Winter haze over the Akashi Strait. In winter the Akashi Strait looks like an ink-wash painting, with Awaji Island and the great Akashi Kaikyo Bridge shrouded in mist.

Toyooka, on the Sea of Japan, is a lovely city that feels rather old fashioned. A very long history of bagmaking craftsmen can be found here, which suits the image of the city with its traditional architecture and sedated atmosphere. Since it is on the Sea of Japan, Toyooka is very cold in winter, and the Kinosaki area of Toyooka does a roaring trade with Onsen and crabs. Many people come up to brave the winter cold for the crab found here, and some look forward to it all year! More touchingly, Toyooka is the heart of Japan's stork revival. As Japan, Inc. proceeded and manufacturing altered landscapes, there were less and less homes in Japan for the Oriental White Stork, before finally being declared extinct in 1971. Even the few surviving captive storks had been rendered infertile by exposure to chemicals. Not giving up, Toyooka worked tirelessly to restore the stork population before the first live birth finally took place in 1989. After a painstaking process by which they were reintroduced to the wild and a safe habitat was made for them, today the Oriental White Stork, auspicious since ancient times, once again flies above the wilds of northern Hyogo prefecture. If you see one, it is sure to be good luck!

Takakura Jinja 2283 Higashi Ashida, Aogaki-cho, Tamba City, Hyogo Prefecture Start the New Year smiling with an extra-large omikuji. Takakura Jinja in Higashi Ashida, Aogaki-cho, Tamba City, Hyogo Prefecture will begin handing out omikuji larger than an opened newspaper from 12:00 a.m. on January 1. Visitors draw the fortune by shaking a cylinder about the height of a child and pulling it out. “Come with family and friends and take home great fortune and laughter,” they say. The offering runs through January 4. The omikuji measures A1 size: 59.4 cm tall and 84.1 cm wide. It claims to be the largest omikuji in Japan. Making use of its size, the fortunes are divided into detailed categories. For example, “love” is broken down into meeting someone ▽ unrequited love ▽ marriage prospects ▽ being popular ▽ dates ▽ compatibility.

On a clear autumn day, a leisurely, blissful moment gazing out over Osaka Bay from Iwaya Beach on Awaji Island.

On November 30, 2025, many monks gathered at Sumadera Temple in Suma, Kobe, and were singing in chorus.

On November 30, 2025, at Suma-dera in Suma, Kobe. The fall foliage and the red beneath the eaves were gorgeous.

Late autumn on the Harima Sea. On windy days the waves grow high and the currents shape them into a variety of forms.

It’s an autumn-clear day over Osaka Bay, with a view from Iwaya Beach on Awaji Island. The blue sea and the distant Mount Rokko haze in blue, and the gentle sound of fishing boats drifts pleasantly across a quiet, peaceful afternoon.

While wandering around Tamba City in Hyogo Prefecture in search of autumn leaves, I came across this late-autumn scene. I bet the birds find it understatedly beautiful too.

Winter haze over the waters off Kobe Airport. A large crane ship looked small in the distance.

Monet's Pond in Hyogo🍁 Thanks to the efforts of our volunteers, it has become this beautiful. Thank you 😊

A shot taken at Kajika no Sato in Tambasasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture. The autumn leaves were beautiful.

Playing in the River Activities is only the second time in my life. Encountering things he didn't know and learning with enthusiasm, he was like a small adventurer. After I called out, "There's a fish swimming," I kept looking into the water looking for fish. The Clear streams is surrounded by greenery and the Water surface reflects the summer light. The curiosity and serious expressions of the children born in this environment capture a moment of summer in Japan. I clicked the shutter hoping that this experience of making discoveries in Nature would surely become an important "summer memory" in the future. Location: Tamba Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture (Hometown River Park)

It is a wind chime displayed in a temple in Sayo Town, Hyogo Prefecture. You can feel the coolness from your eyes and ears.

Squid eaten on the veranda in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture is the best. This is summer in Japan

Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture Ikuta Shrine

Ikuta Shrine. Marriage Water Lottery. I was so fascinated by the scenery immersed in water that I hurriedly pulled up.

The sacred tree that protects Kobe This photo was taken at Ikuta Shrine in the city of Kobe. Tucked away in the hustle and bustle of the city, this place was like a different world, and the sacred tree that hung there gave me a sense of mysterious power.

KAWASAKI WORLD Hyogo, Kobe, Chuo-ku, Hatoba-cho 2-2 Kawasaki World attached to the Kobe Maritime Museums. You can clearly understand the role that Kawasaki Heavy Industries played in Japan's modern industry, especially in transportation such as motorcycles, railways, and airplanes, and it is full of the charm of mechanics. Beautiful! I think not only children but also Adults will be hooked.

This photo was taken many years ago, but it was one of the photos when I went to Yagi Castle, a mountain castle of the Sengoku period in Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture. It is a low mountain with an Elevation of 330m, but it was surprisingly tough ... Scenery as a reward. I was healed by a world that felt like I was in a painting.

On the way to TOTTEI park with a photo buddy Representing Kobe, which suddenly caught my eye Tower🗼 If you look at it from a different perspective than usual Draws you in I felt a different goodness!

Osamu Tezuka Memorial Hall Hyogo, Takarazuka, Mukogawa-cho, 7-65 If you are a manga fan, I definitely recommend it. The nostalgic Astro Boy, Jungle Emperor, Firebird, etc. are on display in the Inside the Facility.

The northbound cars of National Route 176 running near Minami-Yashiro Station on the JR Fukuchiyama Line in Tamba Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture. Dolls installed along the National Route in Tamba Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture have become a hot topic. Created by an art installations company, it consists of cans stacked on top of each other, with a doll dressed as a police officer in uniform sitting behind it, and even a car painted to look like a police car.

It is a hidden gem Spot that can be reached from the service area right next to the Ume Plum Akashi service area There is a Ishigaya Park, Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture.

It is a hidden gem Spot that can be reached from the service area right next to the Ume Plum Akashi service area There is a Ishigaya Park, Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture.

"Ume Plum" is a Ume Plum Star in Ishigaya Park, Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture. It is a park right next to the highway Akashi service area, and you can park your Car in the parking area from a distance and see it as it is, so it is an easy place to go and it is a famous place for Famous plum blossoms.

Ume Plum Ishigaya Park, Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture This is a Ume Plum park where you can park your car in the parking lot of the Daini Shinmei Road Akashi service area, and since it is a highway, it is a recommended Spot in a place where it is easy for people from far away to stop by.

This photo was taken on Kawaramachi Street in Tamba Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture. Colorful and cute bells. It was a moment when I was able to make a new discovery that bells might look better than wind chimes in the cityscape of Castle Town. When I was passing by on the Car, I saw a sparkling bell, so I parked my Car at the Car parking lot and went back to take pictures. I was also able to find a nice café on that street. It was a cold day, so if it weren't for the bell, I might not have gotten out of the car and walked down this street. When I think about it, I'm very grateful ☺️ to Suzu for giving me that encounter

Toyooka City, Hyogo It was cold at Kinosaki Onsen Self

Toyooka City, Hyogo It was cold at Kinosaki Onsen Self