Photographed on January 17, 2026. I relaxed at the starbucks motokawagoe station store. I had a chocolate mousse latte and a chocolate babka. Since I based myself at Hon-Kawagoe PePe, I find myself feeling nostalgic. 🥹

Event Announcement📣 The nighttime winter-only event at TokachigawaOnsen, called "Sairinka," is held each year in honor of the swans that fly into TokachigawaOnsen.😊 A fantasy show synchronizing sound and light creates a magical atmosphere. About 600 luminous objects made from agricultural insulating material and LED bulbs change with the music to delight spectators' eyes.🎵 Date and Time: Saturday, January 24, 2026 – Sunday, February 15, 2026, 7:00 PM–9:00 PM Venue: Tokachigaoka Park Event Maintenance Contribution: 500 yen per person for junior high school students and older; free for elementary school students and younger Contact: Tokachi River Onsen Tourism Association TEL:0155-32-6633 https://www.tokachigawa.net/event/sairinka.html...

A fire burned at Tomioka Elementary School for the first time in about 20 years. The children who once took part are now parents, passing the tradition to today's kids. On Sunday, January 18, the "Dondoya"—held at Tomioka Elementary School for the first time in about 20 years—took place. The familiar crack of bamboo snapping, "Bachi bachi!" Beyond the height of the flames, the crowd's warmth was overwhelming…! They grilled mochi over the embers, enjoyed steaming roasted sweet potatoes, and sipped pork miso soup that warmed the body. Watching children stuffing their cheeks with mochi they had toasted themselves, I felt reminded of the importance of keeping this tradition alive. From the lighting at 9 a.m., the happy hours passed in a flash. Thank you so much to everyone in the community who planned and prepared the event. Winter in Tomioka is the best. If you missed it, why not join the circle next year? If you want to help preserve Reihoku's traditions, please follow us via the icon at the top left to show your support. We’re sharing the charms of Reihoku! ✨

Today in Taiki Town It’s another clear, sunny day! The Hidaka Mountain Range under Tokachi’s winter blue sky is more beautiful than any photo can convey.

Photographed on January 19, 2014. This is chai from CAFE MATHILDA.

In 1634, Kyokugaki Heikuro galloped up the stone steps on horseback, presented a plum branch to Tokugawa Iemitsu, and was praised as Japan’s greatest equestrian master. Wishing to share the luck of the Year of the Horse, he climbed the success steps.🐎

I will be on winter break until my transfer. Today I am strolling around Tokyo. I visited Tokyo Daijingu Shrine to see the hanachozu (flower-filled water basin). It was around 7:30 in the morning on the shrine grounds.

Warm comfort food! Introducing the local dish obukko✨ Obukko is a hearty country-style miso simmered udon packed with vegetables. Also called “bukkomi,” “buchikomi,” or “obukko,” its name is said to come from the practice of tossing whatever seasonal vegetables you have into the pot. This regional stew features Shinshu miso broth with flat noodles, roughly cut daikon, carrots, green onions, pork, dried tofu, fried tofu pockets, and plenty of seasonal vegetables in a simmered udon style. 【Obukko Shops】 1) “Yakimochi-ya” A thatched-roof accommodation experience where you can enjoy traditional flavors like yakimochi and obukko. At the hearth you can try making “ha-yakimochi” (ash-grilled rice cakes). The facility also has a hot spring, offering a peaceful rural getaway surrounded by nature. Day-trip hot spring bathing is available. 【Address】5286 Nakajo Kusakano, Nagano City 【Phone】026-267-2641 【Hours】Meals 11:00–14:00 【Closed】Open daily 【Price】Obukko 980 yen (tax included) 2) Roadside Station Nakajo This roadside station features a dining area where you can enjoy obukko, a shop selling fresh vegetables, fruits, and local specialty foods, and it’s a great stop on a drive. Relax and refresh as you take in the rural scenery, views of the Northern Alps, and the seasonal faces of Mt. Mushikura, one of Shinshu’s 100 famous mountains. 【Address】1704 Nakajo Sumiyoshiki, Nagano City 【Phone】026-267-2188 【Hours】 ・Dining spot Mamettai 10:00–16:00 (light meals only from 14:30–16:00) ・Shop 9:00–17:00 【Closed】Open daily 【Price】Roadside Station Nakajo Obukko 980 yen (tax included) #gourmet #obukko #Roadside Station #Nagano City #Nagano Prefecture #Nagano Sightseeing #Nagano Travel #nagano #naganocity

