Photographed on January 11, 2014. This is LEC COFFEE’s black latte and a sweet potato Basque cheesecake. I often visit after worshipping at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. It’s a treat I look forward to after visiting. 😊☕️

Event Announcement 📣 “Hombetsucho Bean-Scattering Night” will be held on Saturday, January 24th 😊 This event, timed for the Setsubun season, celebrates beans, a local specialty of Hombetsucho. Setsubun takes place the day before Risshun (the beginning of spring) and traditionally involves scattering beans to drive away evil spirits. It is said this practice began to ward off the misfortune and demons that can enter at seasonal boundaries 👹 At this event we will stage a dramatic bean-scatting spectacle using more than 2.5 tons of consecrated beans to vanquish many demons, and a “bean shower” where participants are drenched in over 100 kg of beans like a waterfall, among other bean-themed attractions. A lineup of food trucks will also gather so you can enjoy plenty of gourmet treats 🎵 https://www.town.honbetsu.hokkaido.jp/sightseeing/fes/details/mamemakanight.html...

Minami-izu Town, located at the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula, is dotted with a wealth of geosites that give a sense of the workings of the Earth, including a complex coastline and dynamic cliffs created by undersea volcanic activity. Additionally, Mikomoto Island in Minamiizu Town is a world-famous diving spot where you can see schools of hammerhead sharks. Due to the influence of the Kuroshio Current, the area is extremely dense with fish, and there is a high probability of encountering large schools of fish (hammer rivers) from summer to autumn, attracting many experienced divers from both Japan and abroad. Located in the open ocean, you can enjoy drift diving (diving while being carried away by the current) and it boasts one of the world's highest concentrations of fish. -- For more information about tourism in Minamiizu Town, Minamiizu Town Tourism Association【official】 WEB：https://www.minami-izu.jp/?p=we-page-entry&spot=596705&cat=18711&pageno=3&type=spot...

Photographed on January 11, 2014. This is LEC COFFEE’s sweet potato Basque cheesecake. I will visit again once work settles down. 😊

Photographed on January 11, 2014. This is a black latte from LEC COFFEE. It features beautiful latte art.

“Can you believe all of this is handmade?” A massive pyre has appeared that can withstand the sea breeze of Tomioka. Tomorrow, Sunday, January 18th at 9:00 AM, the Dondoyama ceremony will take place at Tomioka Elementary School. This pyre rises more than five meters high. Looking up from below, you’ll be overwhelmed by its sheer presence. Please come and feel the passion that everyone poured into preparing for this day on site. A winter tradition wishing for good health and safety. Let’s watch together the moment a great pillar of flame soars into the Tomioka sky!

Photographed on January 11, Heisei 26. This is a quiche plate from LEC COFFEE. It includes a chicken and spinach quiche, salad, white vegetable potage, and homemade bread. Lunch is now by reservation only.

After visiting Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, I relaxed at the Starbucks Kanetsuki‑dōri Store. I had a cacao mousse latte and a ruby chocolate cake.

Open only two days a week!? 😍 Three hidden gem bakeries in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture you’ll want to go out of your way to visit 🥐💞 Read the article here 🔽 https://www.shobara-info.com/report/5461... As a foodie in my 30s who loves sweets, I adore hunting for places that aren’t “ordinary.” In Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, there are hidden bakeries that operate as mobile vendors or only open on limited days. I actually visited them and will introduce them here! Be sure to check the Shobara Tourist Navi website’s “Editorial Report”!

Photographed on January 1, 2014. This is Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine’s Ichinen Andai fortune slip. Available only during the New Year season.

Photographed on January 1, 2014. This is Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine's Ichinen An-tai fortune slip. Available only during the New Year period.

The time has finally come!! Tsukigase’s major event that draws about 200,000 visitors over roughly three weeks!! The Tsukigase Plum Grove Plum Festival!! Tsukigase Plum Grove was designated as Japan’s first nationally recognized Place of Scenic Beauty!! We look forward to welcoming many visitors again this year!!

Today I attended the monthly ceremony at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. This is the shrine precincts around 7:30 a.m.

Photographed on January 11, 2014. This is Chabudai-san’s morning. It has changed to carrot potage. 🥕 Hon-Kawagoe PePe closed yesterday. We are busy with the closing work now, and once things settle down, it’s likely to feel lonely. 🥹

On Wednesday, January 14 and Thursday, January 15, 2026, we will hold an Iwanai Onsen PR event on the second floor Center Plaza of New Chitose Airport. Hot spring hand baths experience ♨ Tastings of craft beer from Iwanai-cho 🍺 Information about the hot spring and town tour “DISCOVER IWANAI,” and a small gift for those who complete our survey♪ Although Iwanai Onsen sits right next to the Niseko area, it is a quiet port town hot-spring destination surrounded by sea and mountains ♨ It has earned nationwide recognition as a beautifying hot spring. Rather than a bustling tourist spot, this is a place we want people to discover who seek quiet, unhurried time with the hot springs. Meet us at the airport, and next time meet us on site. Whether you live nearby or are passing through on a transfer, please feel free to stop by!!! Local specialties will also be on sale at the event booth. Take this chance to get to know Iwanai-cho!!

