Event Announcement📣 From February 7 to February 8, Japan’s coldest town, Rikubetsucho, will host the 42nd Shibare Festival😊 Over two days, the festival will feature stage shows, local idol live performances, comedy acts, a children’s raffle, gaming tournaments and many other attractions🎵 The “Human Cold Endurance Test,” where you can experience Japan’s coldest conditions, draws participants from across and beyond Hokkaido every year. Participants stay overnight in a balloon mansion (an ice kamakura) and endure a brutally cold night in this extreme challenge! (Registration for this year is closed) There are no stoves; the only permitted source of warmth for challengers is the festival’s symbol, the giant fire storm, which helps warm participants🔥 The venue also hosts numerous food stalls where you can enjoy local cuisine😍 You can try venison dishes made from Ezo deer raised in Rikubetsu’s great outdoors, stylish cafe menus, and festival classics like yakitori and curry🤗 📍Date and Time: Saturday, February 7, 2026, 6:00 PM–9:00 PM Sunday, February 8, 2026, 9:30 AM–2:00 PM 📍Location: Event Square (Uenbetsu, Rikubetsu Town) 📍Contact: Shibare Festival Executive Committee Office (Rikubetsu Town Office, Industry Promotion Division, Commerce and Industry Promotion Section TEL:0156-27-2141) https://www.rikubetsu.jp/kanko/event/shibare/...

Lake Kussharo in winter. A place where warmth lives within the stillness. The lakeshore views, visible breaths, and crisp air. Enjoy this special time that comes only in this season. ❄️ Winter season only: January 19th through March 7th 📍Kussharo Prince Hotel https://www.instagram.com/kussharo_ph/...

🏮✨ Onsen website "From the Information Desk" updated📝🆙 The Kawayu Onsen lanterns, first unveiled at last autumn’s Kawayu Marche, were formally lit at a ceremony late last year and are now displayed at hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants and other spots throughout the Kawayu Onsen district. This time we bring you a story about the "Kawayu Onsen Lanterns," which are becoming one of the faces of the Kawayu Onsen district🏮❄️Please take a look🐻

🧊Appearance of lotus-leaf ice🧊 This year, lotus-leaf ice has begun appearing frequently. In the bitter cold, a combination of conditions seems to form these shapes.😊 They often vanish by the afternoon even if visible in the morning, but the other day they stayed afloat in perfect form long after the sun rose. You won’t see them every cold day, so consider yourself lucky if you do.✨ Winter in Kushiro is wonderful! Come and visit us ^ ^

Winter Hanabi, fireworks that light up Akanko’s frozen night sky🎆 Starting tonight! The venue features not only fireworks but also an original ceremony✨ ⁡ Event period ▶︎ February 1 (Sun)–March 1 (Sun) ※From March 2–15, only fireworks will be launched ⁡Time ▶︎ 7:45 PM Welcome Ceremony 8:00 PM Fireworks display ⁡ ✼••┈┈••✼••┈┈••✼••┈┈••✼••┈┈••✼ Enjoy Akanko more conveniently and economically with Marimo Pay🉐 ⁡ Marimo Pay is a tourism app that lets you gather information about Akanko, make reservations, and complete payments all on your smartphone! For details, visit the link in the profile! Instagram profile https://www.instagram.com/akan_tourism_association/...

Warm up your chilled body from the winter cold… Here’s a recommended day-trip hot spring guide for you♨️

Kawayu Onsen website article updated 📝🆙 An article about “Kawayu Onsen’s Enkiri Bath Tour” has been posted ♨️❄️ Please take a look ✨ Kawayu Onsen’s Enkiri Bath Tour Stroll through highly acidic hot springs that can even dissolve nails, and let them melt away your daily frustrations, fatigue, and bad ties to refresh yourself! Why not try Kawayu Onsen’s new plan, the “Enkiri Bath Tour”? *The map on the third page is for staying guests 🗺️ https://www.kawayu-onsen.com/activity/990/...

Hokkaido Sapporo City Horomi Pass I visited in July. A sloping flower field blooms with a variety of colorful flowers. You can glimpse Sapporo’s cityscape through the trees, making it a very beautiful spot. It lies far from Sapporo’s urban center and is hard to reach by public transport, but it seems accessible by sightseeing bus.

