[Komaide Pond Campground Reservations Open]

Komaide Pond Campground sits in a stunning stand of white birch often called the most beautiful in Japan, offering a superb location for camping 🏕️

Reservations for the 2026 season are now open!

Season opens: Friday, April 24
Bookings open: Tuesday, March 10 at 10:00 AM

To reserve, search for "komaide pond campground" on the NAP site for campground reservations.

Komaide Pond Campground official site

https://yachiho-kogen.com/camp/

Tsukigase Plum Valley Ume Festival
Now ongoing!
Thanks to the cold weather, the plum blossoms are likely to last longer✨
The area around Lakeside Village Tsukigase is at its best, too✨

Photo courtesy of yasunori okamoto

Introducing Our Sponsors: The 15th Teshikaga Photo Contest
The winning entries of the 15th Teshikaga Photo Contest have been announced, and we have presented prizes to each winner.

This Teshikaga Photo Contest is held with the support of businesses located in Teshikagacho. On the official Teshikaga Navi Instagram, we will gradually introduce the sponsoring companies that have supported us. (Order is random)


Today we are pleased to introduce Kawayu Kanko Hotel, a long-established inn in Kawayu Onsen‼︎📝 For more detailed information about the facilities, please check Teshikaga Navi✨ Thank you very much to Kawayu Kanko Hotel for supporting this event🙇❣️


We appreciate your continued support for the Teshikaga Photo Contest and Teshikaga Navi.

https://www.masyuko.or.jp/enjoy/kawayukankou/

Introducing Our Sponsors: The 15th Teshikaga Photo Contest
The winning entries of the 15th Teshikaga Photo Contest have been announced, and we presented prizes to each winner.

This Teshikaga Photo Contest is held with the support of businesses located in Teshikaga. On the official Teshikaga Navi Instagram, we will gradually introduce the sponsoring companies who have supported us. (In no particular order)


Today, we are pleased to introduce Deshigakashiinko Co., Ltd., the operator of Lake Mashu Kamuy Terrace and Iozan MOKMOK Base! For more detailed facility information, please check Teshikaga Navi. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Deshigakashiinko Co., Ltd. for their cooperation with this event.


We hope you will continue to support the Teshikaga Photo Contest and Teshikaga Navi.

https://www.masyuko.or.jp/enjoy/masyuresthouse/

Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival
Now underway!
At its peak♪
Please come and visit!
This Sunday looks like it will be busy again.
Saturday, which we worried about weather-wise, looks fine✨

Photo courtesy of Yasunori Okamoto

Hello, I’m Gen 😊 It’s March, and Shosenkyo Gorge is getting warmer by the day, making the arrival of spring more noticeable 🌸☘️
The sight of beautiful waterfalls cascading between sheer rock faces and the peaceful valley views will become even more appealing in the coming season 🏞️✨
Shosenkyo offers a special place to stroll slowly while feeling the power of nature, refreshing both body and mind 😊

The photo shows Amethyst 'Egao' (Smiling Mouth) 💎
This stone is notable for its shape that looks like an open, smiling mouth, and it is said to "invite good fortune and gather positive energy," making it a very auspicious natural gem 😃

At Gen’s shop, we carry many good-luck items, including impressive amethyst geodes and quartz crystals 🔮✨

When you visit Shosenkyo, please drop by Gen as well 😊
All our staff look forward to welcoming you sincerely! ✨

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)

Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival
Now underway!
At its peak♪
Please come during a quiet weekday moment!
It looks like this Sunday will be crowded again.
The weather is a concern, but visitors who come on Saturday will likely be able to enjoy it more leisurely✨

Photo credit: Yasunori Okamoto

📢Program Broadcast Notice📢
Teshikaga will be featured on STV Sapporo Television Broadcasting’s Dosanko Weekend on Saturday, March 7, starting at 9:25 AM👀✨

The crew filmed on location around the town and will introduce many aspects of Teshikaga from various perspectives. Look forward to it❣️

Please be sure to watch‼︎

Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival
Now on!
At peak bloom♪
Please come during a calm weekday time!
On the hill opposite the Plum Museum stands a splendid weeping plum tree✨

Photo courtesy: Yasuki Okamoto

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.

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

Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival
Now underway!
More areas are coming into full bloom♪
Please come and visit!

Photo credit: Yasunori Okamoto

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.

Nagano Prefecture Kirigamine Venus Line.

A snowy plain landscape.
Deer tracks led across a deep, untouched snowfield where no people had ventured.

Crystals of light dancing in Taisho-era romance

■Location
Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture

■Background and thoughts behind the work
Ginzan Onsen sits quietly in the deep mountains of Yamagata. On a night when snow piled softly on the streets steeped in Taisho-era romance, I attempted something for the first time.

I used the built-in flash to capture the “expressions of snow invisible to the eye.” Until then I had cherished natural light, but that evening I felt a strong urge to make each drifting snowflake shine like a jewel.

The instant the flash fired, pure white snow crystals appeared against the dark, and the warm orange glow of the gas lamps contrasting with the cold snow created a dreamlike scene. In the subzero cold I kept shooting until my fingertips went numb, and when I saw the glittering snow on the preview screen, I felt an indescribable emotion.

Through my first strobe shoot, I rediscovered the beauty of movement dwelling within frozen time. This photograph is an unforgettable and precious image for me.

Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival
Now ongoing!
More areas are coming into full bloom♪
Please come and visit!

