A guide to hot spring inns in Teshikaga ♨️

Teshikaga has two hot spring areas: Mashu Onsen and Kawayu Onsen. Each hot spring and each inn differs in water quality and health benefits, so be sure to check out a variety of hot spring inns.✨ A second guide is in preparation. Please look forward to it.😉🔥

Kawayu Onsen website article updated 📝🆙
An article about "Kawayu Onsen's Enkiri Hot Spring Tour" has been posted ♨️❄️ Please take a look ✨

Kawayu Onsen's Enkiri Hot Spring Tour
Stroll through intensely acidic springs that can even dissolve nails to wash away everyday worries, fatigue, and bad ties—refresh yourself by "melting" them away. Would you like to try Kawayu Onsen's new project, the "Enkiri Hot Spring Tour"?

https://www.kawayu-onsen.com/activity/990/

Photographed on January 21, 2014.
This is the twelve-zodiac omikuji from Akasaka Hikawa Shrine.
It's cute. 😊

Photographed on January 26, 2014.
A cafe latte from cafe andon, an apple pie, and soft-serve ice cream from forest ranch.

This is Taiyogaoka Metasequoia Namiki Avenue in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture.
A snowy tree-lined path, seen under a clear sky.
The metasequoias in their snowy scenery.
It was simply beautiful.
💕(୨୧❛ᴗ❛)📷 🌲❄️☀️

“Demons Are Jumping Out of Mokumu!”
The displays inside Forest Museum “Mokumu”
have been refreshed.

February means one thing: Setsubun!

A demon’s hand bursts out from the wall,
creating the kind of tension that seems ready to grab visiting children!!

A giant ehomaki (lucky-direction sushi roll) hangs down above the entrance to the wooden amusement park.

This year, it’s said to be best eaten facing slightly south of south-southeast.

The demon-themed Setoushi-kun masks scattered on the pillars are adorable too.

- SASAKI Craft Exhibition Now On! -

Forest Museum “Mokumu”
Winter opening hours: 10:00–16:30
Last admission accepted until 16:10

Admission fees:
500 yen for high school students and older
300 yen for 4th–6th graders and middle school students
100 yen for ages 3 through 3rd grade elementary school
Free for children under 3

#Forest Museum #in-gallery displays #February 3 #Demons

Photographed on January 26, 2014.
This is an apple pie from cafe andon and soft-serve ice cream from forest ranch.

Jigokudani Yaen-koen monkeys

A place famous for monkeys bathing in hot springs
A monkey gazing at the hot spring amid falling snow

A sense of melancholy lingered.

🚨Schedule Change🚨

[Sightsee hands-free! Luggage delivery service now available]
From Saturday, January 24 to Sunday, March 1, 2026, Teshikaga offers the 2026 winter “Teshikaga Eco Passport” town shuttle bus (reservation required) and, during the same period, a luggage delivery service called “Sightsee hands-free.” This convenient service delivers your luggage from the drop-off location to the pick-up location so you can explore Teshikaga light and free during that time. You won’t need to carry your bags yourself, allowing you to spend all your time and energy on sightseeing. No advance reservation is required. Please take advantage of this opportunity.

Period
Saturday, January 24 to Sunday, March 1, 2026

Fee
1,000 yen (tax included)

Luggage size
Total of length, width, and height up to 160 cm / weight up to 25 kg
*Valuables, fragile items, hazardous materials, precision instruments, and frozen or refrigerated items cannot be accepted*

Drop-off locations and reception hours
A: JR Mashu Station 8:30–11:30
B: JR Kawayu-Onsen Station 8:30–12:00
C: Kawayu Onsen Town Hotel until 11:00
(Kawayu Kanko Hotel, KKR Kawayu, Oyado Kinkiyu Annex Suikazura)
*Please note that the reception hours for C have changed.*

Pick-up locations and hours
A: JR Mashu Station 15:00–16:30
B: JR Kawayu-Onsen Station 14:00–17:00
C: Kawayu Onsen Town Hotel from 13:30 onward
(Kawayu Kanko Hotel, KKR Kawayu, Oyado Kinkiyu Annex Suikazura)


________________________________
Use it like a coin locker—no delivery! Luggage storage only
We also offer a luggage storage-only service you can use like a coin locker without delivery. Please use it according to your needs.
Fee: 700 yen (tax included)
A: JR Mashu Station 8:30–16:30
B: JR Kawayu-Onsen Station 8:30–17:00

Contact
Mashu Tourism Association
015-482-2200
Reception hours 9:00–17:00 on weekdays
masyu_as@peace.ocn.ne.jp

https://www.masyuko.or.jp
https://www.masyuko.or.jp/news/2025winterecopassport/

Photographed on January 21, 2014.
This is Tokyo Daijingu Shrine at around 7:30 a.m.

