New Year Greetings Happy New Year. We extend our heartfelt thanks for your warm support and cooperation in promoting the charms of Tsukigase over the past year. Tsukigase, shaped alongside the plum trees, has matured into a countryside that quietly refreshes visitors’ spirits while showing different faces through the seasons. This year as well, we hope it remains a place where nature and people live close together and gentle exchanges thrive. The annual Tsukigase Plum Grove Plum Festival, which heralds the arrival of spring, will be held again this year. About 13,000 plum trees color the mountainside, and with river mist rising in the valleys, a scene like a page from an illustrated scroll unfolds. During the festival, you can enjoy peaceful moments close to nature, from walking the trails to shopping for local specialties. The fragrance of the plums swaying in the soft breeze will gently renew body and spirit after the long winter. This year, the Tsukigase Tourism Association will continue to cherish warm connections with visitors while protecting the area’s attractions. We humbly ask for your continued support and sincerely pray that this year will be peaceful and fruitful for everyone, offering these New Year greetings. Chairman: Toshiaki Nishioka Photo credit: Kuraya eto Shuji

Snow Trees Rime ice covering the trees at Gozaisho Ropeway Summit. One of the few places in Mie Prefecture where you can see rime ice on trees. Gozaisho Ropeway, Komonocho, Mie Prefecture

A hidden flower field in Fukuoka that only those in the know visit. Many grandfathers and grandmothers from local day service providers came to see it.

I went to the Maebashi Autumn Festival. I took photos of the children taking a break from pulling the floats. They were making a big fuss, shouting, "Take a picture of me!"

Autumn in Ranzan, Saitama Prefecture. Here you can find a low-water bridge without railings, like the submerged bridges seen on the Shimanto River in Shikoku. It’s a rare sight in the Kanto region.

These are guests from abroad relaxing in the boat houses of Inecho, Kyoto Prefecture. You can also enjoy fishing from the inn's rooms. The photos were taken in September.

A shot at Misen Main Hall on the summit of MtMisen in Hiroshima Prefecture. I planned to walk to the top, but I ended up taking the ropeway. Even so, I’m smiling. Next time I’ll come by proper hike. This jizo statue is called "Gomen-ne Jizo" or "Negai Jizo." It’s a presence that accepts people’s regrets and wishes.

On a clear autumn day, a leisurely, blissful moment gazing out over Osaka Bay from Iwaya Beach on Awaji Island.

After the Nagasaki Kunchi ended, a child walked home alone, still holding an umbrella as if lingering in the festival's afterglow.

In Saitama's Minuma Tambo, an annual rice-harvesting experience takes place. Everyone enjoyed the chance to connect with nature.

This is the famous stone bridge at Tokyo’s Rikugien Gardens. After the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign models began lining up to cross it.

The autumn Karatsu Kunchi floats have arrived. It is already evening. The children are starting to show their fatigue. "I want to go home already~"

I photographed a group of young people wandering the Tottori Sand Dunes in autumn, captured as silhouettes.

Rikugien Gardens in Tokyo has put on a spectacular display of autumn leaves. It was truly a full bloom of fall color.

I thought the autumn leaves were already over in mid-December, but when I went shopping in Chiba on the Boso peninsula, I stopped by a water mill while exploring the sights and found a beautiful display of autumn leaves. There was no parking lot, and the water mill caught my eye. The maple leaves were a vivid red, and the fallen leaves were beautiful too, so I enjoyed the last bit of autumn this year. Yoshii Ooido Water Mill

A photo taken during a trip to Shikoku. Taken on November 26 at Ritsurin Park in Kagawa. It was peak autumn foliage, and the contrast of red, yellow, and green looked wonderful. The weather was calm with no wind, and the trees reflected beautifully on the water. Once December arrives, it gets colder, and viewing night scenes becomes an experience of shivering in the cold. At the end of November, the temperature was pleasantly mild, so I enjoyed the autumn colors and took photos before the real winter set in.

On November 30, 2025, many monks gathered at Sumadera Temple in Suma, Kobe, and were singing in chorus.

On November 30, 2025, at Suma-dera in Suma, Kobe. The fall foliage and the red beneath the eaves were gorgeous.

I visited Izumo Taisha in Shimane Prefecture ⛩️ I love shrines in the early morning when no one is around ✨ I paid my respects during the sacred kamiari-zuki, when the eight million gods from across Japan gather at Izumo Taisha to hold meetings about matchmaking and bountiful harvests 😊

This is our family’s annual tradition. A praying mantis comes to lay eggs.

Toyama Prefecture Tateyamamachi Shomyo Falls Snow fell late at night, letting the autumn leaves and snow perform together Standing close to Shomyo Falls, Japan’s tallest waterfall by drop, the roar of the water is overwhelming

Tateyamamachi, Toyama Prefecture Akashiro no Kabe Snow fell late at night, and around Shomyo Falls I saw a duet of autumn leaves and snow I arrived early in the morning, and some forest roads were frozen I photographed Akashiro no Kabe with a fisheye lens

Kamiichimachi, Toyama Prefecture – Mount Sengokujōyama This spot is reachable by car via a forest road Photographed from the forest road up Mount Sengokujōyama The beautiful autumn leaves and the snow-capped Tsurugi-dake made a stunning sight

Kamiichimachi, Toyama Prefecture – Seseragi no Komichi I walked from Seseragi no Komichi to near the check dam Mt. Tsurugi was nearby, but clouds got in the way so I couldn’t see it clearly; I’ll get a better shot next time

Kurikara Fudoji Temple Nishinobo Hououden (Phoenix Hall), Tsubatamachi, Ishikawa Prefecture Photographed the sunset from a hill during the autumn foliage It was a beautiful view

Kurikara Fudoji Nishinobo Hououden, Tsubatamachi, Ishikawa Prefecture I photographed the autumn leaves from a hilltop. Around sunset, a blanket of altocumulus clouds spread across the sky, creating a beautiful scene.

Title: "Cute Pair" A whole field Of metasequoia Leaves fallen Two cute ones Peeking out to play

Late autumn on the Harima Sea. On windy days the waves grow high and the currents shape them into a variety of forms.

On the bridge at Tennoji Station. A November weekend morning with a clear sky that warms the heart just by watching. Autumn is drawing to a close, but there’s an exciting feeling that something new is about to begin. For some it may be just another ordinary day, but for others it becomes a beautiful scene—the start of a day. The beginning of encounters, the beginning of a journey.

In December, Uenokouen still holds the last traces of autumn. On the way back from a visit to Tokyo University of the Arts and viewing an exhibition, I was delighted to see the autumn leaves and took these photos. I hope I pass and can come back here to see the autumn foliage again next year.