Welcome to the Kikuchi Cherry Blossom Festival 2026 🌸 Kikuchi City will hold the Kikuchi Cherry Blossom Festival at Shimin Hiroba to coincide with the cherry blossoms. Please enjoy the spring scenes of cherry trees spreading through the town on the breeze. 【A red carpet will be installed on the Kikuchi Shrine Sando】 Event period: March 20 – mid-April (scheduled) 【Kikuchi Sakura Marche】 Date and time: Sunday, March 29, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM The venue will feature local gourmet food, the Kikuchi Sakura Marche, workshops, and stage performances with a spring feel. There will also be family-friendly activities such as hands-on experiences for children, appearances by local mascots, and a small mobility test-ride event. 【Kikuchi Sakura Marathon Marche】 Date and time: Monday, March 22, 9:30 AM–2:00 PM A gourmet market will gather at Shimin Hiroba, the marathon’s starting point, bringing together Kikuchi’s local foods. Additionally, the KUMAMOTO FURUGI CARAVAN is scheduled for March 28 and 29. Please note that details may be announced on the day or subject to change. Mornings tend to be relatively less crowded, so a morning stroll is recommended. Please consider adding it to your plans! Contact Kikuchi Cherry Blossom Festival Executive Committee TEL 080-9106-7416 Executive Committee Chair Sato #Kikuchi Cherry Blossom Festival #Cherry Blossoms #Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture

Photographed on February 28, Heisei 26. These are the flower-filled handwashing basins (hanachozu) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on February 28, 2014. These are the flower-filled hand-washing basin displays at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Osaka Temmangu Shrine 2-1-8 Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Osaka Temmangu Shrine enshrines Sugawara no Michizane, the deity of scholarship, and is especially revered for success in exams and academic achievement. It is also believed to grant blessings for prosperous business, fulfilled love, protection from misfortune, and various other benefits.

Photographed on February 21, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Himeji

Photographed on February 24, 2014. These are the hanachozu (flower water basins) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on February 21, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on February 15, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine, located at the omikuji distribution area.

Photographed on February 18, 2014. The red plum blossoms line the approach to Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine. 🌸

Photographed on February 20, 2014. These are the red plum blossoms along the approach to Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine. 🌸

Photographed on February 18, 2014. These are the red plum blossoms along the approach to Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine. 🌸

This is a shot capturing the vibrant duet of mimosa and cherry blossoms blooming within the grounds of Kuramae Shrine in Taitoku, Tokyo Metropolis. A lush stand of mimosa fills the foreground while the cherry blossoms in the background are softly blurred, giving the whole frame depth and a rich density of color. I emphasize the joyous contrast of yellow and pink that signals spring’s arrival, conveying the shrine’s pure atmosphere alongside the energetic radiance of life in spring.

Today I attended the monthly ceremony at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. In keeping with the Hinamatsuri on March 3, I received amazake and a doll and had a ritual to ward off bad luck.🎎 Because Hinamatsuri is also called the Peach Festival, I took a photo of a pink aidaimeshi omikuji (love-shaped sea bream fortune).

Photographed on February 15, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower-filled water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on February 15, 2014. This is the hanachōzu (flower water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on February 14, 2014. These are the hana-temizu flower water displays at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on January 19, 2014. These are the hanachōzu (flower-filled hand-washing basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on January 19, 2014. These are the floral hand-washing basin displays at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on January 19, 2014. These are the flower-filled handwashing basins at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Today I attended the Tencho Festival at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. The plum trees were beginning to bloom.

Today I attended the Kinen-sai (Prayers for a Good Harvest) at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. These are the lanterns of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. Kinen-sai is a ritual to pray for a bountiful harvest that year, national peace, and the well-being of the people.

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

Photographed on January 13, 2014. Kawagoe Kumano Shrine presents a New Year–style koi temizu (love hand-washing basin).

Photographed on February 7, 2014. This is the hanachōzu (flower water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on February 7, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower-filled ritual water basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Izanagi Shrine "Izanagi Jinja" 1-18-26 Saiji, Suita City, Osaka Prefecture Izanagi Shrine also has a parking area for shrine visitors along the road. There is a vending machine and space to park about seven cars. A male deity who, together with Izanami, gave birth to the land of Japan. One of the oldest divine couples, he is known as a god of marital harmony and matchmaking for having fathered many deities. He is also known as a god of industrial and agricultural promotion for creating the world from the land and nature, and historically, because he performed the first ritual of purification (misogi), he is revered as a protector against misfortune. On the grounds of Izanagi Shrine, there is a sign explaining the status of the main hall as "Yamada Izanagi Shrine Main Hall," designated as an Osaka Prefecture cultural property. According to the sign, the main hall was designated an Osaka Prefecture cultural property on January 17, 2011.

Photographed on February 7, 2014. This is the hanachōzu (flower basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine. 🌸

Photographed on February 11, 2014. This is the hanachozu (flower basin) at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine’s omikuji distribution counter.

Today I attended the Kigen-sai at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. Kigen-sai is a festival that celebrates the accession of Emperor Jimmu, considered Japan’s first emperor, in 660 BC.