We will hold the 4th “Amakusa Reihoku Literary Walk” tourist route creation workshop 🎊 On Wednesday, November 19th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, the Amakusa Reihoku Tourism Association will host the 4th “Amakusa Reihoku Literary Walk” tourist route creation workshop♪ This session will use the proposed tourist walking routes developed from ideas and discussions in previous workshops to finalize the route🔥 A recap of sessions 1–3 is included, so drop-in participation for this workshop is perfectly fine! If you are interested in literature, history, tour guiding, or community development, please feel free to join us ✨ Date and time: Wednesday, November 19th, 2:00 PM–4:00 PM Venue: Amakusa Reihoku Tourism Association, 2nd floor (4535-1 Kozufukae, Reihoku, Amakusa District, Kumamoto Prefecture) Registration deadline: Monday, November 17th 👉 Please check the announcements section on our website to apply! This workshop is held as part of the FY2025 Kumamoto Future Creation Startup Grant program. Contact: Amakusa Reihoku Tourism Association Secretariat, Ogata TEL: 0969-31-1136 E-mail: info@amakusa-kankou.com

Photo taken on November 3, 2013. Yabusame (horseback archery) ceremony at Izumo Iwahi Shrine (出雲伊波比神社).

Photographed on November 3, 2013. This is the yabusame (mounted archery) festival at Izumo Iwai Shrine.

Photographed on November 3, 2025. This is the yabusame (mounted archery) festival at Izumo Iwai Shrine.

Photographed 11/3/25. It is the Yabusame Festival of Izumo Ihabi Shrine. It's morning.

Photographed 11/3/25. Prayer at Izumo Ihabi Shrine. It is the Yabusame Festival.

I Outbound to the Yabusame Festival of Izumo Ihahi Shrine. It is a morning event. I was even there for the ceremony, but I couldn't see the ceremony because of work.

Photographed 11/1/25. It is a one-year cheap sea bream lottery of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. It is yellow and vermilion. Vermilion has a color close to orange.

Today, I attended the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Monthly Festival. Shichi-Go-San.

Morning at Biwashima Shrine (Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture)

Saturday, November 1, 10:00–15:00 ◆Ishirouzaki Lighthouse Public Opening The interior of Ishirouzaki Lighthouse will be open to visitors. This is a rare opportunity that only happens a few times a year, if at all! There will be various special features on the day. The Japan Coast Guard’s character Umimaru and Minami Izu Town’s official mascot Irozaki Baron will also make appearances! Saturday, November 1–Sunday, November 2 ◆Minami Izu Taiko Festival In October, the month known as Kannazuki, the gods gather at Izumo Taisha from across the country for a matchmaking council, leaving only the local guardian deities behind. When the gods return in November, the month is called Kamikizuki or Kamikuduki, and although many communities scaled down celebrations during the COVID-19 pandemic, grand festivals praying for a bountiful harvest are held throughout Minami Izu Town.

This photo was taken at Isahaya Shrine in Nagasaki Prefecture. The stylish transparent amulet was impressive, so I took a picture of the shrine in the background. The heat of midsummer was over, but the wind Car of the many was swirling with the wind, and there was a cool atmosphere in the air.

This photo was taken at Takayama Inari Shrine in Aomori Prefecture. There is a thousand Torii (shrine gates) here, and you can see it from the high ground. It shows various expressions in Four Seasons, but this photo is not from a high ground, but from a Torii (shrine gate). The wonderful curves were impressive, and Impression of the superb view that unfolded ahead was aroused.

Mika Nejinja Shrine Kyoto, Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku, Nishitoin-dori, Oikekami-ru, Oshisai-doin-cho, 614 Prayer visitors from all over the country visit this shrine in search of good luck. In the city of Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, the golden Torii (shrine gate) gate between the buildings is the landmark "Mikane Shrine". The god of metals and minerals, Kanayama Bikomei, is the main God of worship, and Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi are enshrined. In this area, there was once a Kinza and Ginza set up by the Edo shogunate to mint and manage coins. Mika Nejinja's "Lucky Wallet (2000 yen)" is a popular "Lucky Wallet" as a powerful talisman for increasing financial luck.

