Nestled along the rugged coastline of Otaru, Hokkaido, stands the remarkable Sea Lion Rock, a lesser-known gem that remains largely undiscovered by international visitors. In winter, the surrounding waters become a gathering place for hundreds of Steller sea lions, creating a spectacular wildlife scene against the dramatic backdrop of the Sea of Japan. As the seasons change, summer brings flocks of black-tailed gulls that fill the skies and cliffs with life. Rising behind this iconic rock formation is the striking red-and-white Shukutsu Observatory, visible prominently above the coastline and extending toward the vast Sea of Japan. Together, the observatory, the wildlife, and the rugged seascape create a breathtaking panorama that captures the essence of northern Japan's natural beauty. While Otaru is often celebrated for its canals and historic streets, this hidden coastal viewpoint offers a different perspective—one where nature, history, and scenery converge.

Introducing the new tourism hub in Nagano City, "Travel HUB Nagano City"✨ 〈Don't forget to tap the "save mark" if you want to revisit this later!〉 "Travel HUB Nagano City" While continuing services such as luggage storage, tourism information, and tour sales introduced during the winter season, we will sequentially launch new offerings including kimono rentals and sales, a select shop for Shinshu ice cream called "Tabisuru Spoon," café services, authentic ninja experiences, taxi tours, and outdoor activity sales. This will serve as a new gateway for tourists, visitors, and local residents, starting from in front of Nagano Station. "Tabisuru Spoon" This is a select shop where you can discover delightful ice creams from various regions of Shinshu. We offer cup ice cream from local producers throughout the prefecture, based on the concept "A journey through Shinshu begins with a single spoon." We plan to rotate the products based on the season and availability. "Kimono and Yukata Rental and Sales - Kimono no Tachibana" In collaboration with "Kimono no Tachibana," a beloved establishment in Nagano Prefecture for many years, we have started renting and selling kimonos and yukatas. You can enjoy visiting Zenkoji Temple and strolling around Nagano City in traditional attire. "Luggage Storage" You can store your bags and suitcases before checking into your hotel or while sightseeing in the city. We can accommodate large luggage that doesn't fit in coin lockers. Leave your bags at Travel HUB Nagano City and enjoy sightseeing hands-free right after your arrival. 【Bag Size】 ¥500/1 day For items with a maximum side under 45cm (backpacks, handbags, personal items, etc.) 【Suitcase Size】 ¥800/1 day For items with a maximum side of 45cm or more (suitcases, skis, snowboards, musical instruments, strollers, etc.) "Experience Activities" We offer experience programs such as authentic shuriken throwing. Enjoy easy-to-try activities and unique programs that are hard to find elsewhere. 【Usage Fee】 ¥1,000 (approximately 10 minutes) "Basic Information" 【Location】1358 Suehirocho, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, 2F 【Access】About 2 minutes on foot from the Zenkoji Exit of JR Nagano Station 【Business Hours】9:30 AM - 5:00 PM 【Closed】None 【Parking】None (Please use nearby paid parking) #Travel HUB Nagano City #Nagano City #Inbound #Nagano City #Nagano Tourism

Photographed on January 11, 2014. This is the New Year fire brigade ceremony by the Kawagoe Young Firefighters Association at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on January 11, 2014. This is the New Year’s fire-departure ritual performed by the Kawagoe Young Firefighters Association at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on January 11, 2014. This is the New Year’s fire brigade ceremony by Kawagoe Young Firefighters Association at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on January 11, 2014. A first-fire ceremony by the Kawagoe Young Firefighters Association at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Delivered by the guides at Reihoku Town Tourist Information Center! Reihoku fishing seasonal update 🎣 Here are the fish you can catch in Reihoku’s waters at this time of year! Black sea bream (kurodai/chinu), mullet, squid, and more… Reihoku’s sea offers memories to last a lifetime for beginners and veterans alike. Amakusa and Reihoku are great not only in summer but in winter too. Come and visit!

