[Let’s tour five municipalities in a loop!] Tanzawa-Ōyama–Miyagase Stamp Rally Tour February 1, 2024 (Thursday) – March 15, 2024 (Friday) Stamp spots: Atsugi, Aikawa, Kiyokawa, Hadano, Isehara City Anyone can join by downloading the app to your smartphone! You might discover places you’ve never visited before! Collect three or five stamps to receive a special commemorative gift♪ ★How to participate 1. Download the dedicated app on your smartphone 2. Select the stamp rally participation screen within the app 3. Collect one stamp in each municipality (scan the image) 4. Gather three or five stamps to get a commemorative gift! 5. Answer the survey to enter the prize draw! ★Prizes • Three stamps… Original eco bag • Five stamps… Original blanket ★Prize exchange locations Isehara Station Tourist Information Center, Ekina Kururin House, and four other locations For details, please visit the official Isehara City website.

Isehara Flower Report January 22, 2024 Plum blossoms at Hinata Yakushi, Ugakubunko, and the General Sports Park …They are beginning to bloom. Plum trees across Isehara City are starting to flower. Perhaps due to the warm winter, they seem to be blooming earlier than usual. Their fragrance is lovely, and they let us feel the arrival of spring a little sooner. By the way, the wintersweet (roubai) also blooms this season with yellow flowers, but it belongs to the wintersweet family and is a different species from the rose-family plums. In any case, we look forward to seeing them in full bloom.

Isehara City Tourism Association in Kanagawa Prefecture has posted! They introduce popular sightseeing spots in Isehara, including Mount Oyama. This nature-filled destination is about an hour from central Tokyo. Please be sure to follow them!

Hatsuyakushi for Reiwa 6 Yesterday, the annual Yakushi event “Hatsuyakushi” took place and drew many worshippers. Around noon, cars lined up in the Hinata Yakushi bus stop parking lot and along Yakushi Forest Road, making passing very difficult. After turning back, I finally found a spot in the Bōchū parking lot and walked from the temple gate toward the main hall. An elderly man coming down stopped me with the words, "You’re late getting here; there’s no more rice porridge left," which made me pause. But seeing is believing. Since I had already started climbing, I hurried on. When I entered the main hall, they were indeed cleaning the rice-porridge cauldrons, so sadly I could not receive any this year. Still, even after the porridge distribution ended, worshippers kept coming, and Hinata Yakushi enjoyed a lively New Year.

Nice to meet you! This is the Isehara City Tourism Association. Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, lies in the center of Kanagawa and has a population of 101,495 as of December 2023. About one third of its total area is covered by forests and wilderness, making it a region rich in nature. It also boasts excellent access—about 60 minutes from Shinjuku Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line (Rapid Express/Express). In this first post, we introduce Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, focusing on its sightseeing spots! ─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─ Sightseeing Information for Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture ─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─ ■ Mt. Ooyama / Oyama Cable Car / Daisenji Temple / Oyama Afuri Shrine Mt. Ooyama, at 1,251.7 meters and part of Tanzawa-Ōyama Quasi-National Park, is one of the most popular hiking spots in the Kanto region. In 2016 it was designated a Japan Heritage site. From the summit you can see the Sagami Plain and even Tokyo’s skyscrapers on clear days, and the mountain is listed among Kanagawa’s 50 scenic spots. ・Oyama Cable Car The Ōyama Cable Line, commonly called the Oyama Cable Car, is a 0.8 km cable car. With large windows to enjoy Ooyama’s nature, it provides easy access toward the summit. ・Daisenji Temple Daisenji sits on the mountainside and is also known as Mount Amefuri. In autumn the maple trees flanking the stone steps to the main hall turn brilliant red, making it a famous spot for autumn foliage. A “Momiji Festival” is held and draws many visitors. There are four types of goshuin (temple stamps), including a striking gold-letter special edition. [Access: Get off at Daisenji Station on the Oyama Cable Car, about a 3-minute walk] ・Oyama Afuri Shrine Founded over 2,200 years ago, the shrine enshrines the three deities Ōyamatsumi no Ōkami, Ooi-Kazuchi-no-Kami, and Takaokami-no-Kami. The main shrine sits at the summit of Mt. Ooyama, with the lower shrine located on the mountainside. The view from Afuri Shrine Station on the Oyama Cable Car, which earned two stars in the Michelin Green Guide Japan, is a must-see when you get off the cable car. [Access: Get off at Afuri Shrine Station on the Oyama Cable Car] ■ Hinata Yakushi Officially named Hinatayama Hojo-bo, it enshrines a Yakushi Nyorai carved from a single block of wood and is one of Japan’s three great Yakushi temples. Until the end of the Edo period it was called Mount Hyūga Ryōzen-ji and served as a center for Hinata Shugendo, where monks practiced ascetic training in this sacred area. Every year in mid-September red spider lilies bloom around Hinata Yakushi and attract many visitors. Hinata Yakushi offers many sights starting with the Kongorikishi statues along the approach. The Hoden, built to store cultural properties, houses 23 historic Buddhist statues, including eight nationally designated items and two prefecturally designated items. The Yakushi-do, the main hall with its thatched roof, is also designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. ■ Isehara Tounoyama Ryokuchi Park The park and citizen green space together cover about 13 hectares, with trails and lawns where you can relax and enjoy nature at a gentle pace. The well-maintained paths make hiking enjoyable and safe even for small children. ■ Mitakeen This mikan orchard covers about 1 hectare and grows approximately 900 mikan trees. Mikan picking season runs from mid-September to around February. From mid-September you can pick early varieties such as Hinano-hime and Nitta No. 1, and from early October varieties like Miyagawa wase and Taguchi wase are available. From spring through summer you can also enjoy barbecues and vegetable-harvesting experiences. Because Mitakeen sits on the mountainside, on clear days you can enjoy views of Sagami Bay, Enoshima, and the Boso Peninsula. ─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─ Event Information for Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture ─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─ Isehara City hosts a variety of events throughout the year. ■ Setsubun Festival Celebrities are invited and events are held at sites such as Oyama Afuri Shrine, Sannomiya Hibita Shrine, and Isehara Daijingu Shrine. [Held: the day before Risshun (the beginning of spring)] ■ Sannomiya Hibita Shrine Spring Grand Festival Hibita Shrine has been known as a power spot since the Jomon period. The spring grand festival features three colorful karakuri doll floats parading through town. Traditional folk kagura performances take place on the shrine grounds and are another highlight. Festival stalls line the streets—about 200 vendors in 2023. [Held: usually in April] ■ Painted Lantern Festival Handmade painted lanterns line Oyama Shinmichi (the bypass), creating a magical scene that lights the night. Lantern designs include Edo-period woodblock print motifs and popular characters. A stamp rally and other events are held during the festival. [Held: mid to late August every year] ─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─ Accommodation Information for Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture ─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─・─ Isehara offers inns, temple lodgings, and hotels tucked into quiet mountain valleys. Each accommodation serves dishes made from fresh local ingredients, and some venues offer meal-only options. You can also find lodging information on the official website of the Isehara City Tourism Association for reference. With dramatic natural scenery, historic landmarks, and the mystical atmosphere of shrines and temples, Isehara City in Kanagawa Prefecture has many attractions to explore. We will continue to share Isehara’s charms through this account. Thank you and we look forward to your support!