The Nakasendo and Five Post Towns within Shiojiri City Along the Nakasendo, there were 69 post towns stretching from Nihombashi in Edo to Sanjo Ohashi in Kyoto. Although the Shiojiri area had more hills and slopes than the Tokaido, travelers could keep to their planned schedules because prolonged delays caused by river closures were rare. Within Shiojiri, the Nakasendo included five post towns: Shiojiri-juku, Seba-juku, Motoyama-juku, Niekawa-juku, and Narai-juku. 1. Shiojiri-juku (the 30th station from Nihombashi) Shiojiri-juku stood on the border between the Matsumoto and Suwa domains. A checkpoint called the kuchidome-bansho, which inspected rice and prohibited goods, was established there. Honjin and waki-honjin served officials on sankin-kotai, and by the late shogunate period the number of inns ranked second on the Nakasendo and first in Shinano. 2. Seba-juku (the 31st station from Nihombashi) Seba-juku lies at the fork between the Nakasendo and the Zenkoji Kaido. It hosted one of the Nakasendo’s three kanmearisho, offices that measured grain. A great fire in the early Showa era destroyed much of the post town’s appearance, but a stone lantern marking the old fork remains. 3. Motoyama-juku (the 32nd station from Nihombashi) Said to be the birthplace of soba-kiri noodles, Motoyama-juku prospered as the gateway to Kiso and the exit of the Matsumoto Basin. Its honjin accommodated Princess Kazunomiya when she married Tokugawa Iemochi, and later served as lodgings during Emperor Meiji’s imperial tour in Meiji 13 (1880). 4. Niekawa-juku (the 33rd station from Nihombashi) Niekawa-juku marks the entrance to the eleven post towns of the Kiso Road. Niekawa Sekisho checkpoint guarded this key transport chokepoint on the Nakasendo, and the town developed through lodging services and long-distance trade. 5. Narai-juku (the 34th station from Nihombashi) Famed as “Narai Senken” with a thousand bustling shops in its heyday, Narai-juku still preserves much of its historical atmosphere and today draws many visitors as a popular tourist destination.

Photographed 10/18/25. Prayer at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine is a festival float of Benkei in Shita Town.

Photographed 10/18/25. Benkei's festival float is praying for safety during the Kawagoe Festival and receiving an exorcism.

The annual grand festival of Imamiya Shrine in the western district was held on both Sunday, October 19 and Monday, October 20. On the first day’s procession, this year’s yakudoshi supporters’ group, Imamiya Reiwa Inoko-kai, carried the portable shrine from Wadayama to Imamiya Shrine in the morning, distributing lucky rice cakes and sacred sake along the route for warding off misfortune. In the afternoon, following the Atami Fue-Rei Kai flute ensemble and accompanied by the palace mikoshi, the procession toured the route from Imamiya Shrine through Tenjincho, Wadamachi, Nagisa Elementary Park, and back to Tenjincho before entering the shrine. With officials in attendance, the eve shrine ceremony was conducted at Imamiya Shrine. After the ritual, the shrine’s traditional kagura, a children’s dancer performance, and miko dances were offered, drawing a large crowd. On the second day, the festival’s main shrine ritual took place, followed by a dedication performance by wadaiko drummer Ichitaro and the hocho-shiki knife ceremony led by Takashi Kishimoto, head instructor of the Shijo Shinryu headquarters. On both days, food stalls lined the shrine and its surroundings, and not only adults but also children enjoyed the festival.

Photographed 10/18/25. It is the first day of the Kawagoe Festival. At the beginning of the towing of the festival float, the head of the pigeon sings a work song called "Wood Crafting". It is a festival float of Miyashitamachi and Japan Takeson.

Today, there is no monthly festival, but I visited Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Prayer. Yellow one-year sea bream lottery tickets were being distributed.

Aircraft used: PENTAX K-70 It is Meiji Jingu Shrine in the morning. Since it was my first time in Tokyo, I was surprised to learn that such Nature is spreading. Equipment: PENTAX K-70 It is Meiji Jingu Shrine in the morning. Since it was my first time in Tokyo, I was surprised to learn that such Nature is spreading. The contrast between the rows of sake barrels and the chic umbrellas is beautiful.

Photographed on 10/14/25. It is an Annual Grand Festival of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Today was the Annual Grand Festival of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. The Kawagoe Festival is on the 18th and 19th.

Photographed 10/4/25. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed 10/4/25. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed 10/4/25. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

The appearance of the Otorii Gate of Itsukushima Shrine lives on in the hearts of visitors as a gate to connect with the world of God.

Gion Shrine Autumn Festival "Okunchi Festival" On October 9th, the Gion Shrine autumn festival "Okunchi Festival" took place in Kuraoka ⛩ It was held under a clear, slightly warm sky 🌞 Traditional performing arts were presented, including a kagura dedication, the Usu-daiko drum dance, and yamabushi dialogue rituals ✨ The Usu-daiko drum dance welcomed walk-in participants, and many people joined in 😊 Watching participants from inside and outside the prefecture join local residents to form a circle and perform the same dance is moving every time I experience it 😭 And this year saw the revival of the "Negai-kake Kagura" (wish-offering kagura) 👹 The powerful yet solemn dance, carrying on the original custom called the "Festival of Wish Fulfillment," stirred my heart 💖 Having kagura performed to make a wish is such a wonderful tradition ✨ Everyone, please come to Gokase’s autumn festival next year! Walk-in participation is very welcome 🙌

Photographed 10/6/25. It is a circle of Yatagarasu bells at Kawagoe Kumano Shrine. 🛎️

Photographed on September 27, 25. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.