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

Photographed on February 14, 2014. These are the hana-temizu flower water displays at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Crystals of light dancing in Taisho-era romance ■Location Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture ■Background and thoughts behind the work Ginzan Onsen sits quietly in the deep mountains of Yamagata. On a night when snow piled softly on the streets steeped in Taisho-era romance, I attempted something for the first time. I used the built-in flash to capture the “expressions of snow invisible to the eye.” Until then I had cherished natural light, but that evening I felt a strong urge to make each drifting snowflake shine like a jewel. The instant the flash fired, pure white snow crystals appeared against the dark, and the warm orange glow of the gas lamps contrasting with the cold snow created a dreamlike scene. In the subzero cold I kept shooting until my fingertips went numb, and when I saw the glittering snow on the preview screen, I felt an indescribable emotion. Through my first strobe shoot, I rediscovered the beauty of movement dwelling within frozen time. This photograph is an unforgettable and precious image for me.

📣 "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...

Tabete Fukkatsu 2026 - Kawayu Onsen Akkeshi Clam Fair Enjoy Akkeshi clams raised in Akkeshi's rich seas - large, plump clams packed with concentrated umami! Tabete Fukkatsu! This March, three inns belonging to the Kawayu Onsen Ryokan Association will host the "Tabete Fukkatsu 2026 - Kawayu Onsen Akkeshi Clam Fair"! We've also featured this in our "Information Bulletin" section, so be sure to check it out ✔︎✨ Let's enjoy lots of big, plump Akkeshi clams! 🌊

16:55 Today’s sunset in Kushiro 🟠 What a beautiful color!

Let’s head to Okhotsk this spring! We present the Spring Flower Tour Campaign at Frespo Suzuran Plaza (Flower Tour Festival). Held at Frespo Suzuran Plaza, which opened in July 2005 in Obihiro City (Inadacho Minami 8-sen Nishi 10-1), Hokkaido, this event brings you the charms of Okhotsk centered on spring flower viewing. The event features plenty to enjoy, including pre-trip information for Okhotsk tourism, the ever-popular mascot gathering, a drift ice exhibit, a prize questionnaire, sales of local specialties, hands-on experience booths, and a coloring corner. Discover the attractions of Okhotsk over these two days. Please come and join us!!

Photographed on February 13, 2014. This is HK Tea’s lemon honey and a chocolate-banana egg waffle. Chocolate and banana go so well together. 😊🍫🍌

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

Photographed on February 13, 2026. This is HK Tea’s lemon honey. 🍋🍯 I love it. 😊

The moment you open the door, a gentle aroma spreads through the lobby. Experience a moment of relaxation as you take in the scenery. Would you like to experience Kushiro at Kushiro Prince Hotel? You can book via the profile URL. https://www.instagram.com/kushiroprincehotel/...

Open-house-style presentations on the redevelopment of the Kawayu Onsen district will be held. Notice from the Tourism and Commerce Division, Kawayu Onsen District Redevelopment Office In Teshikaga Town, as we promote tourism—the town’s core industry—we have been advancing the redevelopment of the Kawayu area. In October 2023, we adopted the Kawayu Onsen District Town Development Master Plan to guide the revitalization of the Kawayu Onsen district. At the times below, panels and other displays will be available, and staff will be on hand to explain the progress of the Kawayu Onsen district redevelopment whenever you visit. No specialized knowledge is required. Please feel free to drop by! Venue Kawayu Furusato Hall 2-3-40 Kawayu Onsen Dates and times Sunday, March 1, 2026 — 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday, March 2, 2026 — 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM No advance registration is required; if you wish to attend, please come directly to the venue. The program will be the same on both days. Organizer Teshikaga Town Contact 015-482-2940 https://www.kawayu-onsen.com/news/1034/...