Photo credit::Mr. Yasuki Okamoto

The moment you open the door, a gentle aroma spreads through the lobby.

Experience a moment of relaxation as you take in the scenery.

Would you like to experience Kushiro at Kushiro Prince Hotel?
You can book via the profile URL.
https://www.instagram.com/kushiroprincehotel/

This view takes on a completely different expression from June… ✨

☁️ Lake Kussharo Sea of Clouds Guided Tour at Tsubetsu Pass ☁️
Starting again this year from June! A grand sea of clouds that blankets the entire lake.

The magical moment when the summit slowly clears is a luxurious experience only early risers will encounter.
Join a guide and enjoy a “miraculous morning” woven by nature.

📅 Season: June to October
🚐 Guided tour departing from hotels
🌄 We will take you to the Tsubetsu Pass observation facility

Make this summer an unforgettable sea-of-clouds journey.

Open-house-style presentations on the redevelopment of the Kawayu Onsen district will be held.

Notice from the Tourism and Commerce Division, Kawayu Onsen District Redevelopment Office
In Teshikaga Town, as we promote tourism—the town’s core industry—we have been advancing the redevelopment of the Kawayu area. In October 2023, we adopted the Kawayu Onsen District Town Development Master Plan to guide the revitalization of the Kawayu Onsen district.


At the times below, panels and other displays will be available, and staff will be on hand to explain the progress of the Kawayu Onsen district redevelopment whenever you visit.
No specialized knowledge is required. Please feel free to drop by!


Venue
Kawayu Furusato Hall
2-3-40 Kawayu Onsen

Dates and times
Sunday, March 1, 2026 — 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Monday, March 2, 2026 — 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM
No advance registration is required; if you wish to attend, please come directly to the venue.
The program will be the same on both days.


Organizer
Teshikaga Town
Contact
015-482-2940
https://www.kawayu-onsen.com/news/1034/

The winning entries of the 15th Teshikaga Photo Contest have been announced! This time, we present three Special Prize winners and the Executive Committee Special Prize.

✶ Special Prize ✶
Erisa Nitta "The Back of MtKamuinupuri"
Takashi Kuroda "Rime in May"
Koji Yajima "Standing at Dusk"

✶ Executive Committee Special Prize ✶
Taiga Takahashi "Ice"

The winning entries of the 15th Teshikaga Photo Contest were announced recently. Here we present the special prize winners 👀✨ Enjoy.

— ⋆⋆✶ Special Prize — ⋆⋆✶
Noriyasu Masuda "Overwhelmed by Vast Nature"
Nobuyuki Yamamoto "go!go!go!"
Takahiro Kori "Intermingling Plume and Cloud"
Hieeda Hiromi "A World of Silence"



For other winners and winning works, please check Teshikaga Navi. Congratulations to all the prizewinners‼︎ Thank you to everyone who participated‼︎ We appreciate your continued support for the Teshikaga Photo Contest and Teshikaga Navi 🙇❣️

https://www.masyuko.or.jp/news/photocon_r08/

The winning works of the 15th Teshikaga photo contest were announced recently. Today we present the selected entries for your viewing👀✨ Enjoy.

— ⋆⋆✶ Selected — ⋆⋆✶
Shoichi Koike "Rays of Light"
Fumiaki Nishikawa "Solitary Thoughts in the Morning Mist"
Murakami Grace "Dripping Winter"
Urata Marunī "Dragon’s Mist"
Rie Ishida "Reflection — Capturing Summer"



You can check other winners and winning works on Teshikaga Navi. Congratulations to all the prize winners‼︎ Thank you to everyone who participated‼︎ We hope you will continue to support the Teshikaga Photo Contest and Teshikaga Navi🙇❣️
https://www.masyuko.or.jp/news/photocon_r08/

Good morning ☀
This morning in Tsukigase
Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival
Now on! In full bloom!
February 14, 2026 – March 29, 2026
Photo: Yasuki Okamoto

If you stay in Kushiro.

A location with views of one of the world’s three greatest sunsets.
A port town’s scenery seen from guest rooms.
A front-row moment that stretches from dusk into night.

A place where the stay itself becomes a travel memory.

📍Kushiro Prince Hotel
Reservations available from the profile URL.
https://www.instagram.com/kushiroprincehotel/

Two patches of the native spring flower setsubunso, which signal the arrival of spring, are now in full bloom in Soryo Town, Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture! 🌼

Other spots are progressing and are about 30% in bloom, too—so come and see! The Setsubunso Festival will be held on Sunday, March 8, 2025. We hope you can join us!

▶ Event details here
https://www.shobara-info.com/event/5451

▶ Setsubunso bloom updates (updated regularly)
https://www.shobara-info.com/special/4467

▶ Featured in our editorial report!
Published 2025.03.06 “The Scent of First Love” Visiting Setsubunso: Exploring the wild colonies and nearby lunch spots
https://www.shobara-info.com/report/4967

Access: About a 15-minute drive from Shobara IC on the Chugoku Expressway 🚗

Drifting ice off the coast of Shiretoko (Rausucho)
is home to drift ice and Steller's sea eagles.

When dozens of Steller's sea eagles and white-tailed eagles gather, their large size creates a truly dramatic sight.

Off the coast of Shiretoko (Rausucho)
Here are the drift ice and a Steller's sea eagle.

This weekend it was warm in Hokkaido
and a southerly wind blew,
so I was worried the drift ice might be pushed away,
but the ice band remained.

The drift ice will be gone next month,
and from late April you can see orcas and whales.