) 10-1 Narita-Nishimachi, Neyagawa City, Osaka Prefecture Parking is free for the first 15 minutes; thereafter 200 yen per 60 minutes (maximum daily rate applies) Those applying for a prayer service are free with a discount ticket. When people think of Naritasan Fudoson, they picture the bean-throwing festival. It bustles with crowds every year. There’s excitement when guest performers appear. No matter the reason, visiting for worship leaves you feeling refreshed.

Itami Sky Park 7-1-1 Morimoto, Itami Itami Sky Park is a vast park adjacent to Osaka International Airport (Itami Airport). It is known for offering close-up views of aircraft taking off and landing, and there are many ways to enjoy it both day and night. Itami Sky Park lets you watch aircraft take off and land up close, but there are several important precautions. 🚫 Prohibited Activities The following actions are prohibited, so please be aware. Ball games, frisbee, badminton, and similar activities: because they may interfere with aircraft operations. Erecting tents, tarps, or similar shelters: because they may interfere with aircraft operations. Bringing or riding motorbikes, bicycles, unicycles, etc.: please use the bicycle parking area. Bringing or using balance bikes (Strider), kickboards, J-boards. Fireworks. Flying kites: because they may interfere with aircraft takeoff and landing. Leaving trash behind: take your trash home with you. There are no trash bins in the park. Smoking: the entire park is non-smoking (including electronic cigarettes). Bringing pets: prohibited on lawns, in planting beds, and around fountains and water features.

Izanagi Shrine "Izanagi Jinja" 1-18-26 Saiji, Suita City, Osaka Prefecture Izanagi Shrine also has a parking area for shrine visitors along the road. There is a vending machine and space to park about seven cars. A male deity who, together with Izanami, gave birth to the land of Japan. One of the oldest divine couples, he is known as a god of marital harmony and matchmaking for having fathered many deities. He is also known as a god of industrial and agricultural promotion for creating the world from the land and nature, and historically, because he performed the first ritual of purification (misogi), he is revered as a protector against misfortune. On the grounds of Izanagi Shrine, there is a sign explaining the status of the main hall as "Yamada Izanagi Shrine Main Hall," designated as an Osaka Prefecture cultural property. According to the sign, the main hall was designated an Osaka Prefecture cultural property on January 17, 2011.

Discover Sakai as you visit and encounter its charms. “Himotoku Sakai 2026 ～OSAKA SAKAI EXPO～” is coming! An interactive event that unravels Sakai. This edition centers on the theme “OSAKA SAKAI EXPO”🔍 Enjoy tea service, hands-on experiences, and local gourmet treats to relive the Expo experience in Sakai! Take part in a stamp rally using the limited "Himotoku Sakai" stamp passport to collect official pavilion stamps and more while touring Sakai! Those who meet the conditions will receive a collaboration pin badge featuring Myakumyaku and Haniwa Bucho!✨ 📅 Event dates: Friday, March 20th (public holiday) to Sunday, March 22nd ※The stamp rally runs from Sunday, March 1st to Tuesday, March 31st 📍 Location: Various locations in Sakai City 🔍 For details, search for “Himotoku Sakai 2026”! 🔗 https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/news/detail/20251217133435...

Winter haze over the Akashi Strait. In winter the Akashi Strait looks like an ink-wash painting, with Awaji Island and the great Akashi Kaikyo Bridge shrouded in mist.