Ski Area OPEN Miyanomori Ski Resort in Nishiokoppe Village opened on January 16! Operating days are planned through mid‑March, depending on snowmelt conditions. - Lift operating hours - Sundays and public holidays 10:30–17:00 (lunch break 12:00–13:00) Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays 13:30–20:30 (evening break 17:00–18:00) Wednesdays 17:30–20:30 (night skiing only) Tuesdays: closed - For inquiries, contact the Nishiokoppe Village Board of Education. TEL: 0158-87-2501 - The lifts at Nishiokoppe Village Ski Area use a relatively challenging style: hold the rope with your left hand and press a thin bar to your waist with your right hand while your skis remain on the ground. Children in elementary and junior high school quickly master it through ski classes. Lift rides are free. Some days offer night skiing, so come by after work. ⛷ Hotel Rimu offers day‑use baths. ♨ At the base of the ski area, Restaurant Ku‑raku serves meals, so you can grab a bite if you get peckish. 😋 #Ski area #Open #Ski #Night skiing

Photographed on January 15, 2025. This is a cafe latte from cafe andon. What a lovely latte art. 😊

Event Announcement 📣 Lake Shikaribetsu, sitting at 800 meters above sea level and famed nationwide for its clarity, freezes over in winter. On the frozen surface, a magical village called shikaribetsu lake kotan appears only during the winter months. Kotan is the Ainu word for "village." 😊 This is a world created by people who gather at Lake Shikaribetsu, using the lake’s great natural power. 🎵 You can enjoy an "ice bar" serving drinks amid a world of snow and ice, an "open-air bath on the ice" where you can soak while taking in snowy scenery, and many other experiences such as making ice glasses, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing!! 📍Date and Time: Saturday, January 24, 2026–Sunday, March 15, 2026 📍Location: Lakeside of Lake Shikaribetsu (Shikaribetsu, Shikaoi, Kawato-gun, Hokkaido) 📍Admission: Season Pass 500 yen (elementary school age and up) 📞Contact: shikaribetsu lake kotan Executive Committee TEL: 0156-69-8181 (inside shikaribetsu lake nature center)

Photographed on January 15, 2014. These are the hanachōzu (flower water basins) at Senba Tōshō-gū.

i took this photo near our house, and I really liked it, so I decided to post it here. It’s my first time using this platform and posting here, so I don’t really know much yet.

Photographed on January 11, 2014. This is the hanachōzu (flower water basin) at Hara Florist.

Photographed on January 11, 2014. This is a hanachōzu (flower water basin) at Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin.

A Slightly Snowy Gujo Hachiman Castle Date: December 2025 Location: Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture * Flight application for Gujo Hachiman approved * Comprehensive unmanned aircraft flight permit obtained from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism * Flight plan submitted and flight log prepared

At Jigokudani Monkey Park in Nagano Prefecture, photographed Title: Reverie

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...

I photographed this at a campsite in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture in December. The air was clear and beautiful.

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

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

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!

January 11th MtJonen summit sending up plumes of drifting snow Around noon today a trough of low pressure began passing over Azumino, turning a calm morning into fierce winds… The ridgeline of the Northern Alps visible from Azumino also turned white as snow plumes rose.

Morgenrot over the Northern Alps Scenery to behold in Azumino during winter Azumino, a town that makes you love mornings—this view is the best!!

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. 😊