The winning entries of the 15th Teshikaga Photo Contest have been announced! This time, we present three Special Prize winners and the Executive Committee Special Prize. ✶ Special Prize ✶ Erisa Nitta "The Back of MtKamuinupuri" Takashi Kuroda "Rime in May" Koji Yajima "Standing at Dusk" ✶ Executive Committee Special Prize ✶ Taiga Takahashi "Ice"

The winning entries of the 15th Teshikaga Photo Contest were announced recently. Here we present the special prize winners 👀✨ Enjoy. — ⋆⋆✶ Special Prize — ⋆⋆✶ Noriyasu Masuda "Overwhelmed by Vast Nature" Nobuyuki Yamamoto "go!go!go!" Takahiro Kori "Intermingling Plume and Cloud" Hieeda Hiromi "A World of Silence" For other winners and winning works, please check Teshikaga Navi. Congratulations to all the prizewinners‼︎ Thank you to everyone who participated‼︎ We appreciate your continued support for the Teshikaga Photo Contest and Teshikaga Navi 🙇❣️ https://www.masyuko.or.jp/news/photocon_r08/...

The winning works of the 15th Teshikaga photo contest were announced recently. Today we present the selected entries for your viewing👀✨ Enjoy. — ⋆⋆✶ Selected — ⋆⋆✶ Shoichi Koike "Rays of Light" Fumiaki Nishikawa "Solitary Thoughts in the Morning Mist" Murakami Grace "Dripping Winter" Urata Marunī "Dragon’s Mist" Rie Ishida "Reflection — Capturing Summer" You can check other winners and winning works on Teshikaga Navi. Congratulations to all the prize winners‼︎ Thank you to everyone who participated‼︎ We hope you will continue to support the Teshikaga Photo Contest and Teshikaga Navi🙇❣️ https://www.masyuko.or.jp/news/photocon_r08/...

Photographed on February 13, 2026. This is Udon Tatsu-mi’s COEDO bukkake. This udon is something I crave regularly. 😊

Signs of Spring at Forest Museum “Mokumu” The temperature has risen suddenly and the sunlight already feels like spring’s warmth… It’s still midwinter, but there’s a place where you can feel spring even more. When you enter Forest Museum “Mokumu,” the first thing that catches your eye is the profusion of blooming cherry trees. All around the museum, various hina dolls smile at visitors. If you’re curious how many hina dolls there are in total, try counting them. A room with large flowers mounted on the wall is also well worth seeing. They’re stylish decorations made using scrap paper 🌸 - SASAKI Craft Exhibition Now On! - Forest Museum “Mokumu” Winter opening hours: 10:00–16:30 Last admission accepted until 16:10 Admission fees: 500 yen for high school students and older 300 yen for 4th–6th graders and junior high students 100 yen for ages 3 through 3rd grade elementary school Free for children under age 3 #Forest Museum Mokumu #Cherry blossoms #Hina Festival

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

Photographed on January 19, 2014. These are the hanachōzu (flower-filled hand-washing basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Now accepting applications for the 32nd Tokachi Blue Sky Lady!! ☀️ Applications for Tokachi Blue Sky Lady have been extended!! There are only two days left until the deadline on Friday, February 27!! Would you like to apply to be Tokachi’s PR ladies, the Tokachi Blue Sky Ladies, who promote Tokachi’s tourism and local products by participating in events across Tokachi, taking part in product fairs inside and outside Hokkaido, and appearing in media? If you’re interested, please feel free to apply 🤗 We look forward to your application!! 📌 Eligibility 📍Women aged 20 or older living in Tokachi who are physically and mentally healthy, can agree to all the Tokachi Blue Sky Lady program rules and guidelines, and can take part in tourism events and product fairs both inside and outside the region (married or unmarried) 📍Holders of a regular driver’s license who have obtained permission from their workplace and family to participate in activities as a Lady 📌 How to Apply Please attach a photo to your resume, write your motivation for applying, and include information confirming you meet the eligibility requirements, then mail or deliver it to the Tokachi Tourism Federation Office by Friday, February 27. https://tokachibare.jp/20506/...