Hello everyone, this is the Amakusa Reihoku Tourist Association. This Saturday, March 28, 2026, the Shiki Community Center in Reihoku will host an event everyone from children to grandparents can enjoy: HAPPY PARTY REIHOKU Sports Exchange. The highlight this time is the trending world of e-sports. From an easy-to-play bowling tournament to popular puzzle and versus games, the event is packed with activities that bridge generations. ■ Featured content E-sports bowling tournament: wonderful prizes await the winner! Nintendo Switch demo booths: familiar titles such as Suika Game, Super Smash Bros., brain-training games, and racing games will all be available. If you’re not very familiar with games, don’t worry—this is a great chance to boost your health or discover a new hobby. Come enjoy the event with three generations of your family. 📅 Event details Date and time: Saturday, March 28, 2026, 10:00–15:00 Location: Shiki Community Center, Reihoku (444-1 Shiki, Reihoku, Amakusa District, Kumamoto Prefecture) Who can attend: Everyone (children, students, and seniors are especially welcome!) Organizer: Amakusa Father’s Club Supported by: Reihoku and the Amakusa Reihoku Tourist Association, among others Contact Taiyo e-Sports (Contact: Honda) Phone: 090-2080-0661

Hello everyone. This is the Amakusa Reihoku Tourist Association. On March 6–7 (Friday–Saturday), we held a joint product fair with Kikuchi City at the farmers’ market "grape vineyard" in Minami Ward, Fukuoka City. Products representing the proud flavors of Kumamoto Prefecture’s mountains and seas gathered in Fukuoka for a lively event. ■ Collaboration: Kikuchi’s Mountains × Reihoku’s Sea At this product fair, we sold Kikuchi City’s delicious rice and agricultural produce alongside a wide range of seafood and processed goods nurtured by Reihoku’s abundant sea. ■ Interaction with the local community We were able to introduce Reihoku’s food appeal to many food-minded visitors to grape vineyard, and the experience was very meaningful for our staff. Beyond sales, visitors showed interest in Reihoku’s scenery and travel attractions, and we feel the emotional distance between Fukuoka and Reihoku has grown a little smaller. Also, on the first day, Friday, March 6, kumamon came to cheer us on, which thrilled the crowd 🐻 ■ Thank you Thank you very much to everyone who attended and to the staff of grape vineyard for providing the venue. Through events like this, we will continue to bring Reihoku’s delicious flavors and excitement to the whole country. Look forward to our next event!

Photographed on February 24, 2014. This is the hanachōzu (flower water basin) at Hara Florist.

Photographed on February 21, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Making the puppet faces! In Nishiokoppe Village, there is a club that performs puppet theater. It’s called the puppet theater club Doremi. They have performed at local daycare centers, elementary schools, and the Forest Museum “Mokumu,” and they have also held shows in Shimokawacho and Monbetsu City. During winter and spring, they spend time making puppets and preparing props and background decorations for performances. One afternoon, we dropped in while Doremi members were gathered. Preparing for performances from summer 2026 onward, they were just shaping the faces and torsos of the characters that will appear. This year’s piece seems to feature humans and several animals. They glued several sheets of styrofoam together, then shaved and shaved, comparing their work with reference photos and shaving again. Areas shaved too much and add-on parts like noses are formed with paper clay and attached to the base. They then paste shoji paper over the surface to build the final shape. There is still painting and sewing of fabric parts to do, so completion will take more time, but I could have watched forever as the members chatted while working—happy and serious at the same time. #Puppet theater #Doremi #Puppet making

Photographed on February 24, 2014. These are the hanachozu (flower water basins) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on February 21, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on February 17, 2014. This is the hanachouzui (decorative flower water basin) at Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin.

Photographed on February 15, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine, located at the omikuji distribution area.

Photographed on February 22, 2014. I visited Chabudai in front of KAWAGOE COFFEE SELECTION. This is a HOT natsumikan. 🍊 By chance I ran into a follower, and it was fun. 😊

[Winter Wildlife Class] A wildlife class for elementary school students in the village. Adults knowledgeable about hunting and the mountains served as staff and provided opportunities for the children to connect with the nature around them. This time there were two activities: making candles from Ezo deer fat and a winter forest walk. The staff had simmered the Ezo deer fat in advance. We examined materials to see how it had cooled and solidified into white and what it had looked like before that change. While reheating the fat, the children decorated small jars with stickers. After finishing the outer decorations, they shaved crayons into small pieces and put them into the jars to color the candles. The warmed, clear Ezo deer fat gave off its distinctive scent as it returned to the classroom. They poured the fat into jars with a hanging cotton string, stirred so the crayon bits would melt, and left them to set. 🦌 🦌 🦌 After a restroom break, we set off for Miyanomori. The road snow had melted and frozen into a slick surface, but the children, who walk this route to and from school every day, moved along with ease. When we reached the torii gate, we did thorough warm-ups and put on snowshoes. Following the footprints of the staff who had walked the trail the day before, we lifted our snowshod feet high and climbed step by step. The snowshoes, the heavy snow, and the sunlight worked up a good sweat. Along the way we observed animal tracks and the buds on branch tips. When we reached a more open area, we took a break and then began a game of hide-and-seek in the snow. We tried hiding in the shade of trees and behind mounds of piled snow. Two university student staff members did their best to search for us. 🦌 🦌 🦌 Back in the classroom after taking off our snowshoes, the candles had cooled and solidified nicely. Their colors had shifted slightly from when they were hot, and that was beautiful too. It will be fun to try them at home. This concludes this year’s wildlife class. Thank you to the children who participated and to all the staff! #Wildlife Class #Candles #Snowshoes