Photographed on January 21, 2014.
These are New Year decorations at Tokyo Daijingu Shrine.🎍

Take a little breather from your busy days. The popular market event “Beauty and Healing Yorimichi Marche” is finally celebrating its 7th edition! This time marks the third time it will be held in Reihoku Town👏
Why not spend a special day filled with “beauty, healing, and deliciousness” at the Reihoku Town Tourist Information Center?

🌿 How to enjoy the marche
This edition features three delightful sections.

[Treatment Corner]💆‍♀️
Warmth therapies, massages, head spas, and other treatments that help you relax both body and mind.
[Hands-on & Sales Corner]🛍
Stalls selling handmade goods, fortune-telling, beauty experiences, and other booths perfect for treating yourself.
[Food Corner]🍕🥐
From bento boxes and sweets to bread and pizza—there’s a satisfying lineup to fill your stomach.

✨ Highlights this time!
Stamp rally! Visit venues around the site and collect stamps for a chance to win great prizes♪

Everyone is welcome! Admission is free. Whether you come with family and friends or drop by on your own for a little “yorimichi,” you’re warmly invited🤍

📅 Event details
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 (national holiday) 10:00–16:00
Location: Reihoku Town Tourist Information Center (4535-1 Kamitsufukae, Reihoku, Amakusa District)
Admission: Free
Organizer: Amakusa Reihoku Tourism Association (general incorporated association)
Planning & Management: CROSSLINK

On a winter afternoon, our staff look forward to seeing your smiling faces. Please feel free to stop by for a little “yorimichi”🌼

This is the SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen Train
I rode it for the first time in two years
and enjoyed photographing it the next day.

It runs mainly on weekends through early March
and I think you can board on Saturdays or Sundays if you don't insist on choosing a specific seat.

Photographed on January 21, 2014.
This is the 'Musubi no Kirameki Flower-Hand-Water' at Tokyo Daijingu Shrine, along with a good-luck horse talisman for the Year of the Horse. 🐴✨
This seasonal flower-hand-water display is for a limited time, and today is the final day.

January 26th
Azumino was broadly clear today
The Northern Alps, thickly capped with snow, could be seen

Photographed on January 21, 2014.
This is the “Musubi no Kirameki” floral water basin at Tokyo Daijingu Shrine.
It is on display for a limited time until January 27.

Event Announcement 📣

The 63rd Obihiro Ice Festival runs from January 30 to February 1. 😊

With the theme of bringing warmth and joy to the northern winter, the festival offers a wide variety of attractions. 🎵

The venue features ice-focused works: ice carvings, ice and snow sculptures, and ice masks made by elementary school students. Families can also enjoy popular attractions like rotating sleds, tube sliders, ice slides, and snow rafting. 😍

Workshops for building snowmen and creating sparkling snow domes let visitors fully experience snow and ice over these three days. 🤗

📍Date and Time: Friday, January 30, 2026 – Sunday, February 1, 2026, 10:00–20:00
(Final day closes at 5:00 PM)

📍Location: Midorigaoka Park

📞Contact: Obihiro Festival Promotion Committee TEL: 0155-22-8600


https://obihiro-icefes.com/

[Sky and Frost-Covered Trees]
Last Friday (January 23) I went to Gokase Highland Ski Resort.
The sky was clear that day, making it not only perfect for skiing but also ideal for photography.
I warmed my freezing hands as best I could and protected my camera from the cold while shooting.
I plan to share these images unedited.
The Gokase Tourism Association’s Instagram photo contest “Winter in Gokase 2026” is still accepting entries, so please consider submitting your work!