Event Announcement📣

Sunday, October 5th — The 52nd Ikeda Town Autumn Wine Festival will take place 😊

This annual event has continued for more than 50 years since the celebratory gathering held to mark the completion of Wine Castle in 1974.
Enjoy autumn flavors including all-you-can-drink Tokachi wine and the town’s signature whole roasted beef.

📌Highlights✨
📍The all-you-can-drink wine selection has been upgraded to high-grade labels.😍
Tokachi wine — Red (premium variety Yamayuki)
— White (town benefit white wine)
— Rosé (town benefit)

📍Hokkaido tourism PR character Kyun-chan and the official Wagyu national fair character Wagyu-ry will appear!!
Also returning from last year, the Fighters Girls will perform!!

📍Other attractions include a wine-tasting guessing contest, performances by Ikeda Town junior and senior high school wind ensembles, and jazz by Motoko Vocal 4.🎵

📌Tickets are on sale now!!

📍What the ticket includes
1️⃣ One exchange ticket for 200 grams of locally raised beef grilled over charcoal, a beef sausage, a hamburger, and a vegetable set
2️⃣ One exchange ticket for Ikeda Town whole roasted beef
3️⃣ Tickets worth 1,100 yen usable at food trucks and the flavor tent corner
4️⃣ All-you-can-drink Tokachi wine and special grape juice

📌Ticket outlets: Ikeda Wine Castle, Ikeda Town Tourism Association, Tokachi Tourist Information Center
※You can also purchase at 7-Eleven and Lawson Ticket.

📌A Tokachi Bus route bus package to the event is also on sale!! (Reservation only)
Please make reservations via the Tokachi Bus website.
https://www.tokachibus.jp/kankou/
※If you only wish to ride the bus, please inquire by phone.
TEL: 0155-23-5171, round-trip bus fare 2,200 yen (children 1,100 yen)

https://kankou-ikeda.com/

The Power of Books, the Power to Live
A Project in Cooperation with Shanti Volunteer Association

"The Power of Books, the Power to Live"

Through books, start close to home and then look toward the world—

Under that concept, with the help of two people from Myanmar who live in Nishiokoppe Village, we created translated picture books to send to Myanmar.

What kind of country is Myanmar?
What is its situation right now?

First, we spent time learning about Myanmar.
Then we held picture-book readings in Japanese and Burmese.

After enjoying the differences in Burmese and Japanese pronunciation, it was time to make the translated picture books.

Using a Burmese kana comparison chart, we cut and pasted Burmese translation stickers onto every page, repeating the process.

At the end, they taught us how to write our own names in Burmese.

Having two people who speak Burmese meant we could ask questions when we lost track of where stickers should go, and learn things that you can’t get from reading materials alone, such as stroke order.

Thanks to them, we felt Burmese become more familiar to us.

The translated picture books we made that day will reach Myanmar around next summer.

We entrusted the books to the Shanti Volunteer Association while wondering what Myanmar will be like then and what we ourselves will be doing at that time.


#Nishiokoppe Village
#Hokkaido
#Shanti Volunteer Association
#Translated picture books
#Myanmar
#The Power of Books, the Power to Live
#Burmese

Event Announcement📣

On September 28, the 50th Urahoro Furusato Minori Festival will be held at Urahoro Forest Park!
This is a grand harvest festival celebrating autumn’s bountiful grains.

The program features a kayō show by guest singers, a comedy live, a stage show with HBC characters Monsuke and Uraha·Horoma, plus a mochi toss (minori-maki), autumn-fish catch-with-hands, and a raffle with chances to win local specialty products — there’s plenty to enjoy!

You can also savor seasonal ingredients at food stalls and browse a corner showcasing Urahoro’s specialty products.

Come enjoy the autumn harvest and seasonal flavors — we look forward to seeing you!🤗

📍Date and Time: Sunday, September 28, 2025, 10:00–15:30
📍Venue: Urahoro Forest Park
📍Shuttle Bus: Urahoro Town Hall – Urahoro Forest Park, 9:00–15:30 (running as needed)

📞Inquiries: Urahoro Town Tourism Association TEL: 015-576-2181


https://www.urahoro.jp/administration/?content=2760
https://urahorokanko.jp/blog/topics/921/

Event Announcement 📣

On Sunday, September 28, the 44th Shikaoi Town Hometown Industry Festival will take place at a special venue at Roadside Station Shikaoi. 😊

The stage program features performances and dances by four groups, including the Kodomoen Shikaoi drum corps, and two shows of the popular anime "Kimi to Idol Precure♪" character show at 12:00 and 13:50. 🎵

Other highlights include a thrilling grand lottery with luxurious prizes and agricultural product sets, plus a guaranteed-win fun Garapon raffle where winners can get Shikaoi beef steak sets—there’s plenty to enjoy!!

