It is about 6:00 a.m. at Kawagoe Kumano Shrine.

Yasaka Shrine 625 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture Yasaka Shrine is the head shrine of roughly 2,300 Yasaka shrines and other shrines nationwide that enshrine Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Known as “Gion-san,” Yasaka Shrine is famed for blessings such as warding off bad luck, matchmaking, and beauty, and its charms, oil-absorbing papers, and other amulets are popular. It is also famous for hosting the Gion Matsuri and is widely cherished as a focal point of Kyoto tourism. Adjacent Maruyama Park is designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty, and in spring it bustles as Kyoto’s premier cherry‑blossom viewing spot centered on the Gion Shidarezakura. In autumn, together with nearby Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Kodaiji Temple, it is enjoyed as a renowned autumn foliage site.

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

Zenjuan, a subtemple of Kennin-ji Temple in Kyoto known as the “Boar Temple,” houses Marishisonten-dō Hall, revered for bringing good luck and victory. 146 Komatsucho, 4-chome, Shijo Sagaru, Yamatooji-dori, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City Zenjuan was founded by the visiting monk Seisetsu Shōchō (also read Seisetsu Masazumi/Daikan Zenji) from Yuan and serves as a subtemple of the Rinzai school’s Kennin-ji branch. Marishi-ten, enshrined on the temple grounds as the monk’s future guardian deity, attracts many worshippers from near and far for its reputed benefits of good fortune and victory, and is counted as one of Japan’s three great Marishi-ten sites.

Kyoto Ebisu Shrine 125 Komatsucho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture In Kyoto there is a shrine where people throw their offerings upward into a box. That shrine is Ebisu Shrine in Gion, where, for some reason, an offering box is installed above the torii gate... The Toka Ebisu festival at Kyoto Ebisu Shrine is held each year over five days from Thursday, January 8th through Monday, January 12th. It is believed to bring blessings for prosperous business and traffic safety, and locals affectionately call it “Kyo no Ebessan.”

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

I woke up early to visit the shrine for my first prayers of the year. This is the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine’s Kawagoe sweet potato fortune. 🍠 I received a New Year’s morning ceremony blessing, and fortunately I was also given a matchmaking charm. I hope good things come to you in a chain like sweet potato vines. 😊🍠

🎍 Happy New Year! 🐎

Happy New Year! This year I again photographed the first sunrise from the waterfront park. There was no wind and it was not as cold as in past years, but a warm layer of clouds on the horizon kept the sky dull and dim even after the scheduled sunrise time of 6:51. Around 7:05 the edges of the clouds began to glow, and just after 7:20 the sun finally appeared! As every year, many residents and tourists gathered early at the waterfront park to watch the first sunrise of Reiwa 8. May Reiwa 8 bring you a year full of happiness. We appreciate your continued support of Atami Onsen this year as well.

Happy New Year! 🎍🐎 Wishing you a wonderful year ahead.

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.

These are the Best Nine of 2025. 1️⃣The rise-up steps at Atago Shrine 2️⃣3️⃣Kakigori fortune slips and yo-yo omikuji at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine 4️⃣Tanabata at Tokyo Daijingu Shrine 5️⃣Hydrangeas at cafe andon 6️⃣The great torii and pinwheels at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine 7️⃣Enmusubi wind chimes at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine 8️⃣9️⃣Sea bream omikuji at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Thank you for all your support in 2025. I look forward to your continued support in 2026. 😊

Year-end Greetings 😊 Thank you for following our social media throughout this year. We will continue striving to bring you lots of great information next year, and we appreciate your continued support. We pray that the coming year brings you peaceful days filled with smiles and brightness. As the cold days continue, please take care of your health and have a wonderful New Year 🤗 May everyone see a beautiful first sunrise of the year across the country 🌅 https://tokachibare.jp//

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.

☆Notice of Closure☆ ⁡ We will be closed from December 31st to January 1st. We will resume normal business hours from January 2nd for the New Year period!