Photographed on March 4 The early winter cherry trees near Ginza Street, at the Sakimicho curve, are now in full bloom and catching the eyes of passersby. Of the three trees, the one at the top is called the "Sakamachi Temple Cherry". It is said to be one of the trees planted in the grounds of Iou-ji Temple, which once stood here in the early Meiji period. The tree is over a hundred years old. It survived the Honcho great fire of 1944 and the Atami great fire of 1950, making it a precious cherry tree. Sakamachi Temple Cherry — Address: Sakimicho, Atami City (opposite Hotel Kan-ichi) About 20 early winter cherry trees in Shinsui Park are also continuing to bloom, so please visit if you are in the neighborhood. Shinsui Park — Address: Nagisacho, Atami City (Shinsui Park Daiichi Kouku to Shinsui Park Second Section)

Delicious and fun! Sneaking into the Shobara Fan Festa! Fans from Shobara City in the nature-rich Hiroshima Prefecture gathered at Hirogin Holdings, Inc. "Tomorrow Square" in Naka Ward, Hiroshima City! We report on tastings of Hiba Beef and Yukiko (cheese), plus local sake sampling ✨ Read the article here🔽 https://www.shobara-info.com/report/5555...

Setsubunso in Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture is now in full bloom! 🌼💛 Setsubunso, a wildflower that heralds spring in Soryo town, Shobara City. It is said to be named because it begins to bloom around Setsubun, which corresponds to the lunar calendar’s New Year’s Eve.✨ Its small white blooms look charming, and it gives off a citrus-like fragrance. That sweet, refreshing scent is even called the "scent of first love"! 📌The public viewing period for the natural habitat runs until Sunday, March 8. For more details, see below🔽 https://www.shobara-info.com/event/5451... Please come and visit Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture✨ (Fukujusou, seribaouren and other flowers are also in bloom)

[Reihoku Sunset Marche] March Event Announcement📣 [Reihoku Sunset Marche] March Event Announcement📣 Hello everyone! Reihoku Town is preparing for the Hatsu-uma Grand Festival next week, and we’re pleased to announce the Reihoku Sunset Marche taking place in March♪ 👀Highlights of this Sunset Marche👀 ❣At the Reihoku Sunset Marche, where Reihoku’s farm produce, processed goods, and prepared dishes are sold, asparagus shipments will begin this time! Seasonal citrus like Shiranui and dekopon will also be on sale🍊 We’ll also offer a fill-your-own bag of out-of-spec onions, the limited-season hanahajiki, and outdoors there will be a flea market and a grilled gyoza stall❣ We look forward to seeing you 😊 Don’t forget to bring your own shopping bag🛍✨ [Produce Planned for Sale] ・Asparagus (green, white, purple) ・Turnips🫜 ・Sun-dried winter daikon ・Cabbage ・Rice🌾 ・Taro ・Snap peas ・Daikon ・Onions🧅 ・Tomatoes (Aiko, mini) ・Broccoli🥦 ・Bell peppers ・Mandarin oranges🍊 (Hinoho, Shiranui) ・Lettuce (sunny) 🥦🍅🥕🍠🥬🧅🫑🌽🌶🫛🍆🫚🥔 Reihoku Sunset Marche [Date] Sunday, March 8, 1:00 PM–3:00 PM [Location] Amakusa Reihoku Tourist Association (Reihoku Town Tourist Information Center, Kamitsufue, Reihoku Town 4535-1)

Photographed on February 22, 2014. I visited Chabudai in front of KAWAGOE COFFEE SELECTION. This is a HOT natsumikan. 🍊 By chance I ran into a follower, and it was fun. 😊

Photographed on March 1, 2014. This is the “Kai-awase and Hina Doll Tour” exhibition held at nakamachi sightseeing information center.

Photographed on March 1, 2014. This is a kai-awase shell-matching game from the "Kai-awase and Hina Doll Tour" held at nakamachi sightseeing information center.

Photographed on March 1, 2014. This is a kai-awase (shell-matching game) held as part of the “Kai-awase and Hina Doll Tour” at Nakacho Tourist Information Center.

Photographed on March 1, 2014. I went to see the Nakamachi Tourist Information Center exhibition “Kai-awase and Hina Doll Tour.” Today is the Doll Festival. 🎎

Photographed on February 15, 2014. This is Hanatetsu's hanachōzu (flower hand-washing basin).

On Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7, we from Reihoku will also exhibit at the “Kikuchi City and Reihoku Joint Product Fair in Fukuoka (Budoubatake),” held at the agricultural products direct sales shop Budoubatake in Minami Ward, Fukuoka City. The seasonal best of Reihoku’s sea and mountains comes together in Fukuoka! On the day, we will offer many of Reihoku’s proud specialty products. 🎁Fun Feature At the venue, customers spending 1,000 yen or more can enter a prize drawing! 📅Event Details Date and Time: Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7, 2026, 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Venue: Agricultural products direct sales shop Budoubatake (2-1-1 Nakao, Minami Ward, Fukuoka City) Program: Specialty product sales, tourism PR, prize drawing, support from Kumamon, and more. Please feel free to come and visit us ✨

Expo '70 Commemorative Park Myakumyaku Senri Banpaku Park, Suita City, Osaka Prefecture Two Myakumyaku monuments, the official mascot of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, have been relocated to Expo '70 Commemorative Park and are now on display. 📍 Exhibition Location and Period Location Inside Expo '70 Commemorative Park, near the Tower of the Sun Two figures named "Irasshai" and "Wakuwaku" (literally "Welcome" and "Excitement") Period From February 21 to the end of May 2026

National Museum of Ethnology Suita City, Osaka Prefecture, senri banpaku park The National Museum of Ethnology (commonly known as Minpaku) was established in 1974 as a joint university research institute for cultural anthropology and ethnology, and it opened in 1977 on the site of Expo Memorial Park in Senri, Osaka. As one of the world’s largest ethnology museums, it integrates research in cultural anthropology and ethnology with museum activities. The National Museum of Ethnology holds some 345,000 items—everyday tools, traditional clothing, and more—collected by researchers from around the world. Its exhibitions are organized into nine regional displays covering the globe, alongside cross-cultural exhibits on music and language.

