It has finally cooled down during the day, and the feeling of autumn has settled in. Today the mountain range looked clear and beautiful. It gets chilly after sunset. Photographed from TokachigawaOnsen Chuo Bridge.

The sunflowers at Mito Farm in Otofuke are in full bloom! This is a sunflower field sown as a green manure on the field after the wheat harvest. The sunflowers stretching across the vast grounds are a spectacular sight! You can see them here until the end of September. For location details, please check the notices on the TokachigawaOnsen Tourism Association website. *Please do not enter the field to prevent the introduction of pathogens!*

The grapes in the TokachigawaOnsen Guide Center garden are changing color and will be ready to harvest soon! I picked one and it was sweet 😍 It looks like the hot summer gave this year’s crop a great outcome ✨

What do you think this is, sitting at the entrance of the tourist information center? The answer is a sub-bituminous peat layer that forms the base of the moor hot spring. It was created by the accumulation of reeds and other plants that once grew along the Tokachigawa riverside in ancient times. Plant-based moor hot spring water wells up through this peat layer. The humic substances (humin) in the peat combined with alkalinity create a silky, mild water quality, which is why it’s called a beauty bath. Moor hot springs are also registered as a Hokkaido Heritage; please come and experience them 🥰

I spent a holiday trying river SUP with TokachigawaOnsen’s Tokachi Nature Center!! The weather was great — perfect for SUP♪ It was my first time on a SUP, but the clear, easy-to-follow instruction let me enjoy it to the fullest! Be sure to try a SUP experience at Tokachi Nature Center, everyone♪

Ikeda Wine Castle I visited Ikeda Wine Castle!! The tour route and corridor museum featured exhibits on wine production and grape cultivation, which were very informative. In the first-floor shopping area, it seems some products are sold only at the Wine Castle.👀 On sunny days, I also recommend visiting the rooftop observation terrace.

Shirakaba Namiki The greenery was deeper than when I visited in May♪ You can even spot sunflowers through the birch trees, which gives the place a summery feel! The tree-lined road stretches about 1.3 km and offered a truly beautiful view♬

Otofuke Shrine I visited Otofuke Shrine on a sunny day! The enshrined deity at Otofuke Shrine is Amaterasu Omikami, the same deity worshiped at the Ise Grand Shrine. As a guiding and leading deity, Amaterasu is said to grant blessings for overcoming difficulties, pioneering progress, good fortune and prosperity, and success in new ventures! This spot is also known for possible encounters with Ezo squirrels, red foxes, and owls♪ Be sure to pay a visit and offer your prayers ✨

"TokachigawaOnsen Burachari" This time I rode the nature walking course, one of the six available routes, by bicycle!! This route loops about 14 km and lets you fully enjoy Tokachi's natural scenery! The tourism association offers rental bicycles, so be sure to soak up the great outdoors!!

Thank you very much to everyone who came to the TokachigawaOnsen Summer Festival! With the fine weather, the festival stalls and food booths were bustling, and the main event, the slipper-throwing championship, drew great excitement! We are delighted that everyone could enjoy summer to the fullest. Please come and visit TokachigawaOnsen again!

The Tokachigawa Onsen Summer Festival takes place on August 11th. A luxurious prize is up for grabs in the main slipper-throwing event! Join us! *Registration times for the slipper-throwing championship are Children’s division: from 5:00 PM, Adults’ division: from 5:30 PM.* *Please note that proxy registration is not allowed.*

This is a sunflower field in Otofuke. It stands out against the blue sky. Bees were busily collecting nectar and carrying lots of pollen.

Kominka cafe 'cafe jorro' I enjoyed pancakes and cold-brew iced coffee. Every menu item is tempting, from curry and cakes made mainly with local ingredients to dishes prepared without chemical seasonings. They use coffee beans from Morihiko in Sapporo, and both the pancakes and the coffee were absolutely delicious. The shop's atmosphere and the food were both superb.✨ Address: 1-11 Kino Shinmachi, Otofuke, Kawato-gun, Hokkaido Hours: 11:00–17:00 Closed: Sunday

Introducing the post of "Tokachigawa Onsen Tourist Association" COOL JAPAN VIDEOS official social media account! The Bakkansai Festival held in Hokkaido Otofuke is a festival with the theme of "wheat play". You can enjoy special gourmet foods such as stone-oven pizza and gourmet dishes using delicious wheat in the kitchen car. There will also be stage events and tractor exhibitions and test drives. ◆The 10th Mugikan Festival◆ 【Date】Saturday, August 19, 2023 10:00~14:00 【Place】Wheat field at Takenaka Farm

Wheat harvesting has begun, and straw rolls can now be seen across the fields. These round bales will become beds for the cows! A landscape typical of Tokachi in Hokkaido stretches out. ※This is a farmer’s precious field. Please do not enter it.

