A luxurious gift campaign is starting🎁 Enjoy winter in the Kushiro region and win fantastic local specialties! Just share the winter charms of the Kushiro region on Instagram, and you’ll have a chance to win wonderful local products! The Kushiro region is full of winter-only vistas such as Lake Akan Onsen in Kushiro City, Hosooka Observatory in Kushiro Town, Otowa Bridge in Tsuruimura, Lake Mashu in Teshikaga, and Tawahei Observatory in Shibecha—refresh your mind and body at hot springs and nature-rich spots! Check the details at the URL below▼ https://ja.kushiro-lakeakan.com/things_to_do/22082/...

Happy New Year. I look forward to your continued support this year. Now for the first event of the year organized by the Kyonan Town Tourism Association. On Sunday, January 18, we will hold a Narcissus & Gibier Marche and a flea market at Kyonan Town Health and Welfare Center Sukoyaka Parking. You will find narcissus flowers, vegetables, rice balls made with local produce, fried gibier meat, nostalgic Showa-era hardware, and more. Food trucks will also be on site, so look forward to that. Also, from 11:00 a.m., we will offer free bowls of botan-jiru soup to the first 250 people. The date and time are as follows. Date and time: Sunday, January 18, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Location: Kyonan Town Health and Welfare Center Sukoyaka Parking The event will be canceled in case of rain. Please come and join us. #Chiba Prefecture#Kyonan Town#Boso Peninsula#hoba station#Hota Coast#Narcissus no Sato#Ezuki Narcissus Road#Kyonan Town Health and Welfare General Center Sukoyaka#Narcissus Marche#Gibier Marche#Tateyama Gibier#Free botan-jiru distribution

A luxurious Instagram giveaway is starting 🎁 Enjoy winter in the Kushiro area and win premium local products! Just share the winter charms of the Kushiro area on Instagram for a chance to win wonderful local specialties! From Lake Akan Onsen in Kushiro City to Hoso-oka Observatory in Kushiro Town, Otowa Bridge in Tsuruimura, Lake Mashu in Teshikaga, and Tawa-He Observatory in Shibecha, the Kushiro area is full of winter-only spectacular views. Relax your mind and body at hot spring resorts and nature-rich spots! Check the website for details! https://ja.kushiro-lakeakan.com/things_to_do/22082/...

The Mt. Rokko Pasture can be reached by winding mountain paths that slowly ascend from Kobe! The scenery on the way is beautiful, but not recommended for anyone with a fear of heights. Once you arrive, though, you are rewarded with a picturesque vista of rolling hills and sheep grazing peacefully. For those who want a more dynamic sheep activity, there are sheep races on Saturday, complete with a champion's stage for the lucky winner! Of course, visitors are welcome to touch the fluffy sheep, and you can hear their cute bleating now and again. I came just for the sheep, but I was surprised by the scale of the pasture's other activities. There are horses, goats, guinea pigs, and at least one giant cow. There were horseback riding experiences, as well as a fossil search activity for children where participants can find and take home real fossils. The pasture makes its own cheese, and also has locally made Kobe wines for sale. Outside of winter, fresh milk is also available. If you would like a relaxing experience with animals away from the city, Mt. Rokko is a great spot!

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

[Held from Saturday, January 24, 2026 to Sunday, February 15, 2026] Otofuke Tokachigawa Swan Festival Sairinka💫 The ever-popular “Otofuke Tokachigawa Swan Festival Sairinka” returns this year 🎉 [Date] January 24 (Sat) ⇒ February 15 (Sun) [Lighting hours] 19:00–21:00 [Location] Otofuke Town Tokachigaoka Park Hanak Square [Parking] Available (approx. 200 cars, free) Sairinka is a fantasy show blending light and music ✨ Come and experience the power and emotion of this spectacular show! We look forward to welcoming many visitors 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️ - [Held from Saturday, January 24, 2026 to Sunday, February 15, 2026] Otofuke Tokachigawa Swan Festival Sairinka💫 The very popular “Otofuke Tokachigawa Swan Festival Sairinka” is being held again this year 🎉 [Date] January 24 (Sat) ⇒ February 15 (Sun) [Lighting hours] 19:00–21:00 [Location] Otofuke Town Tokachigaoka Park Hanak Square [Parking] Available (approx. 200 cars, free) Sairinka combines light and music in a dreamlike show ✨ Please come to the site and feel the impact and emotion of the light-and-music pairing! - [Held from Saturday, January 24, 2026 to Sunday, February 15, 2026] Otofuke Tokachigawa Swan Festival Sairinka💫 “Otofuke Tokachigawa Swan Festival Sairinka,” which is very popular every year, will be held again this year 🎉 [Date] January 24 (Sat) ⇒ February 15 (Sun) [Light hours] 19:00–21:00 [Location] Otofuke Town Tokachigaoka Park Hanak Square [Parking] Available (approx. 200 cars, free) - [Held from Saturday, January 24, 2026 to Sunday, February 15, 2026] Otofuke Tokachigawa Swan Festival Sairinka💫 The annually popular “Otofuke Tokachigawa Swan Festival Sairinka” will be held again this year 🎉 [Event period] January 24 (Sat) – February 15 (Sun) [Lighting time] 19:00–21:00 [Venue] Otofuke Town Tokachigaoka Park Hanak Square [Parking] Available (approx. 200 cars, free)

Happy New Year! This is the first sunrise of 2026 as seen from Bansei Onsen. May many people visit Taiki Town again this year!

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 (^^)

Sun pillar and diamond dust at Kirigamine, Nagano Prefecture The 1/3 weather forecast predicted a temperature of −8°C and 80% humidity. Since snow had been forecast until 21:00 the night before, I thought it might appear and drove out. By the time I arrived at 21:00, the snow had already stopped, but a light dusting of powdery snow had settled. At 22:00 the car’s outside thermometer read −12°C, so I went to bed hoping the temperature would keep falling. I hiked 600 m along the snowy road from the parking lot to the shooting point just after 6:00 in the morning. The morning temperature was −12°C. Mount Fuji was clearly visible. There were clouds above Yatsugatake, but at 7:20 a sun pillar appeared above them. I silently wished for it to appear below as well, and from around 7:24 the diamond dust began to sparkle. The sun pillar lasted about 15 minutes, but the diamond dust continued to glitter afterward. I had visited several times last year without success, so I was delighted to see it this time.

Mount Fuji and morning mist This photo was taken at Lake Shojin at sunrise. I took it by chance on my first visit to see Mount Fuji! It looks like it will be a good 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