Fireflies are now at their best viewing season 🌌


Spots in Nobeoka City where you can enjoy fireflies include Kitagawa, Yoshino, and Maino

Many locations seem to be reaching their peak viewing period✨

Let’s continue to protect this beautiful nature by observing proper manners while watching them😊



◎Please avoid shining bright lights, littering, or damaging the natural environment.

◎Keep quiet so as not to disturb others nearby while viewing.

◎Do not use insect-repellent sprays at viewing sites; take precautions by wearing long sleeves instead.


🪄May the fireflies dancing in the night sky leave you with lasting memories.

In Kyoto Prefecture, on the way to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, you pass a very small shrine, and the gardens in the shrine are very delicate and beautiful, and when you walk in, the whole atmosphere is a huge contrast with the outside environment. In my opinion, this place is a space with a classical atmosphere that is more representative of Japan and Kyoto, and I believe that people many years ago enjoyed the same scenery as us.

Outdoor Screening and Star‑Gazing Night
On Saturday, May 24th,
we spent an evening of film and stargazing at the Forest Park.

That said,
the sky was unfortunately cloudy that night. It was also a bit chilly.

We couldn’t look up at the stars, which was a shame,
but the talk given by staff from Nayoro Municipal Observatory Kitāsubaru was fascinating,
and they kindly opened their observatory vehicle for about 30 minutes.

How long would it take to fly from Earth to the Sun by plane…?

They explained the universe in a very easy‑to‑understand way,
and both children and adults were captivated.

While promoting this event,
we discovered that far more people than expected are actually interested in the stars, which was a pleasant surprise.

We’d like to create another opportunity
to invite the observatory vehicle Polaris No. II again.

(Nayoro Municipal Observatory website below)
https://www.nayoro-star.jp/kitasubaru/

For the screening,
we showed the Japanese‑dubbed version of the French animated film Linda Wants to Eat a Chicken!

Amid the absurd twists and turns,
I kept mentally reacting to the antics while enjoying a delightful 76 minutes.

For movie snacks,
Cafe Granch and Nishiokoppe Uenshiri Taiko offered food stalls.

Coconut dumplings, pudding, popcorn,
mamecha (roasted soybean tea), and hojicha chai.

Although the stalls were run by village residents,
they offered some rarely seen menu items, and thanks to that the event was a big success.


This was Nishiokoppe Village’s first outdoor screening.
Despite weather concerns and other uncertainties, we managed to hold the event.

Alongside this program,
we inflated the bouncy dome until 9:00 p.m.,
and the children kept jumping for a long time—apparently bouncing at night feels different from daytime.


Thank you to everyone who came,
and to everyone who lent their support to make the event happen!

#Nishiokoppe Village #Forest Park #Hokkaido
#Outdoor Screening #Linda Wants to Eat a Chicken!
#Stargazing
#Nayoro Municipal Observatory #Kitāsubaru #Observatory Vehicle Polaris No. II
#Cafe Granch #Nishiokoppe Uenshiri Taiko

This photo was taken at the Don Yellowtail Kaikan in Toki City, Gifu Prefecture.

Aerial view of Yotsuya Senmaida in Shinshiro City

There was no water on the entire surface,
I was able to take an aerial shot at the right time.

Aichi Prefecture Shinshiro City Yotsuya Senmaida
2025/5

Hello everyone.

Thank you very much for always using Roadside Station Higashikawa-cho “Michi-kusakan”.
We update the chalkboard at Michi-kusakan with events and local information, so please take a look❣

*Chalkboard information is updated irregularly!*

Photographed on April 18, 25.
This is Hanachozu from Hara Flower Shop.

It was already 5 o'clock on the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama that day, the weather was very good like going to shoot the sunset, the first time I arrived in Toyama, I was attracted by the train next to the station and decided to sit over, but because the first time I got on the train, I found that I was sitting in the opposite direction, and it was almost dark when I turned back to the station, and I was afraid that I would take the wrong seat again and decided to use it, and after walking for about 10 minutes, I finally caught the beautiful blue hour, and pressed the shutter under the breeze of the spring evening to record this beautiful moment.