This is a spring scene viewed from Motohakone in Kanagawa Prefecture. The combination of Mount Fuji, Lake Ashi, fresh green foliage, and a torii (shrine gate) looks like a painting.

Photographed on March 1, 2014. After the monthly ceremony at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, I relaxed at Starbucks Kanetsuki‑dōri Store. I had an Earl Grey bouquet and a tea latte, and an Earl Grey Basque cheesecake.

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.

My first visit to Japan turned magical when I found a lone Sakura at the entrance to Ueno Park, blooming early on the first day of March. Locals, tourists, people of all ages, and even birds were enjoying the symbol of Spring. To immortalize their joy, I simply had to photograph the birds enjoying the blossoms. I feel proud of this photo, and very lucky to have witnessed such a magical Spring moment in the heart of Tokyo.

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.

The 28th Minami no Sakura and Nanohana Festival Finale Town’s 70th Anniversary Commemoration “Night Cherry Blossoms ☆ Shooting Stars” Period: Friday, February 27, 2026; Saturday, February 28, 2026; Sunday, March 1, 2026 Time: 6:00 PM–7:30 PM Release section: a 400 m stretch from Harumachi Bridge to around Kinomiya Bridge ※The event may be canceled due to rain or other conditions. ※The Inoriboshi® will be released a little upstream from the Roadside Station. ※This event is expected to be very crowded. ↓If you want to avoid crowds, please join the tour below.↓ ・Tour organized by Minamiizu Town Tourism Association: Night Cherry Blossoms ☆ Shooting Stars Tour (until 2/28) Reserve/Apply here → https://x.gd/EGMCM... ・Vendors will be located behind the Tourist Information Center and Yunohana Chokubaijo (Yunohana Farm Stand). There will be special vendor stalls during the Night Cherry Blossoms ☆ Shooting Stars event from 2/27 to 3/1. ※The posted images are from 2015. ※The Milky Way Project🄬 is a registered trademark, so unauthorized use is prohibited. Commercial use by entities other than individuals is also prohibited. 【The 28th Minami no Sakura and Nanohana Festival】 Held from February 1 to March 10 🌸About “The 28th Minami no Sakura and Nanohana Festival” https://x.gd/8BXol... 🌸Bloom status (updated regularly) https://x.gd/iyca6... 🌸Parking status (updated regularly) https://x.gd/zbToA... 🌸Live camera https://x.gd/smGtI...

This was photographed at Hinode Bridge on the Biei River in Biei, Hokkaido. On a subzero morning I went to capture the sunrise, and in the cold so intense that even batteries stopped working, I saw others waiting for the sunrise besides myself.

The illumination of the World Heritage site Shirakawago is held only a few times a year. Lately it has become hard to get reservations, and even when you can, finding heavy snow is rare. I managed to go there twice to shoot: the first time there was almost no snow. The second time, however, I succeeded in photographing Shirakawago in such heavy snowfall that walking was difficult. I take landscape photos with gratitude for those encounters.

I went to Oshino Village in Yamanashi Prefecture for a photo shoot one early morning in February. The sky was clear, and I was able to see the magnificent Mount Fuji. The temperature was below freezing; there was no snow, but a white frost covered the ground. Corn cobs were hung out to dry and gleamed in the morning sun, so I took a shot with Mount Fuji in the background. Japan’s number one Mount Fuji shone brilliantly.

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

Nagano Prefecture Kirigamine Venus Line. A snowy plain landscape. Deer tracks led across a deep, untouched snowfield where no people had ventured.

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

🎎 Kuwanouchi Hina Doll Exhibition 🎎 Today (February 27) I went to see the hina doll exhibition in the Kuwanouchi district.👀✨ I lost track of time admiring the dolls loaned by local residents and the artworks arranged around them.🥰 The warmth of the community seemed to shine through the hina dolls.💖

This is an announcement for a presentation by the UTokyo Mikan Club, which has been active in Reihoku Town this fiscal year under the Furusato Mirai College project that brings universities and local communities together to solve regional issues, to be held on Friday, March 27. Students from the UTokyo Mikan Club, Japan’s first student group specializing in mikan (Japanese mandarin oranges), spent about a year visiting mikan farms in Reihoku Town and conducting repeated fieldwork. Once one of the prefecture’s leading mikan-producing areas, Reihoku Town now faces challenges such as a shortage of successors. From their distinctive perspective as young outsiders, the students will present what they observed in the field and what actions they took—such as prototyping new packaging and holding mikan learning sessions—and share the results of those efforts. On the day of the event, the students will also lead a fun mikan learning session to share knowledge and the appeal of mikan with attendees. Please feel free to join us. Date and Time: Friday, March 27, 2026, from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM Venue: Shiki Community Hall Town Hall (444-1 Shiki, Reihoku Town) Admission: Free Presenters: University students belonging to the UTokyo Mikan Club For inquiries, please contact the Administrative Reform and Digital Measures Office, General Affairs Division, Reihoku Town Hall. We sincerely look forward to your attendance!

Photographed on February 13, 2014. This is HK Tea’s lemon honey and a chocolate-banana egg waffle. Chocolate and banana go so well together. 😊🍫🍌

Photographed on February 13, 2026. This is HK Tea’s lemon honey. 🍋🍯 I love it. 😊