At the Local Produce Fair, you can taste Shikaoi beef steak and okonomiyaki loaded with Shikaoi cabbage, take part in a fill-your-bag carrot and potato sale, and buy specialty items such as milk, dairy products, and buckwheat flour. 😍

We will again offer many local specialties, including a wide selection of agricultural and livestock products, and we look forward to welcoming you. 🤗

📍Date and Time: 10:00–15:00, September 28, 2025
📍Location: Special venue at Roadside Station Shikaoi

📞Contact
44th Shikaoi Town Hometown Industry Festival Executive Committee
TEL 0156-66-4035 (Shikaoi Town Hall, Agricultural Promotion Division)


https://www.town.shikaoi.lg.jp/oshirase/3395/

Isehara Flower Report 2025.09.26
Here is today’s update on the cluster amaryllis in Hyuga.
They are blooming beautifully in the Aramizu area. If you are coming by car, please use the temporary parking lot at the Human Resources Development Center.
White cluster amaryllis can be seen on the grounds of Hinata Yakushi.
The walking path behind Hinata Yakushi bus stop is open from 7:00 to 17:00.
Also, a temporary tourist information desk will open on Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th (9:30–15:00).
Please make use of it.
Weekends are expected to be crowded, so allow plenty of time to visit.
For access and future updates, please check the tourism association’s website.
https://isehara-kanko.com/news/flower/10997/

Notice: Reihoku Town 70th Anniversary of Municipal Status — 9th Tomioka Castle O-shiro Festival 🏯

The “Reihoku Town 70th Anniversary of Municipal Status — 9th Tomioka Castle O-shiro Festival” will be held at the Tomioka Castle Hyakken Dote on Sunday, October 26, 2025‼️
Stage events will feature local performing arts plus Kaoru Yumi, famous for her role as Kagero Ogin in Mito Komon, a performance by the Ashikita Teppo-tai, a Chinese face-changing show, and an appearance by Kumamon 🐻. Around 30 tents and food trucks will line the venue, bringing together delicious treats from inside and outside the town♪

Other hands-on activities include the “Tomioka Castle 🏯 and Amakusa West Coast Walking 🌅,” the Kumamoto Maru trial voyage ⛴️, and a pearon (dragon boat) experience 🚣. If you want to take part, please make an advance reservation early!
The Tomioka walking tour and pearon experience are eligible for the Kumamoto Health Points program ❣️

A photo contest 📷 (cash prizes available ✨) will run at the same time. There are separate categories for general and junior entrants♪

Come and enjoy autumn in Reihoku Town‼☺️ We look forward to seeing you🙌
For details about the O-shiro Festival, please visit the Reihoku Town website.

Period: Sunday, October 26, 2025
Venue: Tomioka Castle Hyakken Dote

Contact: Reihoku Jatto Festival / Tomioka Castle O-shiro Festival Executive Committee
(Reihoku Town Hall Commerce and Tourism Division Tel 0969-35-3332 Reihoku Chamber of Commerce Tel 0969-37-1244)

Announcements of two events from Shintoku Town📣

1️⃣ ‘Tomuraushi Onsen 60th Anniversary Festival’

Tomuraushi Onsen celebrates its 60th year since opening this year with a gratitude festival where visitors can enjoy the gifts of Shintoku Town and the hot springs as a thank-you for long-standing patronage.

📍Dates: September 27, 2025 – September 28, 2025
📍Free hot spring bathing: Both days, September 27 and 28, 12:15–19:30
📍Events: One-day event on September 28, 12:00–16:00
📍Venue: Tomuraushi Onsen Tōtaisetsusō

Bathing is free on September 27 and 28. On the 28th we will hold many activities including a fill-your-bag event of Shintoku-grown vegetables, food stalls and sales featuring Tomuraushi Jersey beef, a mini concert by MAKICOM MINAMI, outdoor games, and a nostalgic Shintoku photo exhibition. Free day-trip shuttle service is also available, so please come and enjoy Tomuraushi Onsen this autumn.

📌Free day-trip shuttle (approx. 90 minutes each way)
📍September 27 Outbound: departs Shintoku Station 11:00 Return: departs the onsen 15:00
📍September 28 Outbound: departs from the Shin-Soba Festival venue 12:30 Return: departs the onsen 16:30
*Phone reservation required: Tomuraushi Onsen Tōtaisetsusō TEL: 0156-65-3021


2️⃣ ‘22nd Shintoku New Soba Festival’

The largest festival in Shintoku, the Shintoku New Soba Festival, is held every year on the last Sunday of September to coincide with the local soba harvest😊

📍Date: September 28, 2025 10:00–14:00
📍Venue: Parking lot in front of Shintoku Town Health and Welfare Center Nagomi

The highlight of the Shintoku New Soba Festival is tasting the four-fresh soba: freshly harvested, freshly milled, freshly made, and freshly boiled noodles.🎵
This year eight vendors from around town, including soba shops and volunteers, will serve flavorful soba grown on the foothills of the Daisetsu mountain range, each offering their signature broths and toppings to showcase the new soba.