At Hakuba Village in Nagano Prefecture, which I visited on a trip, I was able to see a water mirror of Tambo reflecting the mountains with a superb view.

The large-petaled Trillium at Bansei Fureai Forest is in full bloom.

The Trillium at the Fureai Forest, within walking distance from Bansei Onsen, is now at its best!
They usually bloom through the end of May, so be sure to go see them.
https://visit-taiki.hokkaido.jp/tp_detail.php?id=414

In Sakuhomachi, Nagano Prefecture, the noble prince azalea (Tougoku mitsuba azalea) is reaching its peak bloom.
Against the soft fresh greenery, the vivid pink stands out, and just walking through it lifts your spirits in this season.
Come see this fleeting scenery while it lasts ☺

At Rokka no Mori, Shirane-aoi, large-flowered Trillium, and anemone are in full bloom 😊

At the attached Rokka’ café (Rokkafe), you can enjoy freshly made Marusei butter sand, so please try one during tea time after strolling through the garden 🎵

📌 Rokka no Mori
[Open Period] April 25, 2025 – October 26, 2025
[Opening Hours]
■ April, May, August, September, October 10:00–16:00
Shop: 10:30–16:00, Café: 11:00–16:00 (last order 15:30)

■ June, July 9:00–16:00
Shop: 9:30–16:00 Café: 11:00–16:00 (last order 15:30)

[Admission]
Adults ¥1,000, elementary and junior high school students ¥500

[Access]
🚗 About 40 minutes by car from Obihiro Station, about 20 minutes by car from Tokachi-Obihiro Airport,
🚌 About 1 hour by bus from Obihiro Station (get off at the nearest stop: Michi-no-Eki Nakasatsunai)
From Michi-no-Eki Nakasatsunai it’s about a 15-minute walk, or rent a bicycle at Michi-no-Eki Nakasatsunai and cycle about 5 minutes

https://www.rokkatei.co.jp/facilities/%E5%85%AD%E8%8A%B1%E3%81%AE%E6%A3%AE-

🌸"Gokase Hanami 2025" Voting Now Open🌸【Until Friday, June 6, 2025!】

Thank you all for entering "Gokase Hanami 2025"!
We held a strict first-round screening by the tourism association staff and selected 12 entries from all submissions🙏✨

From these 12 entries, we would like you to vote to decide the final winners🤩👏

Among those who vote, 10 people will be chosen by lottery to receive local specialties from Gokasecho as a gift🎁💫 We appreciate your participation🙇‍♀️

Here is how to vote💡

【Voting period: Until Friday, June 6, 2025】
⚠️You may vote by only one of the methods below, one time per account or one time per person.

<If voting via Google Form>
・Go to the "voting form" using the URL below
https://forms.gle/uBpw7C7xFDsDKBo2A
・Enter your email address (required). You may optionally provide your name.
・Choose one of the 12 entries, check the box for that entry, and submit your response.
⚠️No login is required, but an email address is mandatory, so please note this in advance.

<If voting via Instagram>
・Follow the Gokase Tourism Association Instagram account.
https://www.instagram.com/gokase_kanko/
・From the post with the hashtag #Gokase Hanami 2025 Voting, choose one of the 12 featured entries and send the photo number by direct message or comment✍
⚠️If you do not follow our account, message exchange may be unreliable and you will be excluded from the gift lottery. Please be aware.

<If voting at a polling location>
・Vote at polling stations set up at Gokasecho Town Hall, Gokase Onsen Mori no Yado Kijiya, or the mobile vendor "Gokase Marche" truck.
・Choose one of the 12 entries, write the entry number, your name, and your email address on the voting slip, and place it in the voting envelope.

