Photographed 9/21/24. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu approach to the temple. 🌻

Visited on 9/15/24. It is a rice set (+ fried chicken) from Tomori Shokudo. The miso soup and side dishes with many vegetables are also delicious. It is a set meal with a good nutritional balance. 😊

Visited on 9/15/24. After the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Monthly Festival, we went to the Starbucks Bell Ring Street store. It was a Sunday, so it was crowded. It is a pumpkin spice latte and Mont Blanc with chestnuts and roasted green tea. 🎃🌰

This is an exhibition at the Kawagoe Prince Hotel in honor of the Kawagoe Festival. The Kawagoe Festival will be held on 10/19 (Sat) and 20 (Sun).

Photographed 9/19/24. Hachimangu Shrine in the Precincts of Izumo Ihabi Shrine had been changed to Tenjinjigisha. The Instagram of Izumo Ihabi Shrine was also opened.

I ran errands and Town Town hall Mt. Moro, and Prayer the Izumo Ihahi Shrine yellowtail a long time. This year, I'm going to try to Prayer Yabusame Festival as well. 🐎

Photographed 9/15/24. This is Yatagarasu-sama of Kawagoe Kumano Shrine.

Photographed 9/15/24. Prayer at Kawagoe Kumano Shrine. It is a circle of nagi using the nagi of the sacred tree of Kumano. It is the same as the circle of Kaya no Rinokuguri and cleanses impurities. Benefit is said to be good luck, protection from disaster, and peace and safety.

On this day, foodie Kawanishi visited Tokoro Terrace in Shiga Akanuma, Suwa, Nagano Prefecture. This stylish spot, known in Suwa for selling kanten, also houses a cafe and dining area.☕ Tokoro Terrace promotes making kanten part of everyday life with the motto “bringing kanten closer to you.” The person who introduced the shop that day was manager Kurane. Next to the shop and cafe is a factory specializing in tokoroten, so the tokoroten served here comes fresh from the adjacent factory!!! I dislike vinegar-and-soy dressing, and since I learned about kuromitsu I’ve been hooked♪ It’s virtually zero calories (excluding the kuromitsu lol)!!! Kanten comes in many forms—block kanten (bō kanten), string kanten, and powdered kanten—and it’s a versatile ingredient you can add to rice, miso soup, or salads. As a child, I couldn’t wait for the school lunch day with mandarin orange milk kanten and used to pace around the serving area... Kanten provides dietary fiber and doesn’t overpower other ingredients, so it shines in main dishes, appetizers, and desserts alike—truly the Shohei Ohtani of the ingredient world!!! That day I found a pack of 100 sticks of kanten; some customers buy that size a few times a year!!! The quantity and enormity were astounding lol At the cafe, they use that kanten in tokoroten, cream anmitsu (their most popular item), soft serve, and even the hugely popular pudding. They serve lunch (11:00–14:00), where a salad with added kanten enhances the flavors of the main dish. The place is welcoming to men and has counter seating, so you can easily enjoy a casual cafe visit or lunch.🍴 You can also enjoy coffee made from beans by Yuhigahama Coffee of Matsumoto alongside the sweets, so try them together.☕ The entire shop is barrier-free, so customers in wheelchairs can enter with confidence. Many visitors come in three generations—grandmother, mother, and grandchild—and enjoy the cafe together. Why not consider this as a souvenir from Suwa? ◎ Tokoro Terrace 📍 1545-1 Shiga, Suwa (5-minute drive from Suwa I.C. toward Lake Suwa; parking for 40 cars) ☎ 0266-52-1056 ◎ Hours: 10:00–18:00 ・ Shop hours: 10:00–18:00 ・ Cafe hours: 10:00–17:00 (Lunch 11:00–14:30) ◎ Closed: Thursdays and during the New Year holidays (Dec 31–Jan 2) ◎ Online shop available.

