Many migratory birds rest their wings at Lake Utonai🦆 During the day, the migratory birds may venture out of the lake to feed on leftover grains in nearby fields, but if the timing is right, you can see them gathered like this✨ (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Notice for Bicycle Rentals 📣 Cycling in Toyokorocho offers a variety of courses, from routes that run through the Tokachi Plain to serene hilly areas and expansive coastlines. 😊 Additionally, the Ōtsu District, located at the mouth of the Tokachi River, is known as the "birthplace of Tokachi" and is rich in history. Surrounded by abundant waters such as Yudo Swamp, Lake Chobushi, the Tokachi River, and Otsu Coast, you might even encounter some wild birds. 🚲 For detailed courses, please refer to the "Toyokorocho Cycling Map" available on the Toyokorocho tourism website. Enjoy comfortable cycling while feeling the pleasant autumn breeze! 🤗 🔶Rental Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM 🔶Closed: Tuesdays 🔶Rental Fees ・Cross Bike: 2,000 yen for up to 4 hours / 4,000 yen for up to 8 hours / Extension fee (per hour) 500 yen ・MTB (Electric Assist): 4,000 yen for up to 4 hours / 8,000 yen for up to 8 hours / Extension fee (per hour) 1,000 yen *For long-term rentals, please consult us. 🔶Options ・Drop-off Fee: From 1,000 yen (Toyokoro Station, Toyokoro Bussan Chokubai-sho, Obihiro Station, etc.) Consultation required. ・On-site Rental: 1,000 yen × Number of days 🔶User Guide ・Application: Please fill out the application form with the required information and present an identification document (driver's license, student ID, passport, etc.). ・Reservation: Reservations can be made via phone, fax, or email until 5:00 PM the day before business. *If you do not receive a reply from us via email, your reservation has not been confirmed. For urgent matters, please call us directly to make a reservation. *Please send your driver's license or similar documents in advance via fax or email. ・Age Requirement: If customers under 18 are using the service alone, a guardian's consent form is required. ・Cancellation: Cancellations are accepted by phone only. ・Cancellation Fees: Free up to 2 days before. 50% of the rental fee for the day before. 100% of the rental fee for the same day or no notice. 🔶Contact: Kokoroco Co., Ltd. TEL: 015-578-7202 https://www.toyokoro.jp/site/kanko/4744.html...

Lake Utonai in autumn. The blue sky and clouds reflect on the lake's surface, creating a fantastical and beautiful scenery✨ The autumn migratory bird season has finally arrived‼ Enjoy encounters with wild birds at Lake Utonai♪ (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Birds have started to gather at Lake Utonai. The peak of the autumn swan migration is said to occur from late October to early November each year. It's exciting to see the number of migratory birds increase from here on. (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Depending on the weather, it feels like a different world. The mist and cloudy skies brought about by the cool climate unique to the Kushiro region add a distinctive beauty to the wetlands. On the wooden paths, you can encounter seasonal flowers, wild birds, and deer, while listening to the sound of the wind if you pay close attention. With comfortable shoes, take your time. From the city to the great outdoors. Why not embark on a journey to the Kushiro Shitsugen from the Kushiro Prince Hotel? You can make your reservation through the profile URL. 📍Kushiro Prince Hotel https://www.instagram.com/kushiroprincehotel/...

The magpie often seen in Tomakomai. In Japan, it had been breeding for many years in limited areas like Saga Prefecture, but it has started to be seen in Tomakomai for about 20 to 30 years. About the size of a pigeon, it has a stylish black and white body with long tail feathers that shimmer blue to green depending on the light✨. You might find it perched on power lines near the Tomakomai Tourist Information Center, so be sure to look for it! (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai-ko)

Spring – the height that has been surpassed. Just a few days ago, there was no shepherd's purse. With the colors of the purple dead-nettle added, the earth is beginning to don its spring attire.

A season lacking in the colors of the earth. With the blooming of the plum blossoms, winter seems to change its name to "early spring." The blue sky and plum blossoms. And the vivid contrast of the long-tailed tit has painted a "sign" in the cold air.

A single sparrow. During the colorless winter season, the camellias begin to bloom, marking the start of a change in the seasons. In a way that takes over from the camellias, the camellia flowers bloom, making spring palpable for the people. A sparrow still dressed in winter attire is so small that it can perch on two leaves, becoming a tiny symbol of spring.