Hon-Kawagoe PePe has closed. After I started working at Hon-Kawagoe PePe, I grew to love Kawagoe and began taking photos. I am grateful to Hon-Kawagoe PePe. 🥹

Kuwanouchi Shrine Night Kagura & Kotono Shrine Night Kagura From the evening of January 10 into the morning of January 11, the Kuwanouchi Shrine Night Kagura and the Kotono Shrine Night Kagura were safely offered again this year 👹 I can still hear the drumbeat pounding in the back of my ears and the clear, high sound of the flute ringing in my mind 😆 You could hear the dancers’ breathing, see children watching intently, and feel the atmosphere of kagura as locals and returnees to Gokase gathered together ✨ We were treated to another wonderful performance this year 🥰 This beautiful night was made possible by the preservation society members who trained diligently, the local women’s association who served warm meals and drinks through the night, and the officers and staff who worked tirelessly to ensure smooth operations. The smiles of the visitors who return to this place each year exist because of the devoted support of these community members 👏 We would be happy to watch over this proud Gokase kagura tradition with you again next year and the year after 💕 Thank you very much to everyone who came from afar in the cold!

Photographed on January 11, 2014. After the New Year’s fire brigade ceremony at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine, I visited Chabudai-san. It’s lemonade. When it’s cold, lemonade is the thing. 😊🍋🍯

Photographed on January 11, 2014. This is the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine’s Fortune Tai Omikuji for new adults only.

From Hakuba Mountain Harbor, you can see breathtaking views of the Northern Alps on clear days. The first time I saw them, I was so captivated by the scenery that I lost myself for a while.

Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine offers a "Mirai An-tai" fortune slip exclusive to new adults. It runs until January 12. I hope to receive one too. 😊

I watched the New Year’s fire brigade ritual by the Kawagoe Wakatobi Association at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine. They look sharp.

Photographed on January 1, 2014. This is a beckoning cat omikuji from Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. 🐈 It looks like something good might happen.

This is the Year of the Horse omikuji from Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. May it bring you blessings as well.🐴✨

Photographed on January 1, 2014. This is a photo spot at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

[Ooyama Wild Boar and Deer (Gibier) Fair Now Underway] Ooyama is currently hosting the Ooyama Wild Boar and Deer (gibier) Fair. Gibier cuisine in Ooyama, where boar hotpot has been enjoyed for generations, ranks alongside tofu dishes as a local specialty. Many temple lodgings and restaurants serve seasonal flavors unique to this period. Take this opportunity to visit Ooyama and taste these signature dishes. *Some establishments may require reservations.* Event Period ◆ Through March 31, 2026 For details, please see the official website. https://www.city.isehara.kanagawa.jp/kankou_guide/docs/2025090900014/...

Photographed on January 1, 2014. Around 6:00 a.m. at Kawagoe Kumano Shrine, this is the temizuya (water pavilion). The unusual atmosphere compared with usual is lovely.

Photographed on January 3, 2014. This is the New Year floral temizu basin at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on January 3, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine. It looks festive and bright for the New Year.🎍✨

Reihoku Sunset Marche — January Announcement📣 Happy New Year🎊 Our first announcement of the year is the Reihoku Sunset Marche in January♪ 👀 Highlights of this Sunset Marche 👀 ❣ At the Reihoku Sunset Marche, where agricultural products, processed goods, and prepared foods from Reihoku are sold, freshly shipped bagged mikan (tangerines) will be available this time 🍊 Please enjoy these seasonal farm products❣ We look forward to seeing you 😊 Don’t forget to bring your own shopping bag🛍✨ Scheduled produce for sale: ・Aspara greens ・Cauliflower ・Turnips🫜 ・Pumpkin🎃 ・Cabbage ・Cucumbers🥒 ・Kale ・Rice🌾 ・Coral leaf feather ・Taro ・Sweet potatoes🍠 ・Potatoes🥔 ・Garland chrysanthemum (shungiku) ・Daikon radish ・Tomatoes (Aiko, cherry) ・Chinese cabbage ・Green peppers🫑 ・Broccoli🥦 ・Ponkan ・Mikan🍊 (bagged, boxed, bag-hung) ・Mizuna (Beni-hoshi variety) ・Lettuce (sunny, leaf) ・Welsh onion (single stalk) 🥦🍅🥕🍠🥬🧅🫑🌽🌶🫛🍆🫚🥔 Reihoku Sunset Marche Date: Sunday, January 11, 1:00 PM–3:00 PM Location: Amakusa Reihoku Tourist Association (Reihoku Town Local Products Center, 4535-1 Kamitsufukae, Reihoku)