♬ Sophia Sakai Planetarium February Screening Program Announcement ♬ We are announcing the Sophia Sakai Planetarium screening program running through Saturday, February 28.✨ (Closed: Mondays, February 24) A new program features live commentary by an interpreter who will talk about constellations and the charms of the night sky!✩ Please come and visit☺♪ 【Screening Program】 ・The Night Sky Time with Live Commentary by an Interpreter ・Inazuma Delivery: A By‑the‑Way Space Journey!? — Encounter with a Black Hole — ・Shimajiro and the Wishing Star ・Maku‑maku’s Great Starry Adventure ・To the GRAND UNIVERSE — music by Joe Hisaishi (through Feb. 26) ・Nature‑rium: Aurora’s Melody — Exploring the Mysterious Light ・Rabi‑kun’s Space Trip (through Feb. 23) ・Seasons — The Star‑Falling Surface of the Water 📅 Through Saturday, February 28 📍 Sophia Sakai Planetarium (@sophiasakai_pla) 💰 Adults 600 yen Children 250 yen 👥 Capacity 140 people (first‑come, first‑served) 🔍For details, search for “Sophia Sakai Planetarium program”! 🔗 https://www.sofia-sakai.jp/planetarium/planetarium-program/...

🚆A Tour to Visit the “Nankai Main Line Elevation” Construction Site Where You Can Go Up on the Viaduct👀 📣One Day Only: Saturday, March 28! This special chance lets you go up onto the railway viaduct under construction and see the Nankai Main Line and the Hankai Tramway crossing point! A walking tour along restricted access areas beside the Nankai Main Line “viaduct construction” route🚶🏻‍➡️ 🔹Participants receive a rare railway collectible (not for sale) as a commemorative gift! 🎁 🔍Highlights 🔹 Suwanomori Old Station Building 🔹 A walk along the Nankai line through the viaduct construction area 🔹 A once-in-a-limited-time experience going up onto the viaduct before it opens 🔹 Hamadara Park Old Station Building 📅Date and Time 🔹 Saturday, March 28, 2026, 1:20 PM–3:00 PM 📍Suwanomori Old Station Building to Hamadara Park Old 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 “A Tour to Visit the ‘Nankai Main Line Elevation’ Construction Site Where You Can Go Up on the Viaduct”! 🔗 https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/tourism/detail/205...

✨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...

📣 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...

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.

Good morning ☀ #This morning in Tsukigase Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival February 14, 2026 to March 29, 2026

Suishinin Temple Suishinin Temple Hana no Ma Kyoto Yamashina Suishinin Temple Hana no Ma♪ Let's go to Kyoto. (February 2, 2026 – March 13, 2026) 35 Ono Goryo-cho, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture The "Hana no Ma" at Suishinin Temple transforms a space usually used as the Noh room into a vivid floral display for a special event. Held annually in honor of Ono no Komachi, a Heian-period poet often counted among the world’s three great beauties, the display offers visitors soothing beauty and moving impressions.

Yasaka Shrine Setsubun Festival 2026 625 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture The highlight of the Yasaka Shrine Setsubun Festival is the dance offerings and bean-throwing performed by geiko and maiko from the hanamachi. At the Yasaka Shrine Setsubun Festival, beans are thrown with participants shouting only “Fuku wa uchi” (Good fortune in). This stems from the belief that no oni (demons) exist within the shrine grounds, so there is no need to chant “Oni wa soto” (Demons out). Dance offerings and bean-throwing: From the four hanamachi—Pontocho Kabukai Association, Miyagawacho Kabukai, Gion Kobu Kabukai, and Gion Higashi Kabukai—beautiful geiko and maiko present gagaku and imayo performances, followed by bean-throwing. The fukumame (lucky beans) distributed at the Yasaka Shrine Setsubun Festival (offering fee 300 yen) always come with a raffle ticket that guarantees a prize, making them very popular each year. Offering fee: 300 yen No blank tickets (every ticket wins something) You can draw your prize on the spot at the raffle venue Items distributed: Fukumame, skewer talismans, and other Setsubun festival–exclusive items. Some fukumame include raffle tickets for prizes. After the dances finish, geiko, maiko, and men and women born in the Year of the current zodiac will throw beans from the Maiden stage. The chance to be handed fukumame directly by hand occurs only at this moment. The front of the Maiden stage fills with excitement, and the shrine grounds take on the lively atmosphere typical of a Setsubun festival.