🌸Shinyan and Nyanko’s Layered Stamp Rally Tour 🌸 Extended due to popular demand!! Event period Friday, August 1, 2025 – Friday, October 31, 2025 Extended period Friday, August 1, 2025 – Wednesday, December 31, 2025 Join Shimanto City Tourism Association’s official characters, Shinyan and Nyanko, for a stamp rally that lets you enjoy Shimanto City! This isn’t just any stamp — these are layered stamps. As you stack each stamp, by the end…ta‑da! A single piece of art appears✨ Turn your completed sheet into a postcard! It’s perfect as a travel keepsake or a gift for friends💌 Why not create your own Shimanto art? How to enjoy — it’s super easy♪ 1. Get a stamp sheet! → Sheets are distributed in limited numbers at each facility. If one place runs out, another might still have them! 2. Stack and stamp five stamps! → Stamps 1–5 share the same design in either area. The final image is the same even if you don’t stamp in order! 3. Once all stamps are in place, a cute Shinyan art piece is complete🎨 → You can take it home as a postcard✨ 4. Show your completed sheet and… → The first 500 visitors receive an original cotton tote bag as a gift🎁 Two areas — start anywhere you like Stamp spots form one design across the Nakamura Area and the Nishitosa Area. Because stamps 1–5 are common, collecting them in either area yields the same final image♪ Nakamura Area🐾 1. Shimanto River Museum Akitsuio — Admission required A facility where you can learn about the creatures of the Shimanto River. With dragonfly and insect specimens and displays of fish from the Shimanto River basin, it’s fun for adults and children alike! Hours: 9:00–17:00 (Closed Mondays) 2. Shimanto River Sightseeing Boats (Yakatabune) — Boarding required Three sightseeing boat operators participate; whichever operator you board will stamp your sheet. Enjoy a relaxing cruise on the beautiful Shimanto River♪ Hours: 9:00–16:00 (Advance reservation recommended) 3. Shimanto City Local Museum — Admission required A castle-shaped museum on a small hill. Learn Shimanto City’s history and culture, and take in city views from the tower for a castle‑lord feeling! Hours: 9:00–17:00 (Closed Wednesdays) 4. harenoba cafe n2 (Cafe N2) — Purchase or dine required Located around the middle of Tenjinbashi Shopping Street, it’s the perfect stop to rest during sightseeing. Hours: 11:00–18:00 (Closed Mondays) 5. Shimanto City Tourism Association — Cotton bag pick‑up location — Visit required A hub for travel information on Shimanto City and the Hata Region. They offer rental bikes (¥1,000 and up) and discounted sightseeing boat tickets! Hours: 8:30–17:30 (Open year‑round) The Nakamura town center is easy to explore by rental bike, so you can take a leisurely stroll and collect stamps! Nishitosa Area🐾 1. Roadside Station Yotte Nishitosa — Visit required A popular spot with local specialties and souvenirs. Enjoy grilled natural ayu (sweetfish) from the Shimanto River and sweets made from local ingredients — ideal for a break or shopping! Hours: 7:30–18:00 (No holidays during the event period) 2. Shimanto River Station Canoe Hall — Purchase, experience, or stay required A facility offering canoe experiences, SUP, and rafting, with an adjacent campsite so you can fully enjoy the outdoors! Hours: 8:30–17:30 (No holidays during the event period) 3. Iwami Chaya (near the sinking bridge!) — Visit required Right next to Iwami Sinking Bridge, this spot sells homemade bento and unique handmade goods made by locals. Fans should also check out the “Shimanto River” monument by Hiroshi Miyama with parking available! Hours: 10:00–15:00 (Closed Mondays) 4. Hotel Seira Shimanto — Stay or day‑use hot spring required In addition to lodging, the hotel has a restaurant and day‑use hot spring, perfect for soothing travel fatigue. At night, the stargazing guide by the star attendant is highly recommended! Hours: 9:00–17:00 (Open year‑round) 5. Shimanto River Furusato Guide Center — Cotton bag pick‑up location — Visit required The Nishitosa tourist information desk located right by the station. You can also rent Rinrin Cycles here! Hours: 8:30–18:00 (Closed Wednesdays) Driving is recommended in Nishitosa! Enjoy a scenic drive along the Shimanto River while taking in nature♪ Note: Opening days and hours may vary. Please check each facility’s website for the latest information. (Information current as of July 2025) Key point! Stamps 1–5 share a common design, so collecting them across Nakamura and Nishitosa will still complete the same image! (For example: either Nakamura’s Shimanto River Museum Akitsuio or Nishitosa’s Roadside Station Yotte Nishitosa for stamp 1 is fine) When you collect all the stamps… 🎉 The first 500 participants will receive ＼an original cotton tote bag／ Show your completed stamp sheet at one of the following locations👇 • Nakamura: Shimanto City Tourism Association • Nishitosa: Shimanto River Furusato Guide Center This cute, exclusive bag features Shinyan artwork and is only available here🐾✨ Who are Shinyan and Nyanko? Shinyan and Nyanko are local cat characters of the Shimanto City Tourism Association. There are five cats in total, each inspired by the Shimanto River’s nature, traditional fishing methods, and local culture. In this stamp rally, those Shinyan cats appear together as art♪ 🎨 Character designs are by Junya Inoue, a popular manga artist from Shimanto City and a tourism ambassador (best known for BTOOOM! and Kaiju Jieitai). Come play around Shimanto City with the Shinyan cats! Don’t just press stamps — enjoy the fun of layering them to complete the art. Explore nature, history, food, and adorable characters on a Shimanto City tour. We’re sure your very own special piece will take shape✨ We look forward to your participation!