Visited on 9/12/24. CAFE ANDON's lemonade and coffee jelly sundae. It is very tasty. 😊

Nouvelle Bairindo Suwa Store (Confectionery House Nouvelle) On this day, foodie Kawanishi visited Nouvelle Bairindo Suwa Store (Confectionery House Nouvelle). It’s such a famous shop that virtually everyone in the Suwa area knows it! The exterior is stylish and, true to its name, evokes a charming confectionery house. Among Nouvelle’s offerings, the flagship item “Kurumi Yamabiko” is one of Kawanishi’s personal favourites. It uses fresh milk from the foothills of the Yatsugatake Mountains in Shinshu to make a slowly cooked special walnut caramel, which is wrapped in a crisp cookie. The cookie shell is not sweet, the walnut caramel inside is pleasantly sweet, and the balance between them is perfect!!! This treat is so addictive that you really can’t stop. Apart from my eldest son and second daughter, who have nut allergies, my whole family—including my parents—are huge, huge, huge fans www The company’s current president is said to be the creator of this hit product! Thank you so much for the supremely delicious Kurumi Yamabiko! It was released in 1985, so this year marks its 39th anniversary!!! The person who assisted us that day was Yudasaka, section chief of the administration department. According to him, Bairindo strongly values using local ingredients. Did you know each store also has shop-limited sweets? Here they are ↓ ・Suwa Store → Cream puffs ・Okaya Main Store → Waffles ・Shimosuwa Store → Shaved ice and pies (custard pie available at all stores plus a Shimosuwa-only original flavor) ・Chino Store → Soft serve ice cream (also sold at Okaya; Yamabiko soft is Chino-only) ・Cheesecake appears to be another store-limited sweet, so please do visit the stores! Hot on the heels of “Kurumi Yamabiko” is “Suwa no Tsuki.” The walnut caramel inside is the same as Kurumi Yamabiko, but here it’s mixed with white bean paste, making it extremely popular with elderly people who find Kurumi Yamabiko hard to swallow. Mixing in white bean paste improves the texture and throat feel, making it easier to eat than Kurumi Yamabiko — that’s why it’s so popular! It’s an impressive innovation. This conversation gave a glimpse of why it appeals to so many people. Ranking in the top three is Suwa Kurumi Caramel!!! It started with four designs representing nearby locations: Suwa → Karin, Shimosuwa → Manji stone Buddha, Okaya → Silk-rearing deity, Chino → Jomon Venus. The president was so eager to have representations for Hara Village and Fujimi that Hara Village’s celery and Fujimi’s tomato were created, completing characters for six neighboring municipalities. There’s actually a backstory behind Fujimi’s highland red ruby. A tomato grown by students in the horticulture department at Fujimi High School had been selected for judging at the Tokyo Olympics, but as everyone knows the Games were postponed by one year. When the president learned about the students’ tomatoes left without an outlet, he simply said, “Let’s use them as ingredients for the Highland Ruby!” That kind of manly decisiveness is electrifying. Those tomatoes continue to be sourced to this day. It made me think that the president’s commitment to local produce has produced these big hit items. Finally, Yudasaka’s top recommendation that day was the “Asaichi Cocco Sable.” The eggs come from chickens raised at Yatsugatake Central Agricultural Practical School in Hara Village. It’s a simple sable that remains soft while retaining a solid buttery flavour. Foodie Kawanishi’s personal top pick is the exquisite Kurumi Yamabiko!!! I learned for the first time that they also sell whole uncut loaves in their original shape, with wooden boxes or special knives included… it’s a dream product 🌟 If no one was watching, I’d probably bite straight into it www These appear only a few times a year!!! Maybe I’ll buy one as a birthday present 🎶 It’s an irresistible item for Kurumi Yamabiko lovers! Nouvelle Bairindo’s products also make wonderful souvenirs. Many sweets are inspired by or made with ingredients from the Suwa area. When my family brings souvenirs, Nouvelle Bairindo is our one and only choice w When people think of popular sweet souvenirs from the Suwa region, they think of Nouvelle Bairindo. If you visit the Suwa area or find their products at a retailer, please do buy and enjoy them!!! ◎ Nouvelle Bairindo Suwa Store (Confectionery House Nouvelle) 📍 1-2556-7 Jonan, Suwa, Nagano Prefecture 〒 ☎ 0266-54-7971 Hours & Closed days: 10:00–19:00 Closed only on New Year’s Day