Beyond soba, there will be many local specialties such as charcoal-grilled Shintoku jidori chicken and grilled shiitake mushrooms grown on logs, plus sweets like soba crepes and rich soft-serve ice cream to enjoy.😍

Also, the long-running wanko-soba eating contest returns for the first time in six years!!
There are two categories: parent-and-child pair and adult pair, and applications require teams of two.
Pairs of two will compete to see how many bowls of soba they can eat within the time limit.
Applications open at 11:00 on the day of the festival (about 30 minutes).

📞Contact
Shintoku New Soba Festival Executive Committee Office (Shintoku Town Industry Division) TEL: 0156-64-0525

*On the day, vendors will do their best to serve soba, but supplies may run out earlier than expected. Thank you for your understanding in advance.

https://shintoku-town.net/spot/#event

Shrine Festival
The Kamikoppu area holds its shrine festival on September 7,
and Nishiokoppe Village celebrates its shrine festival on September 11.

It’s the day when people parade through their neighborhood with the portable shrine.

In Kamikoppu, a night-before celebration called yomiya-sai is also held, making for a lively few days.

In Nishiokoppe, an entertainment show takes place on the evening of the festival day, where villagers perform and enjoy drinks together while watching the acts.

People wearing happi coats and children dressed as ochigo (festival pages) add to the festive atmosphere.

Walking through the streets of Kamikoppu, I heard the taiko drums echo off the surrounding mountains and return as a distant rumble.

I’ll post about the entertainment show in a separate entry.

#Nishiokoppe Village
#Hokkaido
#Shrine Festival
#Autumn
#Mikoshi (portable shrine)
#Procession
#Ochigo (festival child)
#Happi coat
#Mochimaki (rice cake throwing)

#016
It's been raining a lot lately and hard to get comfortable, but we are gradually starting to feel the coolness of autumn. Before we know it, September is almost over.
Next is October, and speaking of October... yes, Halloween!!
This time, we introduce Halloween events held in Tsunocho.

●First, the Youth Association Liaison Council presents "Wine Hill Halloween Night" — come in costume
and enjoy a fun evening together on the winery hill!
October 18 (Saturday) 17:00–20:00
200 yen for those junior high school age and older

●Halloween Volunteer! This volunteer event is organized by the NPO Tawawa Heart Net. Dress up and pick up litter, then grab some candy afterward!
October 18 (Saturday) 9:50–11:30
Capacity 30 people. Applications accepted until October 17!
※Apply via the QR code on the flyer photo.

●The Nakamachi district of Tsunocho will be decked out for Halloween!
Children will go door to door in the district to collect treats.
October 19 (Sunday) 13:00–15:00 (planned)
First 60 applicants. Application period: September 14–September 28
※Apply via the QR code on the flyer photo.

There are many different events. Put on a Halloween costume and enjoy this once-a-year celebration.

Amakusa West Coast 🍁 Autumn Kiln Tour — Featured Kiln / 03 Mugen Kiln

The 36th Amakusa West Coast Autumn Kiln Tour will take place over five days from Thursday, October 9 to Monday, October 13 (national holiday), with six kilns across Reihoku and Amakusa City participating.
During the event you can view and buy new works and enjoy discounted sales, so please take this opportunity to visit and enjoy Amakusa ceramics and the Amakusa West Coast scenery 🌊🌅.
(Note: Tenjiku Pottery Kiln will not participate.)

🍁🍁🍁

Featured Kiln Introduction /

Tucked quietly in the satoyama of Reihoku, Mugen Kiln stands serene. From the pieces created by kiln owner Seiko Tanaka, you sense an unwavering dedication to beauty. When asked about that source, she showed us the neatly arranged collection of seashells.

As a child, during the Obon season she began collecting sakuragai and benigai shells found on the local shore during the spirit-floating ceremony, becoming captivated by the mysterious shapes and colors that nature creates. Tanaka’s remark — “Truly beautiful things in this world are those without calculation, like these” — left a strong impression. It seems the core of Mugen Kiln’s unique worldview breathes from that sentiment.

We hope you will pick up Tanaka’s carefully crafted ceramics and feel their charm firsthand.

Unpesticided vegetables and potted flowers will also be on sale during the period.

