Photographed on January 3, 2014. These are the hanachōzu (flower water basins) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

[About the operation of tourist and bathing facilities] Information on the New Year operating status of tourist and bathing facilities is available at the linked "Teshikaga Navi". Please note that hours and days of operation may differ from the usual schedule. Some bathing facilities may be temporarily closed, so we recommend contacting each facility directly before you go. https://www.masyuko.or.jp/news/20251226/...

Photographed on December 29, 2025. This is the torii at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine dressed for New Year’s. 🎍

The 33rd Bungo-ono Dondoyaki The 33rd Bungo-ono Dondoyaki will be held in Oonocho, Bungoono City, Oita Prefecture. The sight of the roughly 20-meter-tall bamboo “dondo” blazing into the sky is spectacular. Pray for health and safety in the dondoyaki fire and welcome a good year. Date and Time: Saturday, February 7, 2026, 4:30 PM–9:00 PM (held in light rain) Location: Bungo-ono City Ohno General Athletic Park (Second Parking Area) Admission: Free Parking: Available Program Master of ceremonies: hometown ambassador Akiteru Fujimura. 4:30 PM–5:00 PM Opening ceremony 5:00 PM–5:30 PM Shinto ritual 5:30 PM–7:00 PM Shonai Children’s Kagura (Yufu City) 7:00 PM–7:40 PM Hoyukai Taiko Drums (Bungoono City) 7:40 PM–8:00 PM Dondo lighting ceremony preparations 8:00 PM Lighting of the dondo and fireworks by Ikushima Hanabi 9:00 PM Closing ceremony *Event details are subject to change without notice. *Please bring New Year’s decorations such as shimekazari and talismans to the venue on the day of the event between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Items cannot be accepted in advance. What is dondoyaki Dondoyaki is a midwinter festival held around January 15 (Little New Year), when households bring New Year’s pine decorations, shimenawa ropes, kakizome calligraphy and other items to be piled up and burned in a communal fire. This fire festival is a New Year tradition across Japan. Organizer / Event Inquiries Onocho Dondoyaki Executive Committee (Bungoono City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Youth Division, Ohno Branch) TEL 0974-34-2234 Access from Fukuoka, Kumamoto and other prefectures to central Bungoono City From JR Hakata Station, Fukuoka Prefecture: about 3 hours by car From JR Kumamoto Station, Kumamoto Prefecture: about 2 hours by car From JR Beppu Station, Oita Prefecture: about 1 hour 20 minutes by car From JR Yufuin Station, Oita Prefecture: about 1 hour 20 minutes by car ■■■■■■■■■■■■ Tourism and recommended spots in Kyushu, Bungoono City, Oita Prefecture (Bungo-ono-shi) ■■■■■■■■■■■■

Popular!! Recruiting participants for a bus tour [A journey to meet Sarurun Kamuy (God of the Marsh) and the red-crowned crane] At Grus, the Akan International Crane Center, the birthplace of artificial feeding, we will hold a day-trip bus tour to watch the cranes arrive, guided by Director Kawase ☺ This rare tour lets you see red-crowned cranes spread their great wings and take flight against the early morning sky ✨ Please join us! Operation dates: Sunday, February 8, 2026 and Sunday, February 15, 2026 Time: 7:00 AM–10:25 AM *Meet at 6:55 AM / KKS Convention Center (Kushiro City Tourism and International Exchange Center) Participation fee: JPY 5,500 (tax included) Capacity: 20 people per tour For details and to apply, please see the website. https://ja.kushiro-lakeakan.com/overview/19962/...

I relaxed during my break at starbucks motokawagoe station store. I had a honey, ginger, and rice koji milk latte and an Earl Grey & orange scone sandwich. One week remains until Hon-Kawagoe PePe closes… 🥹

At a quiet temple in Kawagoe, piles of weathered Daruma rest in one place, their wishes fulfilled. Each New Year, people return their old Daruma here, a ritual of gratitude and release. In the frame, an elderly woman gently places hers atop the others, bowing slightly—an act she learned as a child. Once, her parents brought her; later, she brought her children. The Daruma come and go, but the tradition remains, passed patiently from old to young, year after year. Location: Kitain temple, Kawagoe, Saitama.

Get drunk on the delicious flavors of Shobara City in Hiroshima Prefecture! 😍 Savor smoked dishes and sake at Kaneki-ya in Hakushima-Kitamachi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima City 🥩🍶 Kaneki-ya in Hakushima-Kitamachi, Naka Ward is a popular stop for many people with ties to Shobara. Here you can enjoy snacks made with Hiba Beef and a range of smoked items from Smoked Hakoda. Kaneki-ya also offers sake from breweries in Shobara City! This time, we explored what makes Kaneki-ya so appealing. [Shobara Sightseeing Guide website "Editorial Report" has been updated!] Read the article here 🔽 https://www.shobara-info.com/report/5454...