Dengaku, a popular ramen shop in Tokachigawa Onsen I enjoyed the spicy miso hot noodles! Although it's often necessary to wait in line to get in, I was lucky this day and sat down right away. The soup is full of toppings too! The noodles are homemade using Tokachi-grown wheat called yumechikara. I chose the thick curly noodles; they have a firm texture and are delicious! They stayed piping hot to the end, and I had the soup wari as well. +310 yen lets you add a zosui (rice porridge) set. Address: 15-1, Tokachigawa Onsen Kita, Otofuke Town, Kawato-gun, Hokkaido Closed: Tuesdays 11:00–21:00 / Last order 20:30

The 10th Mugi-Kan Festival will take place! You can enjoy freshly harvested wheat with all five senses. There will be plenty of fun events, including freshly baked wheat bread for sale, a Mugi-Kan roll-rolling contest, and tractor rides! Date and time: Saturday, August 19, 2023, 10:00–14:00 Location: Takenaka Farm wheat fields Admission: Adults 1,500 yen, elementary and junior high students 500 yen *Canceled in case of rain

At the beginning of June the wheat fields that were still green turn golden, and harvest is about to begin. Otofuke, Japan’s top wheat-producing town. After the harvest, straw rolls rise up in the fields to become beds for cows. The harvested wheat is reborn as delicious bread and udon. Tokachi is full of excellent bakeries and pastry shops. Prices are very reasonable, with bread in the 100-yen range and cakes in the 200-yen range. Seeing the crops being grown like this naturally brings a feeling of gratitude for the food we eat.

I attended the 15th Ecopa Soba Festival. These hand‑made soba noodles were prepared by the Makubetsu Men’s Cooking Group using locally milled flour! They offered three varieties: special soba (chicken and burdock), mori soba, and kake soba. The event was lively with many visitors! Each time there are only 300 servings available! Next dates: August 6, September 3, October 8, 11:00–13:00 Location: Tokachigawa Ecological Park, “Tsuchi no Fōrī”

Moor Hot Spring Firefly Viewing Event Fireflies raised in the moor hot spring waters will perform a dance of light. In the past, it was possible to see Heike fireflies around Tokachigawa Onsen. However, as the town modernized, habitats suitable for fireflies dwindled, and after the summer of 1990 the Heike fireflies could no longer be seen. The goal of restoring Heike fireflies at Tokachigawa Onsen is to bring back the early-summer scenes that were once common. A distinctive feature of the firefly restoration is the use of hot spring water as the water source. Tokachigawa Onsen’s spring is a rare plant-rich moor hot spring. Because it contains plant-derived components, it is rich in minerals essential for the proliferation of diatoms, which serve as food for pond snails. This is the first successful example in Japan of restoring fireflies using 100% hot spring water. Heike fireflies are distributed from Kyushu to Hokkaido, and into eastern Siberia and Korea, and they once thrived in wetlands and watersides surrounding rice paddies. A characteristic of Hokkaido’s Heike fireflies is that their flashing intervals tend to be longer than those of Heike fireflies on Honshu. Event period: Saturday, July 8 to Sunday, July 23 Event time: 8:00 PM–9:00 PM Location: Tokachigaoka Park

At the Tokapuchi Grand Space Scenic Cafe’s Tokachigaoka Observatory, local volunteer guides offer landscape and sightseeing information on summer Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Today’s weather turned out better than forecast, and I cycled there to see the blue sky! Although clouds were plentiful, I could see the Hidaka Range and the Tokachi Plain in one sweeping view 🤩 You can sometimes see hot air balloons in the early morning, and it’s also a beautiful spot for sunset ✨ From Tokachigawa Onsen town About a 5-minute drive or a 15-minute bike ride. [Volunteer Guides] Period: Saturday, July 1 – Saturday, September 30 Hours: Weekends and public holidays only, 10:00–15:00 *Canceled in rain or on very hot days (30°C or above) *No beverages provided