📍 Mugen Kiln
588-1 Shirakio, Reihoku, Amakusa District, Kumamoto Prefecture 863-2506
TEL: 080-1703-6886
________________________________
The 36th Amakusa West Coast 🍁 Autumn Kiln Tour

Period: Thursday, October 9 – Monday, October 13 (national holiday)
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Venues
〈Reihoku〉 Uchida Sarayama Pottery, Kobo Kaze, Mugen Kiln, Unshū Kiln (Note: Tenjiku Pottery Kiln will not participate)
〈Amakusa City〉 Takahama Ware Juhogama, Amakusa Karatsu Juro Kiln (Goyama Kamegama)

🍁 Two stamp rallies run concurrently!
※ A digital stamp rally qualifying for Kumamoto Health Points📱
※ A stamp rally to win items from your chosen kiln (entry forms available at each kiln📃)

Inquiries: Amakusa Pottery Stone Research and Development Promotion Council Secretariat (within Reihoku Town Hall, Commerce and Tourism Division)
TEL: 0969-35-3332

Amakusa West Coast 🍁 Autumn Kiln Tour — Introducing Participating Kilns / 02 Kobo Kaze

The 36th Amakusa West Coast Autumn Kiln Tour will take place over five days from Thursday, October 9th through Monday, October 13th (a public holiday), with six kilns across Reihoku and Amakusa City serving as venues.😊
During the event, new works will be exhibited and sold, and discounted items will be available, so please take this chance to visit and enjoy Amakusa Ceramics and the Amakusa West Coast scenery 🌊🌅.
(Note: Tenjiku Pottery Kiln will not be participating.🙇‍♀️🙇)

🍁🍁🍁

Introducing the participating kilns /

Kobo Kaze continues to make pottery in a more than 130-year-old traditional farmhouse surrounded by nature. The studio began full-scale pottery activities in 2006.

For this feature, the studio owner, Mr. Hayashida, demonstrated a hand-building technique known as himodzukuri, one of the methods that does not use a potter’s wheel. Himodzukuri involves stacking clay rolled into cord-like strands and shaping them as they accumulate. Mr. Hayashida skillfully forms black clay into these cords and stacks them slowly and deliberately. Watching him work feels like time itself is moving gently, and it soothes the viewer.

When firing pieces in a carbonization kiln, Kobo Kaze leaves the exterior unglazed to highlight the natural gradations created by the way flames touch the surface, bringing out the clay’s inherent texture. A transparent glaze is applied to the interior to ensure everyday usability. The result is a simple, unpretentious elegance.

During the event, visitors can also find bamboo dragonfly crafts, wooden goods, homemade sweets, loaves of bread, and jams for sale.

📍Kobo Kaze
598 Takahama Minami, Takahama, Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture 863-2503
TEL: 0969-35-2041
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
The 36th Amakusa West Coast 🍁 Autumn Kiln Tour

Period: Thursday, October 9th – Monday, October 13th (public holiday)
Hours: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Venues:
〈Reihoku〉 Uchida Sarayama Pottery, Kobo Kaze, Mugen Kiln, Unshū Kiln (Note: Tenjiku Pottery Kiln will not be participating)
〈Amakusa City〉 Takahama Ware Juhogama, Amakusa Karatsu Juro Kiln (Goyama Kame Kiln)

🍁 Two stamp rallies run concurrently!
※ A digital stamp rally for Kumamoto Health Points (smartphone)
※ A stamp rally offering a chance to win products from your chosen kilns (entry forms available at each kiln 📃)

Inquiries: Amakusa Pottery Stone Research and Development Promotion Council Secretariat (inside Reihoku Town Hall, Commerce and Tourism Division)
TEL: 0969-35-3332

Amakusa West Coast🍁 Autumn Kiln Tour — Introducing Participating Kilns / 01 Uchida Sarayama Pottery

The 36th Amakusa West Coast Autumn Kiln Tour will take place over five days from Thursday, October 9 to Monday, October 13 (a public holiday), with six kilns across Reihoku and Amakusa City welcoming visitors😊
During the event you can enjoy new works on display and for sale, plus discounted items. Please take this chance to visit and enjoy Amakusa Ceramics along with the Amakusa West Coast scenery 🌊🌅♪
(Note: Tenjiku Pottery Kiln will not be participating 🙇‍♀️🙇)

🍁🍁🍁

Introducing the Uchida Sarayama Pottery, which carries on a porcelain-making history that began around 1650 and continued for about a century.

For this Autumn Kiln Tour, we recommend a new piece using the “iro-itchin” (colored itchin) technique: itchin motifs painted in a blue inspired by the Amakusa West Coast sea. Though itchin looks charming, it represents delicate skill and careful effort. The blue itchin patterns stand out beautifully against the white ground — a piece you should pick up and examine closely.

Also not to be missed are Uchida Sarayama Pottery’s classic zodiac figurines. Sales begin each year with the Autumn Kiln Tour. Next year’s zodiac is the horse. We photographed a veteran painter with 20 years’ experience at work. Watching the unglazed horses come to life through the brush is a stirring sight.

The zodiac figurines cycle every 12 years, and Uchida Sarayama Pottery prepares a new mold each time, applying designs suited to the era. They produce as many as three thousand pieces. Through these zodiac figurines, they aim to convey the distinctive whiteness of Amakusa Toseki.