Sobo, Katamuki and Okue UNESCO Eco Park Bungo-ono City Children's Kagura Tournament ❚ Held on February 7, 2026 The Bungo-ono City Kagura Kaikan in Kiyokawamachi, Bungo-ono City, Oita Prefecture will host a children's Kagura tournament. The event is held in the hope that children will grow with confidence and pride in the region's history and culture and develop a deep love for their hometown. This year, two children's Kagura troupes from Bungo-ono City will perform alongside children's Kagura groups from Saiki City and Taketa City. Please enjoy the bold and powerful Kagura dances performed by the children at the venue. Date and Time: Saturday, February 7, 2026, 9:30 AM–12:10 PM Location: Bungo-ono City Kagura Kaikan (810 Sunada, Kiyokawamachi, Bungo-ono City) Admission: No advance registration required. Free admission with unreserved seating. Access from Fukuoka Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture, and other areas to central Bungo-ono City About a 3-hour drive from JR Hakata Station, Fukuoka Prefecture About a 2-hour drive from JR Kumamoto Station, Kumamoto Prefecture About a 1 hour 20 minute drive from JR Beppu Station, Oita Prefecture About a 1 hour 20 minute drive from JR Yufuin Station, Oita Prefecture ########## Kyushu, Bungo-ono City in Oita Prefecture Introducing sightseeing and recommended spots ########## https://sato-no-tabi.jp/news/20260126event-kiyokawa/...

Photographed on February 1, 2014. After visiting Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, I relaxed at Starbucks Kanetsuki‑dōri Store. I had a cacao mousse latte and a chocolate tart. 😊🍫

Event Announcement📣 On Friday, February 6, join us in Shihorocho for a one-night candlelit evening called “Shihoro on ICE,” featuring ice candles made by the community😊 The evening will include candle art by the Shihoro Town Central Junior High School Art Club, and—weather permitting—snow sculptures created by local volunteers may make an appearance!?⛄️ Warm snacks and beverages will be available at the venue☕️ 📍Date and Time: Friday, February 6, 2026, 4:30 PM–7:30 PM 📍Location: In front of Town Plaza 📞Contact: Shihoro on ICE Organizing Committee (Hattori: 080-1897-4728) 🔶Ice Candle Drop-off Period Tuesday, February 3–Thursday, February 5, 2026, 5:30 PM–7:30 PM: Committee members will collect ice candles at Town Plaza, so please make them at home and bring them by✨We look forward to seeing your creations🤗 🔶Volunteers Wanted Volunteers are needed on Friday, February 6 from 1:00 PM to help with venue setup and lighting—join us in making the event shine🎵

Today I attended the monthly festival at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. This is the shrine grounds around 7:30 a.m.

Photographed on January 21, 2026. This week's lunch at le bilboquet in Akasaka is chicken thigh and Chinese cabbage simmered in a ginger cream sauce. With ginger 🫚 in the dish, it warms the body.

Updated: Thursday, February 19, 2026 The 28th Minami Sakura and Nanohana Festival Held February 1 – March 10 🌸 About the 28th Minami Sakura and Nanohana Festival https://x.gd/8BXol... 🌸 Bloom Status (updated regularly) https://x.gd/iyca6... 🌸 Parking Status (updated regularly) https://x.gd/zbToA... 🌸 Live Camera https://x.gd/smGtI... 〈If arriving by public transportation〉 Get off at Izukyu Shimoda Station and take the Tokai Bus bound for Shimogamo (Platform 3). Get off at Kujo Bridge and walk about 2 minutes to the roadside station shimogamo onsen yunohana, where the general information center is located. (The cherry tree avenue is behind it.) The nanohana fields are right by the Hino stop. Tokai Bus tel: 0558-22-2514 Note: Minamiizu Town has no train service and parking is limited, so please use public transportation. Services run about once per hour. Tokai Bus link https://www.tokaibus.jp// 〈If arriving by car〉 Please head for roadside station shimogamo onsen yunohana. There are dedicated parking lots nearby; please use them. ⚠ When visiting or photographing the nanohana fields and the nanohana along the cherry tree avenue, please do not step on the flowers! ⚠ Some people step on the nanohana growing on river slopes near roadside station shimogamo onsen yunohana, but there are lighting cables and other hazards, so please do not enter these areas for your safety. Please use the festival’s designated parking lots. Do not park at shops or on private property.

Photographed on January 21, 2014. These are the hana-chōzu (flower water basins) at Akasaka Hikawa Shrine.