Today, we visited CAFE ANDON. It is a café latte and campagne. It fits very, very well.

July 25 — Atami Offshore Fireworks Festival 🎆 Thank you for attending the first fireworks festival of this summer! Before the fireworks, we held a stage event in the Waterside Park called “Play in Atami! Play with Fireworks!”, with energetic performances by chiitan☆bombers, Kamen Joshi, and TOMOCA RIRIKA Yuuri to liven up the crowd! https://www.ataminews.gr.jp/event/8/...

Photographed on June 28, 25. It is a wind chime at the edge of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Event Announcement📣 The annual beer garden “Tarunama Beer Aya” returns to Honbetsu on Saturday, July 26th 🍺 Along with beer, a wide selection of alcoholic drinks such as chu-hai and sake will be available 😊 Local foods will be lined up so you can enjoy gourmet bites with your drinks 🎵 The program is packed with attractions, including a performance by the Yoshitsune Taiko drummers and a HIPHOP dance show by local children!! A raffle may award luxurious prizes like travel vouchers and hot-spring hotel stays 🎁🎁 Grab a beer and beat the summer heat with us～🎵🎵🤗 Date and Time: Saturday, July 26, 2025, from 15:00 Venue: Parking lot in front of Honbetsu Town Hall Contact: Honbetsu Chamber of Commerce and Industry TEL: 0156-22-2529 https://www.town.honbetsu.hokkaido.jp/sightseeing/fes/details/beerfes.html...

Photographed on June 28, 25. It is a wind chime at the edge of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Summer vacation craft experience! ~Using old logs~ Handmade miniature house Try cutting various kinds of logs You can even use the wood you cut as a chimney for a miniature house!? Choose the parts, assemble them... Paint them your favorite colors and make it just the way you like! Let’s turn Takutetsu Kinokotan into a lively village♪ Of course, you can take your miniature house home with you. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. @t_kinokotan Date: Sunday, July 27, 2025 Time: 10:00–15:00 Location: Takutetsu Kinokotan Participation fee: 500 yen Kids and adults alike—come and join the fun! #Hokkaido #Tokachi #Shintoku Town #shintoku #Shintoku Town Tourism Association #Shintoku Station #Tokutoku multi-use facility in front of the station #Takutetsu Kinokotan #miniature house #making a miniature house #summer vacation craft #craft experience #hodagi (old mushroom-log) #tuktuk #tokutoku #hokkaido #hokkaidotrip #hokkaidotourism #tourism #tokachi #shintoku #summervacation #welcomeshintoku #discovershintoku

Photographed 6/29/25. It is a wind chime at the edge of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Photographed on July 9, 25. Light up of the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine rim musubi wind chime. I forgot to take a picture of the wind chime at the edge of the northern approach to the temple, so if I have a chance, I will go back and take a picture.

Event Announcement 📣 On Saturday, July 26, Tokachi–Shimizu Town will host the Seiryu Festival 😊 This beloved event returns for its 47th year!! The stage program is packed with YOSAKOI dance, jazz dance, and performances by Shimizu and Mikage Middle School brass bands, among others!! A bingo tournament and a fun prize drawing could award luxurious prizes!? You can also ride in and see working vehicles such as aerial work platforms and patrol cars on display!! The Chamber of Commerce Women’s and Youth Divisions, the Shimizu High School Sanroku Club, and local restaurants will host booths so you can enjoy regional gourmet treats 🎵 📌Date and Time: Saturday, July 26, 2025, 12:00–20:30 📌Venue: Event plaza next to JR Tokachi-Shimizu Station *In case of severe weather, the event will be postponed to the following day 📌How to participate in the prize drawing Only those who purchase the advance “Lucky Coupon with Lottery Ticket” usable at the Chamber of Commerce Youth Division booth are eligible. 📌Inquiries Seiryu Festival Executive Committee (Shimizu Town Chamber of Commerce) TEL: 0156-62-2208 It’s been hot lately, so please take care of your health and enjoy the summer festival 🤗 https://www.town.shimizu.hokkaido.jp/section/08/details/47.html...

August 9th "Mugikansai" festival celebrates the wheat harvest! 🌾 In Otofukecho, the town with Japan’s highest wheat production, the wheat harvest thanksgiving festival "Mugikansai" will take place. The festival runs simultaneously at three venues: Roadside Station Otofuke, the wheat fields of Miura Farm, and Roadside Station Garden Spa. You can touch, see, taste, and enjoy wheat in many hands-on experiences. A stamp rally will also be held! Please come and join us 😊

Photographed on July 9, 25. It is the Otorii Gate gate of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine and the "clouds on the ground" that appear from time to time.