Photographed on February 15, 2014. This is Hanatetsu's hanachōzu (flower hand-washing basin).

On Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7, we from Reihoku will also exhibit at the “Kikuchi City and Reihoku Joint Product Fair in Fukuoka (Budoubatake),” held at the agricultural products direct sales shop Budoubatake in Minami Ward, Fukuoka City. The seasonal best of Reihoku’s sea and mountains comes together in Fukuoka! On the day, we will offer many of Reihoku’s proud specialty products. 🎁Fun Feature At the venue, customers spending 1,000 yen or more can enter a prize drawing! 📅Event Details Date and Time: Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7, 2026, 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Venue: Agricultural products direct sales shop Budoubatake (2-1-1 Nakao, Minami Ward, Fukuoka City) Program: Specialty product sales, tourism PR, prize drawing, support from Kumamon, and more. Please feel free to come and visit us ✨

Ski Festival The children of Nishiokoppe Elementary School held their annual ski festival to showcase what they learned in ski lessons ⛷ The recent warmth had turned the snow into a hard, crunchy surface. There were worries it might be difficult to ski on, but the participating students steadily warmed up and skied smoothly. Once everyone was ready, the younger grades started their runs. Their names were announced along with each child’s stated goal for how they wanted to ski, and then they set off. When the younger children skied, instructors sometimes skied alongside them to provide close guidance. Even on less-than-ideal snow, the instructors skied backward with poise and stability. Impressive work. - As a side note, it was a clear, sunny day. The sun was just above the slope when you looked up, and many parents wore sunglasses 😎 Not only the children skiing but also the staff filming for the village broadcast were bathed in sunlight. - As the grades went up, more children skied at faster speeds. After finishing their runs, the children cheered from the bottom of the slope for those coming down. The final skiers, the sixth graders, came down with such momentum that they stopped just at the edge of the area where their juniors were seated, kicking up snow in a dramatic display. You could hear bright yellow cheers. When everyone had finished skiing, we enjoyed cocoa prepared by the parents. The cocoa, warmed in a pot, warmed us through with its deliciousness. Well done to the children, the teachers, and all the parents. #Ski Festival #Ski

Photographed on February 15, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower-filled water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Tomakomai, known for having relatively little snowfall even in Hokkaido. As you can see, there was almost no snow in front of the station yesterday. However, please be aware that mornings and evenings still get quite cold. Many drivers in the city tend to change their tires from mid to late April. Those who drive over inland mountain passes in Hokkaido sometimes wait until after Golden Week in May to switch tires.

This was photographed at Hinode Bridge on the Biei River in Biei, Hokkaido. On a subzero morning I went to capture the sunrise, and in the cold so intense that even batteries stopped working, I saw others waiting for the sunrise besides myself.

The illumination of the World Heritage site Shirakawago is held only a few times a year. Lately it has become hard to get reservations, and even when you can, finding heavy snow is rare. I managed to go there twice to shoot: the first time there was almost no snow. The second time, however, I succeeded in photographing Shirakawago in such heavy snowfall that walking was difficult. I take landscape photos with gratitude for those encounters.

I went to Oshino Village in Yamanashi Prefecture for a photo shoot one early morning in February. The sky was clear, and I was able to see the magnificent Mount Fuji. The temperature was below freezing; there was no snow, but a white frost covered the ground. Corn cobs were hung out to dry and gleamed in the morning sun, so I took a shot with Mount Fuji in the background. Japan’s number one Mount Fuji shone brilliantly.

I felt the weight of the snow on the trees. I took this in the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture.

I photographed the misty mountains in the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture.

Photographed on February 15, 2014. This is the hanachōzu (flower water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Nagano Prefecture Kirigamine Venus Line. A snowy plain landscape. Deer tracks led across a deep, untouched snowfield where no people had ventured.