Photographed on January 21, 2014. This is the dog-year omikuji from Akasaka Hikawa Shrine. It has a lovely retro vibe. 😊

Deai Bridge – Todoroki Bridge ❚ Oita Bungoono Geopark Deai Bridge and Todoroki Bridge are stone bridges built from the late Taisho era to the early Showa era. Todoroki Bridge is a two-span arch stone bridge erected in Showa 9 (1934) as a forestry railway bridge; its larger span measures 32.1 m, the longest in Japan. Deai Bridge was built in Taisho 13 (1924) and has a span of 29.3 m, the second longest in Japan. The sight of these two stone bridges—Japan’s longest and second-longest spans—overlapping is breathtaking. Beneath the bridges flows the emerald-green Okudake River, and on both banks you can see remarkable columnar joints formed from welded tuff of Aso pyroclastic flow. (Do not go down to the riverbed when the water is high, as it is dangerous.) Location: Todoroki, Kiyokawa-machi – Hiraishi, Bungoono City, Oita Prefecture ■■Access to central Bungoono City from Fukuoka and Kumamoto Prefectures■■■ About a 3-hour drive from JR Hakata Station, Fukuoka Prefecture About a 2-hour drive from JR Kumamoto Station, Kumamoto Prefecture About a 1 hour 20 minute drive from JR Beppu Station, Oita Prefecture About a 1 hour 20 minute drive from Yufuin Station, Oita Prefecture ■■■■■■■■■■■■ Kyushu, Bungoono City, Oita Prefecture Introducing sightseeing and recommended spots ■■■■■■■■■■■■ https://sato-no-tabi.jp/news/20260120spot-kiyokawa/...

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.😉🔥

Kasai Rinkai Park in Edogawaku, Tokyo Metropolis will host the annual Narcissus Festival on Saturday, February 7 and Sunday, February 8. (^○^) The exchange began more than 20 years ago in 2005 when Shimoda City donated narcissus bulbs to Kasai Rinkai Park, and it continues to this day. Since fiscal 2006, the Shimoda City Tourism Association has been happily taking part in special events during the Kasai Rinkai Park Narcissus Festival, selling Shimoda products such as kinme croquettes, kinmedai fish head soup, dried fish, Shimoda brand goods, and all-you-can-pack Izu mandarins to promote tourism.✨ Members of the Shimoda Taiko Traditional Preservation Society also join the event to perform traditional drumming with a history of about 400 years on stage. If you are nearby, please stop by the Shimoda City Tourism Association booth at the Kasai Rinkai Park Narcissus Festival. (^○^) *The booth photo was taken at last year’s event.*

Saturday, January 31: "Ehime Love Food Market" — Vendor Notice for Okaido Shopping Street We plan to exhibit as follows. We will promote and sell Saijo City's famous sweets, processed foods, produce, and sake. If you are nearby, please stop by. "Ehime Love Food Market" — Saijo City Booth Day Saturday, January 31, 2025 Location: Okaido Shopping Street (Saijo City booth in front of the blood donation center) Time: 11:00–16:00

Rainbow Line Summit Park will be closed for maintenance from Monday, February 2nd through Friday, February 6th. (First Parking Lot will be inaccessible during the closure.) Prefectural Route Mikata Goko Rainbow Line remains open as usual, with passage hours from 8:00 to 18:00. Please note that these hours may change due to snow. Also, from Saturday, February 7th through Tuesday, February 10th, the lifts will be under construction and only the cable car will operate. https://mikatagoko.com/%e2%9d%84%e3%83%a1%e3%83%b3%e3%83%86%e3%83%8a%e3%83%b3%e3%82%b9%e4%bc%91%e6%a5%ad%e3%81%ae%e3%81%8a%e7%9f%a5%e3%82%89%e3%81%9b%e2%9d%84/...