The National Alps Azumino Park is a national park spreading at the foot of the Northern Alps in central Nagano Prefecture. The park has two areas: Omachi-Matsukawa in the north and Horikane-Hotaka in the south. The Horikane-Hotaka area lies about a 20-minute drive from Azumino Interchange on the Nagano Expressway. In the Horikane-Hotaka area, the yellow cosmos are now in full bloom. Eight hundred thousand yellow cosmos flowers cover 2.5 hectares of terraced rice fields in a spectacular display. The National Alps Azumino Park is broadly divided into two zones, and the yellow cosmos appear in the Satoyama Culture Zone, so please be careful not to use the wrong entrance. They should be enjoyable through late September. After that, in the Rural Culture Zone, you can see 180,000 cosmos of 12 different varieties. These are expected to peak from late September through mid-October. There are photo spots, and on clear days you can see Mt. Jonen. *Two pink cosmos photos are from last year.*

Visited on 9/12/24. This is a hot sandwich set of avocado and shrimp from CAFE ANDON. It's my favorite combination. I'm allowed to relax before work. 😊

Photographed 9/15/24. It is the square of the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine direct meeting hall. It had changed from a kazaguruma to a wind chime.

Tone River fireworks festival 2024 The star mine of the feast by the four major fireworks masters is a masterpiece It was a fusion of beauty and delicacy. The 30,000 Tone River fireworks festival colored the screen up, down, left and right. Ibaraki Tone River fireworks festival 2024.9.14

Tone River Grand Fireworks Festival Fireworks are a traditional culture that Representatives Japan. It was the first time I went to this Tone River Grand Fireworks Festival, and the night sky was lit up by 30,000 flowers, one of the largest in Japan. Ibaraki Prefecture's proud fireworks masters, Yamazaki Smoke and Fire Factory, No Village fireworks Industry, Beniya Aoki Smoke and Fire Shop, and Margaux, the four major fireworks masters one of the best in Japan, performed gorgeously, and I am grateful and grateful that this scenery seen with Kan inn Castle was born in Japan.

Today, I attended the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Monthly Festival. This is the Otorii Gate. The annual festival of Yawata Shrine in the Precincts was also held.

Photographed 9/14/24. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Prayer at Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine today. It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Visited on 9/2/24. After Prayer to Tokyo Daijingu Shrine, we had an early dinner (breakfast) at want to Manna, a Taiwanese breakfast specialty restaurant. From the top left, they are pineapple cake, current Taiwanese toast, soy milk, and flea cakes. The Taiwanese breakfast is my favorite.

Photographed 9/2/24. Hanachozu of Tokyo Daijingu Shrine and wind chimes.

🎆 Tone River fireworks festival It is a fireworks festival that starts tomorrow. Available is the largest fireworks festival in the Kanto region, and 40,000 fireworks color the 🤤 night sky

Photographed 9/2/24. It is a limited time Hanachozu of Tokyo Daijingu Shrine. Ends: 9/8.

Photographed 9/2/24. It is a limited time Hanachozu of Tokyo Daijingu Shrine. I took it from a different angle. It is very gorgeous.

The TARA-FUKU guidebook is now complete! Featuring 66 listed businesses With cooperation from restaurants and snack bars throughout Iwanai-cho we have compiled each shop’s recommended menu items, business hours, payment methods, and more! *The listed information is current as of August 2024* The back pages also introduce Iwanai-cho’s local specialties and outdoor spots. Please pick up a copy and take a look♪ Copies are available at Roadside Station Iwanai and participating businesses. *Additional distribution will be rolled out progressively.*

Photographed 9/2/24. It is a limited time Hanachozu of Tokyo Daijingu Shrine.

Photographed on September 7, 24. It is Hanachozu of Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin. Even if you take it from a different angle, it is very beautiful.

Photographed on September 7, 24. It is Hanachozu of Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin.

Photographed on September 7, 24. CAFE ANDON's lemonade and blueberry and rhubarb rare cheesecake. 🍋🫐 It has a moderate acidity and is delicious. 😊

The Milky Way 🌌 streams through Kawagoe This is located in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture 　　　　　　　　　Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine It is 🤤 colored like the Milky Way from August to early September every year