The kanji chosen as Kawagoe's hope for Reiwa 8 is "emi," meaning "smile." Although I will be transferring at the end of this month—still within Kawagoe—I will start fresh and do my best. 😊

Forest Museum Kimu From Sunday, January 4 the Forest Museum Kimu has opened. ※The museum will be closed on Tuesday, January 6. We look forward to your continued support this year. With the new year, the displays inside the museum have been refreshed. A large sun shines beyond the Red Fuji 🌞 The reddish branches in the foreground are mizuki that were grown at the Flower Park of Roadside Station Kamu. As a memento of your visit, please take a photo holding a hagoita (decorative wooden paddle) 📸 Also, starting today a special exhibition has opened. - SASAKI Craft Exhibition - Works by Sasaki Kogei, a wooden craft maker based in Nagayama, Asahikawa City, are displayed in the museum showcases. The exhibition runs through Friday, March 20. On the final day of the exhibition we plan to hold a woodworking workshop and a shooting gallery event. For details, please see the Mokumu HP. - Forest Museum Kimu Winter opening hours: 10:00–16:30 Last admission is accepted until 16:10 Admission fees: 500 yen for high school students and older 300 yen for 4th–6th grade elementary and junior high school students 100 yen for ages 3 through 3rd grade elementary Free for children under 3 Contact: 0158-87-2600 #Forest Museum Kimu#New Year #2026 #We look forward to your visit #Special Exhibition #Sasaki Kogei #Setoushi-kun #Mascot

Photographed on December 29, 2025. This is the New Year–style hanachōzu (flower water basin) at Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin.🎍

From Kushiro, Happy New Year again for 2026! The long New Year holidays have ended. How has everyone been? In Kushiro City the red-crowned cranes have arrived for the season, and 100 to 200 birds are currently being observed at the feeding station 😊 Also, from Saturday, January 17, the SL Winter Marsh Train began operating, ushering in the best time to enjoy winter sightseeing! On cold mornings you might see lotus-leaf ice or ke-arashi (steam fog) over the Kushiro River⁈ Viewed from around Nusamai Bridge, the scene becomes even more magical. You can also enjoy winter canoeing on the Kushiro River as it flows through Kushiro Shitsugen! Thanks to the clear winter air, the sunset in Kushiro—hailed as one of the world’s three great sunsets—shines with even more vivid colors, and Kushiro offers many sights and experiences you can only encounter at this time of year. Please come visit us✨ The official Kushiro and Akan tourism site, super fantastic, is here https://ja.kushiro-lakeakan.com// Wishing everyone a great year again this year (^^)

Hinata Yakushi First Yakushi Notice Hinata Yakushi will hold the “First Yakushi” on January 8, 2026. On the day, the principal image will be publicly displayed and medicinal rice porridge will be served. Please visit to pray for a year of good health and the absence of illness. Date: January 8, 2026 Public display of the principal image: 9:00 – 16:30 Serving of Yakushi porridge: starts around 11:30 *Service ends when supplies run out / event held in light rain, canceled in heavy rain Inquiries: 0463-95-1416 (Hinata Yakushi) For more details, please see the official Hinata Yakushi website.

Happy New Year. I look forward to your continued support this year. This year’s NHK taiga drama, "The Toyotomi Brothers!", has begun, and I have a feeling it will spark an even bigger castle boom. The Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle History Museum will open the Fiscal Year Reiwa 7 Winter Special Exhibition "The Toyotomi Brothers and Mihama: The Truth of Kanegasaki’s Retreat" from Saturday, January 10. This exhibition covers the Echizen invasion, when the three great heroes Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu all gathered at Kuniyoshi Castle, and it focuses on "Kanegasaki’s Retreat," the turning point that launched Hideyoshi’s rise to prominence. Also, a special New Year edition of the castle stamp is on sale through the end of January. Please take this opportunity to visit the Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle History Museum. The Toyotomi Brothers and Mihama: The Truth of Kanegasaki’s Retreat Exhibition period: Saturday, January 10, Reiwa 8 – Sunday, April 19 Venue: Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle History Museum Opening hours: 10:00 AM–4:30 PM (through March); 9:00 AM–5:00 PM (from April) Closed: Every Monday (if Monday is a public holiday, closed the following day) 25-2 Sakaki, Mihama, Mikata District, Fukui Prefecture Phone: 0770-32-0050 Admission: Adults 100 yen; Children 50 yen (junior high school age and younger) ※Group discount for 20 or more people

Happy New Year This year is the Year of the Horse (Hinoe-Uma) and the auspicious eighth year of Reiwa, a year of expanding opportunities. Let us step forward toward the new era one step at a time. I humbly ask for your continued support this year as well. Photo: Irozaki Lighthouse

Even after Lake Akanko begins to freeze, the ice remains very thin! It can be hard to see, but hot springs bubble up from the lakebed in places, making the ice dangerously thin. When people work on the ice, they do so only after taking safety precautions. Even with warning signs and ropes to keep people out, local residents sometimes report those who try to venture onto the ice. Going onto the ice at this time of year is a life-threatening risk. Do not go onto the ice under any circumstances.

Hello everyone♪ How did you spend the New Year holidays? Miyoshi Tourist Information Center reopened for 2026 on Sunday, January 4th. The Miyoshi Tourist Information Center offers city circulation maps and tourism brochures for Miyoshi City. Maps, brochures, and apps make exploring attractions easier. We also offer guidebooks in foreign languages (English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese)! When you are near Miyoshi Station, be sure to stop by the Miyoshi Tourist Information Center♪

Photographed on January 2, 2014. After visiting Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, I relaxed at the Starbucks Kanetsuki‑dōri Store. I had a honey ginger komekoji milk latte and an Earl Grey pound cake. To everyone at the Bell Tower Street Store, I look forward to your continued support this year.🙇‍♀️

Witnessing the first supermoon of 2026, I was unexpectedly lucky to see a plane crossing the radiant moon. it was a surreal moment that reminded me of how tiny our existence is in this vast galaxy, yet also how far we've come and how much further we'll go. happy new year! Location: Wakoshi, Saitama

Photographed on January 1, 2014. This is Kawagoe Kumano Shrine around 6:00 a.m.

Roadside Station Iwanai Happy New Year, and best wishes for 2026 🐴 We look forward to your continued support this year 🎍 Roadside Station Iwanai is open from today, Sunday, January 4th! We look forward to welcoming you 😆 Please note that we will be closed on Monday, January 5th This year we tried letting the trendy AI generate images for us 🐟