"Nagano Tanabata Festival" The 440-Meter arcade that covers the street is decorated with vivid Tanabata decorations. The arcade that symbolizes Nagano City's "Gondo" was recently renovated yellowtail 30 years, and the interior has become brighter, so you can enjoy Tanabata decorations more than every year! There are also decorations unique to this year, so please come and visit! 【Date】7/19 (Sat) ~ 8/7 (Thu) 【Venue】Gondo Arcade Street Area #Nagano Tanabata Festival #Tanabata #gondo #tanabata #summer #Nagano City #Nagano #Nagano Tourism #Nagano Travel #nagano #naganocity

Photographed on July 9, 25. Light up of the edge musubi wind chime of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Azumino was hit by heavy rain. By evening the rain had stopped, and a beautiful sunset appeared.

Here you will find a world of black, gold, and dreamlike lacquer art It is called the Azumino Takahashi Setsuro Memorial Museum Setsuro Takahashi is a lacquer artist who represents the contemporary craft art scene Building on the traditional chinkin (gold inlay) technique, he created a unique lacquer art style using a method called yarigane On the grounds you can also see the former Takahashi family house from the mid-Edo period You can also enjoy a chinkin hands-on experience 😀 For details, please visit the official website http://azumino-bunka.com/facility/setsuro-museum/...

The hot days keep coming… Azumino is topping 30 degrees… On days like this, you might want to relax while gazing at a cool, clear mountain stream on the riverbed of the Nakabusa River flowing from the Northern Alps with a book you’ve been meaning to read and a cup of coffee… At the tourist information center in front of JR Oito Line Hotaka Station, borrow a cafe BOX and enjoy an Azumino picnic 😄 https://reserve.489ban.net/client/azumino-e-tabi/0/detail/850669...

Commemorating the 70th anniversary of Reihoku Town’s municipal status, the 37th Reihoku Jatto Festival took place 🎊 Last weekend, the Reihoku Jatto Festival and the Dragon Boat (Peiron) Races were held successfully, drawing many visitors to Reihoku Town ✨ Spectacular fireworks launched right overhead 🎆, fiercely competitive Peiron races and hands-on Peiron experiences 🌊 energized the crowd, and the two days flew by in no time‼️ (By the way, this post’s author joined the festival for the first time this year, participating as both festival staff and a Peiron paddler. I was truly amazed by the close-up drama of the fireworks and the exhilarating rush of paddling a Peiron boat 👀) If you couldn’t make it this year, please come to the Reihoku Jatto Festival next year 🔥

Photographed on July 9, 25. It is a wind chime at the edge of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. I found a wind chime with a red thread.

When daylily blooms around Lake Notari, you realize that summer has arrived.

Photographed on July 9, 25. Light up of the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine wind chime corridor.

Photographed on July 9, 25. It is a wind chime at the edge of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. I went outbound to shoot at night.

Photographed on July 19, 25. This is LEC COFFEE's Original Chai.

Atami Sun Beach Water Park has opened! July 19 to August 31, 2025 Enjoy the summer at Atami’s sea again this year! https://www.ataminews.gr.jp/event/184...

On Tuesday, July 15 and Wednesday, July 16, we held the 57th Atami Kogashi Festival Float Competition. During the day, the rites of Kinomiya Shrine’s annual festival and the procession of the portable shrine took place, and at night 23 floats gathered on the national highway. Scenes from the festival https://www.ataminews.gr.jp/features/54...

Photographed on July 19, 25. After Prayer to Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, we visited LEC COFFEE. It's a quiche plate. It is a quiche with dried tomatoes, bacon and onions, and a cold corn soup.

Notice of the 34th Rekifune River Clear-Stream Festival Alongside the annual PET bottle rocket contest, the Perpune Fire Festival and fireworks display, this year we will also present the Kimi to Idol Precure♪ character show and a live paint session where an artist paints a giant "TAIKI" sign on-site! Come and join Taiki Town’s big summer event!

Tenno Matsuri This year, away from the palace president, As an amateur photographer I was allowed to participate. Children's lantern chanting Parent-child fireworks I was healed by the smiles of the children! Location: Inatomi Shrine ⛩️, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture

CAFE ANDON's summer-only morning, minestrone and toast. It's very delicious, so I'm planning to visit again during the period. I also met the people I wanted to meet. Thank you for opening early in the morning. 😊

Photographed on July 13, 25. This is CAFE ANDON's Senba Toshogu Shrine Parfait. The base is layered with Hokkaido Ogura bean paste, fresh cream, homemade granola, and homemade Kawagoe matcha mousse. It is topped with Morino Ranch soft serve ice cream and decorated with white balls, red bean paste, andon cookies, Tokugawa family crest cookies, and matcha powder, and is very luxurious. 🍨✨ It has black honey, and when you pour it on, it tastes even better.