If you stay in Kushiro. A location with views of one of the world’s three greatest sunsets. A port town’s scenery seen from guest rooms. A front-row moment that stretches from dusk into night. A place where the stay itself becomes a travel memory. 📍Kushiro Prince Hotel Reservations available from the profile URL. https://www.instagram.com/kushiroprincehotel/...

Two patches of the native spring flower setsubunso, which signal the arrival of spring, are now in full bloom in Soryo Town, Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture! 🌼 Other spots are progressing and are about 30% in bloom, too—so come and see! The Setsubunso Festival will be held on Sunday, March 8, 2025. We hope you can join us! ▶ Event details here https://www.shobara-info.com/event/5451... ▶ Setsubunso bloom updates (updated regularly) https://www.shobara-info.com/special/4467... ▶ Featured in our editorial report! Published 2025.03.06 “The Scent of First Love” Visiting Setsubunso: Exploring the wild colonies and nearby lunch spots https://www.shobara-info.com/report/4967... Access: About a 15-minute drive from Shobara IC on the Chugoku Expressway 🚗

Photographed on January 19, 2014. These are the floral hand-washing basin displays at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

🔥 Kawayu Snow Park 2026 is now underway 🔥 We offer a wide range of activities, including cross-country skiing, campfire gatherings in tipis, Siberian fir (Akaezomatsu) distillation experiences, slide talks, snow candle making, and many more — ⋆⋆✶ There are delicious food and drinks, so it’s great for families to join! This is a one-day-only event, so please come and take part today‼︎ ☃️💕 Time: 10:00–21:00 Location: In front of Kawayu Visitor Center We look forward to welcoming you.

Photographed on January 19, 2014. These are the flower-filled handwashing basins at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Kawayu Snow Park 2026 is underway. We offer many activities, including cross-country skiing, campfires in tipis, Siberian fir distillation workshops, slide talks, snow candles… and much more— ⋆⋆✶ There are tasty food and drinks, so it’s great for families to join! This is a one-day-only event, so please come and take part today‼︎☃️💕 Time: 10:00–21:00 Location: In front of Kawayu Visitor Center We look forward to welcoming you.

■ A video posting feature has been released on COOL JAPAN VIDEOS, an social media specialized in inbound measures. It supports MP4, MOV, and WebM, and allows posting videos up to 60 seconds long. This feature is available to accounts that have applied for an official account. You can deliver the "atmosphere," "sense of presence," and "story" that photos alone cannot fully convey directly to the world. This feature is available exclusively to Official Accounts. ▼Details about Official Accounts are here https://cooljapan-videos.com/service... ■ Other features for Official Accounts are as follows. ・Bulk multilingual posting to Facebook, Instagram, X, and others using AI ・Schedule posts and manage simultaneous posting destinations all at once ・Embed Google Maps in post content 　※Please see this post for the Google Maps embed. ・Include external links in post content 　※Please see this post for the external link. ・AI automatically generates SNS post text (reducing the work required to write posts) ・AI automatically summarizes for X within 140 characters ■ Unique strengths of Cool Japan Video not found on other SNS ・Automatic generation of search engine–optimized pages in other languages ・Compatibility with AI search result displays ■ Latest news from Cool Japan Video ・Over 200 participating tourism associations and DMOs ・Access from over 220 countries and territories ・AI translation feature further improved (supports over 130 languages) Please try this new publishing experience.

Photographed on February 23, 2014. After visiting Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, we hold a naorai at Starbucks Kanetsuki‑dōri Store. It's a Sakura Bloom Latte and a sakura matcha doughnut.🌸🍵

Mount Fuji Day 2/23 Today's temperature in Minami-Alps City is an astonishing 22°C Springlike weather 🌸 Unfortunately, Mount Fuji is hidden during the daytime today… In honor of Mount Fuji Day, please enjoy photos of Mount Fuji taken in the past as seen from Minami-Alps City 🗻

Today I attended the Tencho Festival at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. The plum trees were beginning to bloom.