📍Uchida Sarayama Pottery
554-1 Uchida, Reihoku, Amakusa District, Kumamoto Prefecture 863-2505
TEL: 0969-35-0222
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
The 36th Amakusa West Coast🍁 Autumn Kiln Tour

Period: Thursday, October 9 – Monday, October 13 (public holiday)
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Venues
〈Reihoku〉Uchida Sarayama Pottery, Kobo Kaze, Mugen Kiln, Unshū Kiln (Note: Tenjiku Pottery Kiln will not be participating)
〈Amakusa City〉Takahama Ware Juhogama, Amakusa Karatsu Juro Kiln (Juro Kiln)

🍁Two stamp rallies will run simultaneously!
• A digital stamp rally that counts toward Kumamoto Health Points 📱
• A stamp rally where you can win products from your chosen kilns (entry forms available at each kiln 📃)

Inquiries: Amakusa Pottery Stone Research and Development Promotion Council Secretariat (Reihoku Town Hall, Commerce and Tourism Division)
TEL: 0969-35-3332

The rice terraces in the Kumano Kodo and Highlands area are also called terraced rice fields in the sky. It's been 10 days since the last shoot. Even in this area (Wakayama), it has become less common to see rice racks (rice hangings) where harvested rice is dried in the sun. Thanks to the fact that large machines do not enter (?) You can see this scenery at the It must be difficult for farmers, but it is a landscape that I would like to see preserved forever.

Ako's Carpet

This is red Rice. It is a variety whose panicles turn red when fruiting. Rice is richer in vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, proteins, etc. It is a scenery that can be seen in some rice fields in Daan Town during this period. Here it is sold as "Daan Sakura Rice".

Daian Town, Inabe City, Mie Prefecture
2025/9

Event Announcement📣

On September 28th, “2025 Onneto Stories” will take place 😊

This event invites you to immerse yourself in Onneto’s primeval forest and enjoy its charms with all five senses.

There will be a variety of activities, including campfire and wood-splitting workshops focused on wood learning (mokuiiku), and a nature interaction class where you can enjoy forest bathing while learning about the trees and the mysteries of the Yuno Falls.
After refreshing yourself with forest bathing, relax at a forest concert while enjoying delicious local food 🎵
Spend a leisurely autumn day in this richly natural setting 🤗

On the day, a free shuttle bus will run from Roadside Station Ashoro to the Onneto campsite.
📍Outbound: Roadside Station Ashoro departs 8:30 → Onneto Campsite arrives 9:30
📍Return: Onneto Campsite departs 14:00 → Roadside Station Ashoro arrives 15:00

*Please note that due to recent heavy rain, the Onneto lakeshore Yuhodo trail course of the nature interaction class has been canceled.*

📞Inquiries
Ashoro Tourism Association Office TEL:0156-25-6131


https://www.town.ashoro.hokkaido.jp/kanko/news/2025/onneto_2025.html

Photographed 9/23/25.
It is Koite Water of Kawagoe Kumano Shrine.
It is an autumn specification. 🍁

The heat has cooled down, and it’s about time for outdoor picnics🌸
.
When that time comes, I recommend the bread and baked sweets from Karion (Hanasato-ne)!
They offer classic breads like anpan and melon pan, plus seasonal breads, so you’ll have a hard time choosing which one to pick💦
Their gateau au chocolat is moist inside, richly chocolatey, and more substantial than it looks😍
.
Karion’s breads and sweets are also sold at the Roadside Station Minami Echizen Sanka-ri in Minami-Echizen town, Shikisai, and the Honey Nanjo store!

This is Saba Zushi, a student preparing for the Certified Administrative Procedures Specialist exam! It was filmed at Donburi Hall in Toki City, Gifu Prefecture.

We started operating the WordPress "Saba Zushi, a student preparing for the Certified Administrative Procedures Specialist exam" on October 9, 2025.

Autumn 2025 Mt. Io Light-Up & Kawayu Marche
In 2025, the autumn event returns to Kawayu Onsen.
From Saturday, October 4 to Saturday, November 29, the Atosanupuri (Mt. Io) Light-Up will run, and on Saturday, October 18 the Kawayu Marche—featuring many local vendors—and the Onsen River Night Walk Tour, a nighttime walk along the hot-spring river, are scheduled.
Please take this chance to visit Kawayu Onsen in autumn.



Atosanupuri (Mt. Io) Light-Up
This popular autumn event lights the plumes rising from the mountainside, creating a magical nocturnal landscape.

● Period: 20 days in total, mainly on weekends, between October 4 (Sat) and November 29 (Sat)
● Time: 16:30–19:00
(On event days, the Sulfur Mountain MOKMOK Base will extend business hours until 18:00)
● Free to view
● On some days, a complimentary shuttle taxi will run from four lodging facilities in the Kawayu Onsen area!
(Seats for 9 people / reservation required by 16:00 on the day / limited to operating days)

*Please check the event calendar for the exact light-up dates and shuttle taxi operation days and times.*
*This event is conducted with environmental consideration; dates and times are set in advance and environmental surveys are carried out.*



Kawayu Marche
A gathering of delicious local foods!
Stalls line the hot-spring town, and the lively Kawayu-bayashi drumming will be performed.
● Date and time: Saturday, October 18, 12:00–19:00
Postponed to the following day in case of severe weather
● Location: Kawayu Onsen (next to KKR Kawayu)



Onsen River Night Walk Tour
The hot-spring river that flows through the town, the Onsen River, rises in steam and carries warm spring water—a miraculous scene. Join a guided night walk along the river to hear explanations and discover its mysteries. The tour covers a short distance at a leisurely pace, so anyone can join.