Introducing the post of "Tokachigawa Onsen Tourist Association" COOL JAPAN VIDEOS official social media account! "Yanagigetsu Sweetpia Garden" is a confectionery fresh confectionery factory located in Kawahigashi-gun Otofuke Hokkaido, where you can visit and experience things. There is also a garden café, where you can also enjoy soft-serve ice cream made with Hokkaido milk. ◆Yanagitsuki Sweet Pier Garden◆ 【Address】〒080-0346 Natsuzora, Otofuke-1, Kawahigashi-gun, Hokkaido 【Access】About 15 minutes by car from Obihiro Station

A paradise for sweets lovers! "Ryugetsu Sweetpia Garden" This is an entertainment spot where you can buy sweets, enjoy a café, take hands-on experiences, and tour the factory✨ This shop sells "Sanporoku no Hajikko" at a bargain price every morning, and a line forms before opening. It comes in substantial portions, priced from 550 to 650 yen per kilogram! The shop-only "Kinagoromo Soft" is irresistible for fans of Japanese flavors, with wobbly kinako mochi and sweet red bean paste inside. In the eat-in area, you can enjoy azuki tea and coffee for free! The Sanporoku bench placed around the garden looks so real it almost seems edible 😋 The Roadside Station Otofuke Natsuzora no Furusato is right next door, so you can enjoy both places together!

I rode along the Otofuke Melody Line! That doesn’t mean music plays along the road. (I thought so at first too 😊) The name belongs to a town road connecting TokachigawaOnsen and central Otofuke, and it was named after the “Oto” in Otofuke Town. You’ll find rural scenery typical of Otofuke, a straight road leading toward the mountain range, and sunflower fields in autumn—many lovely views. At about 15 km long, it’s a wonderful road for driving or cycling! Because there are ups and downs, an electric-assist bicycle is recommended for cycling. The tourism association provides assist bicycles! Be sure to try riding the Otofuke Melody Line♬ ⛔Please do not enter the fields.

[Hanakaze Flower Scenery and Hana Road] Every year under the title “Hanakaze Flower Scenery,” a riot of colorful flowers welcomes visitors. Stroll slowly through the beautifully decorated hot spring town and enjoy Tokachigawa Onsen. Period: Saturday, June 24 to Sunday, July 23 Location: Tokachigaoka Park / the Tokachigawa Onsen area

Butahage Roadside Station Otofuke Branch This popular pork bowl shop, with its main location in Obihiro, served me the pork-soup set. Beyond the delicious pork bowl itself, I loved the pork miso soup filled with chunky vegetables served in a bowl larger than the rice bowl. This dish lets you fully enjoy Otofuke Town’s local soybeans and vegetables. The pork-soup set was sold out before noon. Tokachi’s vegetables are truly delicious, so I hope everyone gets to try them 😊

This is the floral clock at Tokachigaoka Park. From June 24th to July 23rd, the area around Tokachigaoka Park welcomes visitors with a colorful flower display titled "Hanak Landscape and Flower Road." The park also hosts events such as early-morning hot air balloon experiences, the summer "Dream Firefly Viewing" and the winter "Sairinka" festival. There is a shop and a free foot bath, making it a perfect spot to relax or enjoy a picnic. (Closed in winter) The tourism association offers bicycle rentals, so cycling around feels wonderful!

Early Morning Hot Air Balloon Experience I took part in the hot air balloon experience run by Tokachi Nature Center! It was an anchored flight of about five minutes. The view from 30 meters up felt like a different world! The crisp early morning air was refreshing, and it felt truly wonderful.✨ The experience runs only in the early morning until December 10. For details, contact Tokachi Nature Center. Contact Tokachi Nature Center 0155-32-6116

The lilies of the valley are now in full bloom at Suzuran Park in Otofuke! Lilies of the valley are also the town flower of Otofuke.✨ But these delicate lilies of the valley are actually poisonous.😲 They are often mistaken for mountain garlic (gyoja ninniku). Please enjoy the viewing safely and take care.♬

Today the weather is beautiful and it’s perfect for a picnic 🌞 Here are scenes from Tokachi Ecology Park. Sunlight filtering through the trees sparkled and looked lovely! Starting today, June 1st, the Soft Serve Rally 2023 is said to begin! Eighty-five shops across the Tokachi area! How many can you try~ 🍦