Morning at Utonai-ko ✨ The silhouette of a large all-white heron, the Great Egret, gleams against the morning sun. (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

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

A long-tailed rosefinch nibbling on seeds. This charming wild bird is slightly smaller than a sparrow and is notable for the reddish coloring on its head. The bird in the photo is male, since both its head and chest are red. (Females have a white chest and only a red head.) (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

A tiny bird even smaller than a sparrow, with round, charming eyes—the subspecies of long-tailed tit known as the shiraneaga (shimaenaga). Found only in Hokkaido, this wild bird is beloved by birdwatchers and nicknamed the "snow fairy." In winter it grows a fluffy, pure-white plumage and looks just like a snowball! It mainly lives in forests and woodlands; with leaves gone in winter it becomes easier to spot, and it is often seen along the Lake Utonai lakeside. (Image courtesy of Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Taken from Osaka Castle Park. I snapped the shutter as a crow flew through vivid ginkgo leaves, its black silhouette contrasting beautifully.

Recently, part of Utonai-ko (Lake Utonai) froze over. A swan standing on the ice flaps its wings✨🦢 Roadside Station Utonai Lake, which posts many stunning photos on social media, is open in winter from 9:00 to 17:00. It offers plenty of delicious local food and goods, so please stop by for a break during winter road trips. (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Lake Utonai in mid-October. Swans, geese and other autumn migratory birds are gathering here one after another. In particular, the communal dawn flight to nearby feeding grounds, known as the "negradachi" roost flight, is a must-see. (Image courtesy of Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

When you come to Kushiro Prince Hotel, why don't you feel the charm of Kushiro Wetland, the largest wetland in Japan, by canoe? Canoeing is one of the pleasures of paddling, but you can also spend a quiet and leisurely time! There is also a chance to see wild birds and wildlife.

By the shores of Lake Utonai. A red songbird, the benimasiko, and a narcissus flycatcher with a striking black-and-yellow contrast. They look like vividly colored wild birds straight out of a fairy tale. (Image courtesy of Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

The black, white, and red color coordination looks stylish! This is a woodpecker species, the great spotted woodpecker (akagera).✨ (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Will Tomakomai continue into spring...? On March 17th the city recorded about 25 cm of snowfall. Since it was wet March snow, it is expected to melt soon. At Utonai Lake, the snowy landscape made a great backdrop for a graceful great egret in flight.✨ (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Winter Activity 2025 MOMBETSU Lake Komuke & Native Flower Garden Snow Trekking Stroll through Lake Komuke and the Komuke Native Flower Garden on snowshoes with an expert guide. Why don't you feel the scenery and charm that is different from the green season? For details, go to the official website "Monbetsu Tourist Information Center"

Is it the moment it lands on the branch? This shot perfectly captures the majestic presence of a white-tailed eagle ✨ (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

A tilting long-tailed tit at Utonai Lake ✨ (shimaenaga) (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

A great egret standing still in the cold wind. It looks as if it is shrugging its shoulders. (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake Wildlife Protection Center)

Izumi no Mori, one of Yamato City's premier nature parks, lies within walking distance of Yamato Station on the Odakyu Enoshima Line and the Sotetsu Main Line. The park’s spacious grounds showcase a variety of plants and animals through the changing seasons. Even in winter, birds gather at the springs, reflecting their graceful, free movements on the water as they search for food and groom themselves. Izumi no Mori offers many birdwatching spots where you can enjoy the birds’ different behaviors and expressions depending on the season and location.

A scene at Utonai Lake on one day. I thought it was a gathering of swans…? January is a time when most of the lake freezes over, so there are few waterfowl, but due to various circumstances you can still see a few swans wintering at Utonai Lake. (Image courtesy of Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Snow Fairy Did you know that there is a snow fairy in Hokkaido? Its name is "Shimaenaga" Originally, this wild bird called Enaga resembled a long-handled ladle in appearance. The chief of the handle (e) → named Enaga In fact, there are long-tailed moths in Honshu, but this pure white subspecies of long-tailed moth only lives in Hokkaido That's why Hokkaido is called Shima. The long-tailed moth, which lives only in Shima→ was named Shimaenaga It is only called the snow fairy, and you will see it from the time when the leaves fall and the snow begins to fall For that reason, it is also called a bird that signals snow

【 A town where you can meet the red-crowned crane, Taiki Town 】 Taiki Town is home to many red-crowned cranes, a species designated as a Special Natural Monument of Japan. The season when they are especially numerous is autumn, right around now. You can often see them searching for food in fields after the crops have been harvested. The cranes tend to appear more often on the seaside side than the mountain side. Give it a try and see if you can find them! By the way, the small bird in the center of the first photo is not a red-crowned crane but a hooded crane. Taiki Town is appealing because you can spot many different kinds of wildlife together ✨

The sprout-eating blue pigeon came to the trees in Iwamotoyama Park in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture in mid-March! I hope that we will be able to maintain an environment where wild creatures can easily rest their wings in the future!

This is Sakujiro taken at Antaiji Temple, Nishio City. Kawazu cherry blossoms were beautiful ^^