● Date and time: Saturday, October 18, 17:00–17:45
● Meeting: 16:45 at the parking lot of Kinki-yu Bettei Suikazura ryokan
● Reservation required by the day before at 070-8985-2599
● Capacity: 15 people
● Free participation

https://www.masyuko.or.jp/news/2025_kawayu_autumn/

Autumn Harvest Festival
Announcement of the “Umaissho ‘Shintoku’ Heavy Snow Festival”📢

Come taste Shintoku Town’s high-quality local ingredients at this food festival.📢

This year marks the festival’s 50th anniversary! 👏

The event takes place in the Kutsuri district of Shintoku Town.
A single free shuttle bus will run that day,
so locals and visitors arriving by JR or bus can enjoy a tasty BBQ while taking part in the venue’s events.🍻🍖

There will also be an all-you-can-fill bag of delicious produce grown in Shintoku’s rich natural environment.🥔🥕

Come join this tasty event before winter sets in.🚙🚌🚃

Umaissho “Shintoku” Heavy Snow Festival
Date: Sunday, October 5, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM–2:00 PM
*Rain or shine
Location: Kuttari Park

Schedule
10:00 AM – Local produce all-you-can-fill
Fruit sales from our sister city Higashine, Yamagata Prefecture
BBQ corner
*Visitors who purchase meat at the venue will receive free use of grills and charcoal!
10:00 AM – Performance by Shintoku Junior High School Brass Band
11:30 AM – Live: “Ryu with Sato Kawara (Guitar)” / Erina Kato
1:00 PM – Children’s raffle
*Raffle tickets distributed to the first 100 attendees
1:30 PM – Grand raffle
*Raffle tickets distributed to the first 300 attendees

Please note that event details and times may change in case of bad weather.

The children’s raffle features book vouchers and sweets,
while the grand raffle offers a pair of accommodation vouchers, a Shintoku specialty soba set, and a vegetable set.🎯

We look forward to seeing you!

Autumn Harvest Festival
Announcement of the “Umaissho Shintoku Heavy Snow Festival” 📢

This is a food festival where you can sample high-quality local ingredients from Shintoku Town. 📢

And this year marks the 50th anniversary of the festival! 👏

The festival will be held in the Kutsuri district of Shintoku Town.
There will be only one free shuttle bus available on this day, so
locals, as well as those traveling by JR or bus, can enjoy a delicious BBQ while enjoying the event at the venue. 🍻🍖

We'll also be offering a free bag of delicious produce grown in Shintoku Town's lush natural environment. 🥔🥕

Come and enjoy this delicious event before winter sets in. 🚙🚌🚃

Delicious "Shintoku" Heavy Snow Festival
Date: Sunday, October 5, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
*Will be held rain or shine
Location: Kuttari Park

The children's raffle will feature book vouchers and sweets,
and the fun raffle will feature a pair of accommodation vouchers, a Shintoku specialty soba noodle set, and a vegetable set. 🎯

We look forward to seeing you there!
#Hokkaido
#Tokachi
#Shintoku Town
#shintoku
#festival
#harvest festival
#bbq
#autumn
#Heavy Snow Festival
#Sato Kawara
#Erina Kato
#hokkaido
#hokkaidotrip
#hokkaidotourism
#tourism
#tokachi
#shintoku
#welcomeshintoku
#discovershintoku

[Yesterday at Tokachigaoka Observatory 🔅]
Daytime highs fell below 25°C, and you can slowly feel signs of autumn 🍃
Mornings and evenings drop below 10°C, bringing a chilly feeling
As the season changes, please take care of your health ☺️

Event Announcement 📣

The 49th Kashirin Park Festival will be held on Sunday, September 21, 2025 😊
This autumn industry festival lets you savor the flavors unique to Taiki, a town with both mountains and sea!!

This year’s HBC Radio live recording guests are Mariko Nagai and Shinya Kono and Hitoshi Fujio from Oklahoma 🎵

The program is packed with favorites like the annual Wagyu Festival and the Aki-aji (autumn salmon) Grab, food stalls featuring Taiki’s delicious offerings, dairy product sales from Snow Brand Megmilk, which has a factory in Taiki, and a fun raffle 😍

📍Note: Entry to the Aki-aji Grab is by lottery. Lottery tickets will be distributed between 9:00 and 9:30.
Also, the event may be canceled depending on fishing conditions. Please understand in advance.