Additionally, a polling station will be set up at Gokase Secondary Education School in collaboration with the Gokase Sakura Project, and students will also be participating in voting💪✨

⚠️If your email address is missing or illegible due to poor handwriting, you will be excluded from the gift lottery. Please understand.

Please be sure to view the original posts by the entrants before you vote🤗

1 @sokoatari.urouro (photo 1)
2 @fowafuwarin5 (photo 2)
3 @ 920cherry71 (photo 3)
4 @_yuta610 (photo 4)
5 @1230fuukeinoturishi (photo 5)
6 @8215dr72 (photo 6)
7 @code_name_cross_fire (photo 7)
8 @sakai_0808 (photo 8)
9 @reoron001219 (photo 9)
10 @hisabou1958 (photo 10)
11 @landscape133_22 (photo 11)
12 @omilove.1203 (photo 12)

We look forward to receiving many votes from everyone🥰

Hello, this is the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Tourism Association🌻

The moss phlox at Kompira Park Campground has reached its peak bloom!
At Kompira Park, perched on a gentle hill, moss phlox spreads across the slope in the spring sunshine, creating a carpet of flowers that unfolds into a breathtaking view✨

These moss phlox plants were first planted in 1979 and have been lovingly tended by the local community. Over the years they continue to bring joy to many people🌸

It’s a perfect spot for a relaxed camping trip or picnic while enjoying the blossoms🎶

On sunny days, be sure to visit Kompira Park!

《Dancing in the Spring Breeze, Wishing Dharma》
Under the cherry blossoms, there was a row of small darumas.
As if entrusting a wish that has not yet been fulfilled to the Spring breeze.

"Introducing Sakura Spots Around Hokuryu Town vol. FINAL"
Hello, this is the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Tourism Association 🌻
The cherry blossom scenes we've shared since early May come to an end with this final installment
To conclude, we present a roundup of all the spots we've introduced so far.

Please enjoy once more the beautiful cherry blossoms of Hokuryu that we encountered at each location!

May beautiful sakura bloom again next year 🙏

Thank you for staying with us until the end 🌸

The tulips at Shichiku Garden are reaching their peak bloom 🌷
The garden offers free loaner hats decorated with flowers in a range of colors.
Return to your childhood—put on a hat, take photos, and stroll around the grounds.
On sunny days they also provide shade!! 👒

📌Good deals
If you plan to visit three gardens, the “Tokachi Flower Tour Common Ticket” is a great value!!
You can use it at any three of the six eligible gardens in the Tokachi area.♪
[Price] Three-garden admission ticket: ¥2,000
[Validity] April 26, 2025 (Saturday) to October 13, 2025 (Monday, national holiday)
[Eligible gardens] Shichiku Garden, Manabe Garden, Tokachi Hills, Tokachi Millennium Forest, Rokka no Mori, Nakasatsunai Art Village Garden
[Where to buy] Each garden, Tokachi Tourist Information Center (Obihiro Station ESTA East Building 2F), Tokachi Gardens Hotel, Premier Hotel - CABIN - Obihiro, Hokkaido Hotel, Kangetsuen, Sasai Hotel, Dai-ichi Hotel, Daiheigen, Marimo Hire

📌Shichiku Garden
[Open period] April 19 (Saturday) to October 31 (Friday)
[Hours] 8:00–17:00
[Closed] Open every day during the season
[Admission] Adults (high school and older) ¥1,000, elementary and junior high students ¥200, preschoolers free
[Access] About 35 minutes by car from Obihiro Station, about 20 minutes by car from Obihiro Airport, about 15 minutes by car from Roadside Station Nakasatsunai

https://shichikugarden.com/

The JTB special train “Tabimonogatari” has arrived!

The JTB “Tabimonogatari” has made a stop here for three consecutive years since Reiwa 5.
This year too, we welcomed guests on the station platform with about 34 minutes of hospitality. 🚃

About 60 guests enjoyed Shintoku soba tea, two kinds of soba-yu (rich soba-yu and dashi-infused soba-yu), and soba karinto, and we sold a limited assortment set.
Afterward, guests took photos on the platform and in front of the station’s photo frame, and enjoyed shopping at the station shop.