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

🍽️♨️🐚 Kawayu Onsen Akkeshi Clam Fair Starts in March At three ryokan affiliated with the inn association (Oyado Kinkiyu Annex Suikazura, Kawayu Kanko Hotel, KKR Kawayu), original clam dishes will be served at dinner or breakfast during the fair. Enjoy hearty, flavorful large clams and revive your spirits—eat clams to recharge! Soak in the hot springs to revive yourself, too♨️✨

[Held at Hakata Station] Announcing the Amakusa Reihoku “Area Dual Residency Experience Exchange Event” and the Ohisama Marche, packed with the charms of Amakusa Reihoku! On Sunday, February 8, 2026, the big event “Learn About Amakusa: Amakusa Reihoku Area Dual Residency Experience Exchange Event,” where you can experience the attractions of Reihoku with all five senses, will take place at Hakata Station Square, Fukuoka’s gateway! The Amakusa Reihoku Tourist Association will also bring our proud local specialties to enliven the Ohisama Marche booth. Feel the breeze of Amakusa Reihoku—less than an hour’s flight from Fukuoka—right at the venue. 🛍️ Ohisama Marche: Featured Lineup This time’s market carefully selects the best tastes from Reihoku! ⚪︎ Celebrating the Kumamoto-Oshi Dora Grand Prix 2025 award! “Salt Dorayaki” — a masterpiece from long-established local wagashi maker Kurose Seikaho. The just-right saltiness enhances the sweetness, creating a taste you won’t forget. ⚪︎ “Canned Fish from Amakusa Takushin High School Marine Campus” packed with youthful energy — these popular specialty cans were lovingly made by local high school students during practical training. ⚪︎ “Processed Seafood Products” — seaweeds and senbei (rice crackers) made with shrimp and octopus caught in Amakusa’s rich waters; perfect for cooking or snacking. ⚪︎ “Fresh Seasonal Vegetables” sold directly by local farmers — proudly grown under Reihoku’s abundant sun. 👓 Experience & Consultation Booths: Learn About and Get Close to Reihoku In addition to the market, we offer corners where you can learn more deeply about Reihoku. ⚪︎ Metaverse Reihoku Travel (VR experience) — Using VR, why not tour Reihoku’s beautiful sea and scenery in 360-degree video while staying in Fukuoka? ⚪︎ Migration and Dual-Base Living Consultation — Reihoku town staff and regional revitalization team members will staff a consultation corner. Let’s talk openly about daily life and work in Reihoku. ⚪︎ Tourism PR & Talk Events — We will share every last highlight of Amakusa Reihoku. We have lovely gifts prepared for participants, so please stop by. 📅 Event Details Name: Learn About Amakusa! Amakusa Reihoku Area Dual Residency Experience Exchange Event Date and Time: Sunday, February 8, 2026, 11:00–17:00 at Hakata Station Square Organizer: Reihoku, Amakusa District, Kumamoto Prefecture Contact: (Event planning and management) Parallab Co., Ltd. 📞092-986-9671 ✉️info@parallab.jp To everyone using Hakata Station and anyone with even a slight interest in Amakusa and Reihoku: we truly look forward to meeting you at the venue and sharing stories about Reihoku!

This is Shosenkyo Crystal Sound. How are you all doing? 😊 Winter at Shosenkyo Gorge is the season when the air is clearest and the landscape is wrapped in silence ❄️ Please enjoy the unique charm of this time of year, when you can have Shosenkyo all to yourself without interruption. While strolling through Shosenkyo Gorge, stop by shops selling jewelry and natural stones, and try sensing their “power” directly 💎✨ If you get hungry, warm your chilled body with a hot local dish 🍲 Escape the everyday and come to Shosenkyo to enjoy a special winter scenery. *Road surfaces can freeze in winter.* When you visit, please prepare winter tires 🚗⚠️ All our staff sincerely look forward to welcoming you 🌿

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

We will begin operating the 2026 winter “Teshikaga Eco Passport” town sightseeing bus (advance reservation required) and start a luggage delivery service! Here is the 2026 winter schedule for the Mashu–Kussharo Sightseeing Loop Bus, which visits the main scenic spots within Teshikagacho. The loop bus ticket, called the “Teshikaga Eco Passport,” is available again this year as a 2-day or 3-day pass. Please make an advance reservation and make use of it. It’s recommended for those who are uneasy about driving or who want to enjoy sightseeing in Teshikaga easily. For details, see Teshikaga Navi. Service period Saturday, January 24, 2026–Sunday, March 1, 2026 Fees Adult (おとな) Child (こども) 2-day pass (2days) 2,000 yen 1,000 yen 3-day pass (3days) 3,000 yen 1,000 yen Contact Mashu Lake Tourism Association 3-3-1 Mashu 3-chome, Teshikagacho, Kawakami District, Hokkaido 088-3201 TEL: 015-482-2200 Email: masyu_as@peace.ocn.ne.jp https://www.masyuko.or.jp/news/2025winterecopassport/...

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

Early winter in Kamikochi

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.