There are kid-friendly activities too, including a stamp-art workshop to make a Taiki drawstring bag, a woodworking class, and a bounce dome ✨

Come enjoy Taiki’s seasonal flavors in Kashirin Park, surrounded by the town tree, kashiwa (oak)!!
We look forward to seeing you 🤗

📍Date and Time: Sunday, September 21, 2025, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM

📍Location: Kashirin Park (held rain or shine)


https://visit-taiki.hokkaido.jp/tp_detail.php?id=424

Introducing 🍁 the Okusobana Nature Garden scheduled to open on October 1

The total road closure due to the construction of the Okusobana Valleys Road is expected to be lifted, and you can Fun the Okusobana Nature Garden in autumn from 10/1!

Okusohana Nature Garden Information
【Opening period (autumn)】2025/10/1 (Water)~11/3(Mon)
【Opening Hours】8:30-17:00
【Address】16943-4 Onimusato, Nagano City (Okusobana Dam)
【Car Parking】Available (300 cars, 25 large buses)
【Admission fee】200 yen for junior high school students and older
【Inquiry】Onimusato Tourism Promotion Association 026-256-3188

The best time to see < Autumn leaves>
Every year, mid-October to late October

The promenades are maintained and you can enjoy trekking for about 2~4 hours.
An example Course < walk>
●Tourist Center ~ Rest House ~ Bentenjima ~ Yoshiike ~ Komidaira Wetland / About 2 hours

#Autumn leaves #Autumn leaves Spot #Okusobana Nature Garden #Nagano City #Nagano Prefecture #Nagano Tourism #Nagano Travel #nagano #naganocity

Rice harvesting has begun in the terraced rice fields in the Highlands area of Kumano Kodo and Kiri no Sato. It is good to walk leisurely, but if you are thinking of walking the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Course in autumn, please rest your legs for a while and enjoy this view.

Event Announcement📣

“Sea and Land Festival” and Toyokoro Industry Fair 2025 is coming 😊
Enjoy an autumn in Toyokoro filled with sights, tastes, and fun.

This year, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the town’s establishment, the festival will be more lavish than usual, featuring special complimentary items like Toyokoro wagyu diced steak and Toyokoro autumn salmon chanchan-yaki available in limited quantities 😍

Onstage, you can enjoy drum performances by Toyokoro Taiko “Enyukai” and a concert by Toyokoro Junior High School Brass Band, plus a spectacular stage show featuring enka singer Junko Ishihara as a guest!

Also returning by popular demand are the annual hits: the Otsu autumn salmon direct-sale event and the autumn salmon grab contest 🎵
There will also be a bounty of activities including a rice cake and sweets toss where you can win local specialties, various local product stalls, and food trucks—plenty to enjoy!!

Toyokoro’s bounty is ripe for the picking—now’s the perfect time to taste it! We look forward to seeing you 🤗

📍Date and Time: Saturday, September 20, 9:40 AM–2:00 PM

📍Venue: JA Toyokoro Multipurpose Plaza

https://www.toyokoro.jp/page/6325.html

The “Town’s 70th Anniversary Ise-ebi Festival” reopened registrations from 9:00 on Saturday, October 11, but due to a large number of applications it was closed on October 12.

Minamiizu Town 70th Anniversary “Ise-ebi Festival”
To celebrate the town’s 70th anniversary this year, we are offering a 3,000 yen discount per stay on accommodation rates so you can enjoy Minamiizu Town’s Ise-ebi, the prefecture’s top catch, at a better value.

Period
From Saturday, October 4, 2025 to Sunday, November 30, 2025 ※Check-out by Monday, December 1, 2025

Reservation application: Saturday, September 20 – Monday, November 17
※Apply via the dedicated form: https://ws.formzu.net/fgen/S84600026/
※Applicable for stays of two or more people (per one night)
※Limited to the first 500 applicants
※Discount applies to adults (junior high school students and older) and children (6 years and older) at 3,000 yen per person
※One free parking voucher for Irozaki Ocean Park will be given to one eligible group of guests per stay
※Cannot be combined with other coupons or discounts

Overview
◉Accommodation reservations are accepted until Monday, November 17.
◉Rooms for stays on Friday, November 14 and Saturday, November 15 may be unavailable due to overlap with town events.
◉Ise-ebi will be provided only to adults (junior high school students and older) and children (6 years old through elementary school).
◉Each guest may select one cooking method for their Ise-ebi.
※Choose one of three cooking methods for the Ise-ebi: sashimi, boiled, or grilled in the shell.
※Cooking methods and options may vary depending on the accommodation.
◉The discount is available for the first 500 people.
※If you cancel and reapply after the quota is reached, you will not be able to apply.
◉Discount applies to adults and children (6 years old through elementary school).
※Infants (2 years to under 6 years) and babies (0 to under 2 years) are not eligible.
◉Applications will close once the discount quota is reached.
◉Only those who book accommodation through the tourism association are eligible for the discount.
◉When you pay the reservation deposit, we will mail you a reservation deposit receipt.
◉Office hours are 9:00 to 17:00.