More than ten groups posed at the “Soba Red Photo Frame” installed immediately to the left after exiting JR Shintoku Station.
At the station shop, the soba karinto offered for tasting proved so popular that it sold out.
When we spoke with guests returning to the platform, we heard happy remarks like “It was very delicious” and “It goes well with tea,” with people holding soba karinto.

We bade them farewell, hoping they will stop by again next year.

A short announcement.
The “Soba Red Photo Frame” in front of the station is not a face-in panel, but you can pose as if you are eating soba noodles.
If you’re interested, please come visit JR Shintoku Station.💡

#Hokkaido
#Hokkaido tourism
#Tokachi
#Shintoku Town
#Shintoku Town Tourism Association
#JR Shintoku Station
#JR
#Stella Station
#JTB #Tabimonogatari train
#hospitality
#Station-front complex Tokutoku
#tuktuk
#Tokutoku
#hokkaido
#hokkaidotrip
#hokkaidotourism
#tourism
#Tokachi
#Shintoku
#omotenashi
#welcomeshintoku
#discovershintoku

🌸[Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Spot Introduction vol.6]🌸
Hello, this is the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Tourism Association🌻
This time, we again introduce cherry blossom spots that color spring in Hokuryu Town!

🌟The sixth installment is――
“A Tour of Wild Cherry Trees along the Etaibetsu River”!

The Etaibetsu River flows through Hokuryu Town.
Along this river, we present simple, beautiful wild cherry trees that bloom in their natural state!

There are no signboards or information boards here, and no paved promenades or benches.
It isn’t a so‑called “maintained scenic spot,” but precisely for that reason you can feel the unvarnished beauty of nature.
The wild cherries, blooming as if leaning into the land, quietly announce the arrival of spring right next to everyday life.

Especially striking are lone cherry trees standing against the backdrop of farmland and the trees that bloom beside rivers where snowmelt rushes dramatically—scenes beyond words.
Even on the paths locals pass casually, such beautiful spring scenes unfold.

These nameless cherry trees weave a simple, gentle landscape—
We look forward to meeting again next year the cherry trees that will bloom, once more, nestled in this town’s nature 😊

🌸[Introducing Sakura Spots in Hokuryu vol.5]🌸
Hello from the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Tourism Association🌻
This time, we introduce more sakura spots that color spring in Hokuryu Town!

🌟The fifth installment is――
“A Shrine Tour of Hokuryu Town”!

Today we present three shrines in Hokuryu Town and the cherry blossoms we found there⛩️🌸
Each shrine offers its own character, a soothing quiet, and striking harmony with the cherry blossoms.

🌸[Hekisu Shrine]
Hekisu Shrine greets visitors with a vivid red torii gate and a classic shrine atmosphere.
Four to six cherry trees bloom on the grounds, creating a beautiful contrast against the sky.
With spring breezes blowing, the view of the blossoms framed by the torii felt so still it seemed time had stopped.

🌸[Shinryu Shrine]
Shinryu Shrine is notable for its brownish torii gate.
The cherry tree on the right side of the precincts is especially lovely, its soft petals blending perfectly with the calm shrine buildings.
A guardian lion-dog sitting atop a ball makes a memorable, slightly unusual sight—one of this shrine’s little charms🤔

🌸[Mibau Shrine]
Mibau Shrine stands quietly a little way from the town center.
Set amid open rice fields, its solitary presence evokes a gentle sense of nostalgia.
As the cherry blossoms sway softly, listening to the wind here brings a natural calm to the heart🌾

Each shrine’s history, atmosphere, and the beauty of the cherry blossoms—
Hokuryu Town is dotted with these quiet, moving moments.

