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/...

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

Daiichi Nagisa Park at Lake Biwa, where early-blooming rapeseed flowers blossom. The contrast between the white snow and the yellow flowers is striking.

Drifting ice off the coast of Shiretoko (Rausucho) is home to drift ice and Steller's sea eagles. When dozens of Steller's sea eagles and white-tailed eagles gather, their large size creates a truly dramatic sight.

Off the coast of Shiretoko (Rausucho) Here are the drift ice and a Steller's sea eagle. This weekend it was warm in Hokkaido and a southerly wind blew, so I was worried the drift ice might be pushed away, but the ice band remained. The drift ice will be gone next month, and from late April you can see orcas and whales.

The Otaru Canal in winter’s magic hour. On the right bank, stone warehouses weigh down with snow in silence, while on the left bank the warm glow of gas lamps lights the snow white. Countless candles floating on the water trail long tails of light across the cold surface, gently swaying. People strolling along the promenade, captured in long exposures, become blurred light afterimages, visualizing the dense passage of time within the still scene. The cold air and the fires that seem to melt it coexist, etched together in vivid contrast.

Mount Kaikoma in winter The dawn atmosphere and the faint mist created a magical scene.

2026 Ice and Snow Lantern Festival February 15, Okuwa village Okuwa Village Sports Park

2026 Ice and Snow Lantern Festival February 14, 2026 Nagisomachi Tsumago inn Tsumago-juku

2026 Ice and Snow Lantern Festival February 11 — Nezame-no-Toko, Agematsu Town

Photographed on February 11, 2014. This is a cafe latte from cafe andon. The mug bears cafe andon’s logo.

🏅 The winners of the 15th Teshikaga Photo Contest have been announced!! We accepted entries from November 1, 2025 through January 20, 2026, and this year’s contest attracted more submissions than last year. A panel of 15 judges, including contest chair Takeshi Mizukoshi and Takayuki Watanabe, President of the Lake Mashu Tourism Association, reviewed the entries and selected the winning works 📸🖼️ [Grand Prize] "Colors of the Earth" Etsuko Yamamoto [Excellence Awards] "Listening to Ice Patterns" Shinmen Yasushi "Bare Mountains and the Milky Way" Yoshikazu Jimbo "The Cosmos of Lake Kussharo" Daisuke Utsumi [Tourism Association President’s Award] "Capturing Sheer Impact" Isao Nagaya See other winning entries and details on Teshikaga Navi. (Check the link in our Stories‼︎🔗) Starting today, we will gradually share the winning photos on Instagram and X (Twitter), so look forward to it 🤩 *This post’s fifth image: Grand Prize "Colors of the Earth" by Etsuko Yamamoto* Congratulations to all the winners‼︎ Thank you to everyone who entered‼︎ We appreciate your continued support for the Teshikaga Photo Contest and for Teshikaga Navi 🙇❣️

This is Diamond Fuji seen from Tokyo DisneySea with Tokyo Gate Bridge in the foreground.

Good morning ☀ #This morning in Tsukigase #Satoyama landscape #Blooming is progressing #A village of flowers, greenery, and water #I want to connect with people who like photography #Nara Prefecture #Nara City #Nara tourism #tsukigase baikei plum festival February 14, 2026 to March 29, 2026 Photograph by Yasuki Okamoto

Good morning ☀ This morning in Tsukigase Tsukigase Plum Valley Ume Festival Now on February 14, 2026 – March 29, 2026 Photo: Yasunori Okamoto

The lantern festival that decorates Nagasaki in winter is beautiful not only at night but also during the day. About 15,000 red lanterns hang throughout the city center, and their vivid colors stand out against the bright sky, catching the eye even in daylight. Originally begun as the Chinese Lunar New Year spring festival, it has become a signature winter sight of Nagasaki. Lanterns seen in daytime offer a pleasing contrast with the blue sky, revealing a radiant charm different from the night.

On a snowy morning in Sagamihara City, I photographed a winter maple and a park slide with an apartment building in the background.

February 14th I went to Okunikko’s Lake Chuzenji to photograph the splash ice. These strange formations are nature’s artworks! I found myself chuckling as I shot them—such amusing splash ice. In the past, the cliffs at Utagahama froze like Niagara Falls, and every year I come back, hopeful, to photograph the splash ice, but that breathtaking display has only happened once and I haven’t seen it for years. Is it the effect of global warming? I’ll keep coming without giving up!

Event Announcement📣 On Sunday, February 15, 2026, Makubetsu’s Churui will host the 43rd Nauman All-Hokkaido Sled Competition 😊 Alongside the general division—where participants race on homemade cardboard sleds and are judged on sled craftsmanship and finish time—there will be an elementary school speed division and a parent-and-child speed division 🎵 Other activities include a “Treasure Hunt” inspired by the buried-gold legend of Churui Maruyama and a photo-movie contest for sharing fun memories from the sled competition ✨ 📍Date and Time: Sunday, February 15, 2026 📍Venue: Churui Hakugindai Ski Area 📞Contact: Tournament Office 01558-8-2111 http://www.makubetsu.jp/kankobussankyokai/?p=8682...

Winter haze over the Akashi Strait. In winter the Akashi Strait looks like an ink-wash painting, with Awaji Island and the great Akashi Kaikyo Bridge shrouded in mist.

Every February I go to Kushiro to see red-crowned cranes and the SL Winter Shitsugen train. The courtship dance of the red-crowned cranes, especially visible at the feeding grounds in Kushiro Shitsugen, reaches its peak in February. In the harsh winter snowfields I was able to see the males and females leap and spread their wings in a courtship dance that truly looks like dancing once again this year.

2026 Ice and Snow Lantern Festival February 7, 2026 Nakatsugawa City, Magome inn (Magome-juku) Within the Magome post town, around Fujimura Memorial Hall

2026 Ice and Snow Lantern Festival February 6–7, 2026 Kiso town Fukushima inn, from Kisofukushima Station to the former Nakasendo area

2026 Ice and Snow Lantern Festival February 3, Shiojiri City, Narai inn (Narai-juku) Entire Narai-juku

Scenes from the 42nd Winter Balloon Meeting held in Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido. A blue sky and a pure white snowfield Colorful hot air balloons rising into the air.

The Sagicho of Imao Winter Fire Festival "Sagicho" A rare start in falling snow? It was bitterly cold, but the festival burned bright. Imao, Kaizu City, Gifu Prefecture February 8, 2026

We visited the Otaru Snow Festival on a day when the snowfall felt almost unreal, layers upon layers of snow covering everything in sight. The cold was intense, yet the spirit of the people was even stronger—unshaken, cheerful, and welcoming. Despite the heavy snow, they warmly invited us to become part of the festival, as if we belonged there all along. Though the air was biting, the kindness and smiles around us filled the atmosphere with joy. As evening fell, the sight of countless candles glowing softly along the canal was nothing short of magical—the gentle light reflecting on the snow and water turned Otaru into a living winter dream.