Accommodation procedure
◉Submit your accommodation application via the reception form, email, or phone.
◉Once the tourism association arranges your accommodation, we will mail the accommodation information letter.
◉After you receive the accommodation information letter, please transfer the listed accommodation fee to the specified account.
◉After confirming your transfer, we will mail the reservation deposit receipt.
◉After you receive the reservation deposit receipt, please proceed directly to the accommodation.

From reservation to stay
1. Apply (via form, etc.)
2. Accommodation arranged (rooms may be unavailable)
3. Accommodation information letter mailed (shows discounted amount)
4. Guest transfers the accommodation fee
5. Reservation deposit receipt mailed
6. After receiving the reservation deposit receipt, go to the accommodation

Cancellation fees
〇 From 7 to 4 days before the scheduled stay: 20% of the accommodation fee
〇 From 3 days before to the day before the scheduled stay: 50% of the accommodation fee
〇 On the day of the scheduled stay: 100% of the accommodation fee
〇 If you cancel before the scheduled date after paying the accommodation fee, a 1,000 yen handling fee will be deducted from any refund

How to apply
Apply via the dedicated form: https://ws.formzu.net/fgen/S84600026/
Ise-ebi Festival page → https://x.gd/Y2SYw

The cosmos of "Taiyo-no-Oka Engaru Park Cosmos Garden" is in full bloom and is in Best time to visit!
This season, the flowers bloom better than every year, and it is a very beautiful cosmos field.
Please come and ♪ see it

"Taiyo-no-Oka Engaru Park Cosmos Garden"
Address: Marudai, Engaru Town, Monbetsu District, Hokkaido

The new soba season has begun.

Since mid-August, two types of banners have been raised beside the soba fields along National Route 38 to promote the Shin-toku New Soba Festival by the PR campaigns “Soba Road” and “Soba Town Shintoku.”

Until the Shin-toku New Soba Festival, the 1.3 km stretch with soba fields buzzes with activity. 🚩

The 2025 harvest of new soba is already being carefully gathered by producers.
You can taste the new soba at the Shin-toku New Soba Festival, and local soba restaurants in town will also be serving new soba at this time.
If you can’t make it to the festival, want to go early, or find the festival portions aren’t quite enough—
please come to Shintoku and visit the soba restaurants. 💁‍♀️

The Shin-toku New Soba Festival takes place on Sunday, September 28, 2025, from 10:00 to 14:00.

We warmly look forward to your visit.
💁‍♀️

#Hokkaido
#Tokachi
#Shintoku
#Shintoku Soba
#new soba
#new soba festival
#Soba Road
#Welcome to Shintoku
#Welcome home to Shintoku
#Shintoku Town Tourism Association
#Shintoku Station
#Tokutoku Station-front Complex Facility
#tuktuk
#tokutoku
#hokkaido
#hokkaidotrip
#hokkaidotourism
#tourism
#tokachi
#shintoku
#welcomeshintoku
#discovershintoku

Amakusa West Coast 🍁 Autumn Kiln Tour Announcement

The 36th Amakusa West Coast Autumn Kiln Tour will take place over five days from Thursday, October 9 to Monday, October 13 (national holiday), hosted at six kilns in Reihoku and Amakusa City 😊
During the event, new works will be exhibited and sold, and items will be offered at discounted prices. Take this chance to visit, enjoy Amakusa Ceramics, and soak in the Amakusa West Coast scenery 🌊🌅♪

The Amakusa Reihoku Tourism Association account will introduce participating kilns one by one in the coming days.
We will share photos 📸 of preparations for the kiln tour and ask about the new works 📝.
Look forward to it!
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

The 36th Amakusa West Coast 🍁 Autumn Kiln Tour

Period: Thursday, October 9 – Monday, October 13 (national holiday)
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Venues:
Reihoku: Uchida Sarayama Pottery, Kobo Kaze, Mugen Kiln, Unshū Kiln
Amakusa City: Takahama Ware Juhogama, Amakusa Karatsu Juro Kiln (Goyama Kame Kiln)

🍁Two stamp rallies will run simultaneously!
※A digital stamp rally eligible for Kumamoto Health Points 📱
※A stamp rally where you can win products from your chosen kilns (entry forms are available at each kiln 📃)

Contact: Amakusa Pottery Stone Research and Development Promotion Council Secretariat (inside Reihoku Town Hall, Commerce and Tourism Division)
TEL: 0969-35-3332

Yellow Cosmos will soon be in full bloom

This is Located in in Yamanashi Prefecture "Flower City Park"
Spring summer, autumn, and winter, it is also the best 🥹 when it is entwined with Mount Fuji in the Spot when various flowers are in Best time to visit