Enjoying the blossoms while feeling the town’s history and people’s sentiments—
come and try this serene spring shrine tour for yourself 😊✨

We warmly await your visit 😊✨

Spring is in full swing! In Taiki Town, the flower season has truly begun.
Shibazakura (moss phlox) are at their best on Mount Mewa! Around Sakashita Senkyo and at Taiki Shrine, we found a variety of flowers.

The last two photos show new leaves sprouting beneath the withered kashiwa oak leaves still clinging to the branches!

https://visit-taiki.hokkaido.jp/

[Forest Park Is Open]
Forest Park in Nishiokoppe Village opened with the start of Golden Week.

The event was packed with activities.
Food trucks and vendors came from various places,
making the Golden Week period lively.

Thank you to everyone who visited!

Here’s a closer look at the playground attractions.

Batting: 20 pitches per turn 200 yen
Strikeout game: 12 pitches per turn 200 yen
(The first home run of the year was apparently hit by a village resident!)

Battery cars:
Airplane and sheep shapes 1 ride 100 yen
Dinosaur shape 1 ride 200 yen

Go-karts:
Single-seat 1 lap 300 yen
Two-seat 1 lap 400 yen
(This go-kart course has many curves and tricky spots for a thrilling ride)

Bouldering:
Shoe rental 1 session 100 yen
*No use with outdoor shoes or socks*
*Use with indoor shoes you bring is OK*
(You’ll use your arms and legs—your whole body!)

Other free play equipment includes
a bounce dome, a Tarzan rope, spring riders, swings, and more.

Relaxing on the lawn is also recommended.

Please wait a little longer for the tent site to open.

For meals, please visit Ku-raku inside the park!
Takeout is available, so feel free to ask.

We look forward to many visitors again this year!

#Nishiokoppe Village
#Hokkaido
#Forest Park
#Open
#Playground attractions
#Come and play

Photographed on May 15, 25.
For work, I went to Shinagawa.
The City Bakery is a CB plate in Atré Shinagawa.

Photographed on April 12, 25.
It is Hanachozu of Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin.

It is a cherry blossom that I saw in Nemuro, which is said to be the latest blooming declaration in Japan. It was still a little chilly in Hokkaido, but there were people here and there who came to see it, and I was able to enjoy the second flowering.

Near the Lake Nukabira, the Tauszvets River Bridge, which can only be seen when the Water is low. The magnificent scenery of the Nature spread over the bridges where the Japanese National Railways once ran was and fascinating.

Photographed on April 12, 25.
It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

🌸[Hokuryu Town Cherry Blossom Spot Introduction vol.4]🌸
Hello, this is the Hokuryu Town Sunflower Tourism Association🌻
This time, we introduce another cherry blossom spot that colors spring in Hokuryu Town!

🌟The fourth feature is――
“Cherry Trees in the Ichii Forest”!

Today we present Ichii Forest, a handmade woodland cared for by Hokuryu residents, filled with a pioneering spirit🌳✨

This forest charms visitors with a promenade dotted with song and poetry monuments tied to the town’s history, offering a literary romance.
In spring, several Ezo-yamazakura (Japanese mountain cherry) bloom along the path, delighting walkers🌸

What stayed with me most this visit was――
a solitary cherry tree quietly blooming deep along the trail.

With its graceful branches and delicate blossoms set against the neighboring farmland,
the scene felt like a painting and moved me to tears…!
In the hush of the forest, the unexpected encounter with this spring miracle felt cleansing to the heart😂

Because it sits a little off the beaten path, it may still be little known,
but that seclusion brings a rare tranquility and a moment to face nature.

Even after cherry season ends, Ichii Forest’s appeal does not fade🍃
We want to continue cherishing and protecting this forest where the townspeople’s feelings live on.

When you visit Hokuryu Town, please be sure to stop by Ichii Forest.
We warmly look forward to your visit😊✨

Photographed on April 12, 25.
It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.

Photographed on April 12, 25.
It is Hanachozu of Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine.