Honzawa Onsen in Yatsugatake is Japan’s highest open-air bath. Autumn’s chill and mist make the mountain silence stand out. Rugged rock faces and trees turning golden, and an old sign that has watched over many climbers, create the scene. Walking, barely dressed and shivering to reach the bath, I felt the warmth of human kindness.

[Advance Reservation Required] Winter 2026 “Teshikaga Eco Passport” Town Sightseeing Bus Now Running! We are announcing the Winter 2026 operation schedule for the Mashu–Kussharo Sightseeing Loop Bus, which visits the main scenic spots around Teshikaga. The loop bus ticket, the “Teshikaga Eco Passport,” is available again this year in two options: a 2-day pass and a 3-day pass. Please make a reservation in advance and take advantage of it. It is recommended for those who are uneasy about driving or who want to enjoy sightseeing around Teshikaga with ease. For details, check the link “Teshikaga Navi.” Operation Period Saturday, January 24, 2026 – Sunday, March 1, 2026 Fares Adult Child 2-day pass (2 days) 2,000 yen 1,000 yen 3-day pass (3 days) 3,000 yen 1,000 yen Contact Mashu Lake Tourism Association 3-3-1 Mashu 3-chome, Teshikaga, Kawakami District, Hokkaido 088-3201, Japan TEL: 015-482-2200 Email: masyu_as@peace.ocn.ne.jp https://www.masyuko.or.jp/news/2025winterecopassport/...

[Event Closed Announcement📢] The “Teshikaga Hikari Request” ended on November 30. To everyone who participated, thank you so much!✨ Winners will be notified by shipment instead of a public announcement. On our official LINE, we will continue to share event updates and delightful news! We appreciate your continued support of the Lake Mashu Tourism Association☺️

Hello from the Shosenkyo Tourist Association 😊 The autumn colors at Shosenkyo are gradually giving way to signs of winter. Rain and wind have started to strip leaves from the trees, but you can still enjoy autumn foliage around Kakuen Peak to Senga Falls for a little while longer 🍁✨ Golden leaves glowing in the sunlight, a carpet of soft fallen leaves underfoot, and the sound of the waterfall echoing through the quiet gorge… As in the photo, what you see now is the unique beauty of late autumn. A walk while listening to the rustle of falling leaves is a special experience available only in this season. Please come and enjoy the remaining autumn colors 🍂🌈

Tsukatte Fukkatsu ♨️ Soak in the highly acidic Kawayu Onsen, whose waters can even dissolve nails, and let its baths melt away your everyday gloom and sever unwanted ties!! The Kawayu Onsen bond-cutting bath tour plan is on sale at Kawayu Kanko Hotel, KKR Kawayu, and Oyado Kinkiyu Annex Suikazura‼︎🎶 If you can’t spare that much time, we also offer a day-trip ema (votive plaque) for 2,000 yen each✨Come refresh both mind and body with the bond-cutting bath tour～💪♨️

Beginner-friendly! Hike Mt. Kuradake from the 9th station Mt. Kuradake sits in Kyokushi, Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. Its appeal is that you can drive up to the 9th station and reach the summit in about a 30-minute walk, making it an easy outing. The mountain takes its name from the saddle-like shape you see from the foothills. There are several routes to suit different abilities, including the Forest Course, the Panorama Course, and the East Trailhead Course (9th station). Hikers from beginners to advanced enjoy this mountain. From the summit you get a 360-degree panorama. You can take in sweeping views of the Five Peaks of Aso, the Kuju Mountains in Oita, and Unzen in Nagasaki. Wildflowers bloom along the way, offering seasonal variety. Signposts and markers make the route relatively easy to follow. Relax at the summit with a packed lunch or a cup of coffee. It’s also a great spot to watch the first sunrise of the year on New Year’s Day. https://kikuchikanko.ne.jp/archives/featured/kuratake...

I climbed Yatsugatake's main peak, MtAkadake (2,899 m), via Kenkai Ridge while also inspecting the trail. It was my first time on Kenkai Ridge at this season. From around Daitengu, the path turned snowy and shaded sections were icy and very slippery. I put on chain spikes for the descent. The weather was perfect, but strong west winds made the summit cold. It already felt like winter up there, and the mountain hut is closed at this time of year. Hikers should take care. Climbing Kenkai Ridge in the deep winter is extremely dangerous; there have been recent fatal accidents. If you plan to climb, do so in the snow-free season.

Trail to the summit of Mount Nagamine The satoyama hills of Azumino are at the height of their autumn colors now!! Just behind Eboshimine, which sits between Mount Kojo and Mount Nagamine

On October 25, 202, Okusuzuhana Nature Garden in Kinasa, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture A valley stretched from the far end of the park toward Myoko and Kurohime. The entire forest was painted in autumn colors and it was breathtaking. I enjoyed the beautiful fall foliage again this year. This place is a hidden gem!

Panoramic view from the summit of Mount Nagamine The chilly Azumino valley lies under a sea of clouds, with the Northern Alps towering beyond You can only see a scene like this on an Azumino morning!

Shiojiri-juku Location: Shiojiri City, Shiojirimachi The old Nakasendo route that crossed Misawa Pass, Ono-juku and Ushikubi Pass from Shimosuwa-shuku was abolished in 1613 (Keichō 18). From 1614 (Keichō 19) the Nakasendo was rerouted via Shiojiri Pass and the new Shiojiri-juku was established. The town layout work was overseen by Ogasawara Hidemasa, lord of Matsumoto Domain. He laid out the new Shiojiri-juku in an east–west plan southwest of the old post town. The honjin was one of the largest on the Nakasendo, and the post town also featured a noticeboard area and a Matsumoto Domain checkpoint. Plots in the post town were typically three to four ken wide. By 1843 (Tenpō 14) the town had 166 households, including 75 inns — the largest number among the 26 post towns of Shinshu, due to its position at a road junction below Shiojiri Pass. Major fires in 1828 (Bunsei 11) and 1882 (Meiji 15) destroyed much of the town, but the Ono family house, a National Important Cultural Property, still evokes the town’s former appearance.

[Torii Pass - toriitoge-] Overview A roughly 6 km mountain trail linking Narai inn on the Kiso Kaido with Yabuhara inn. In the Edo period it was famous as one of the Nakasendo’s toughest stretches, a place that made straw-sandalled travelers limp with pain. Today it is a popular, atmospheric trekking route. Hikers from Japan and abroad walk this pass in large numbers. From the summit you can look west to Mitakesan and east to Kiso Komagatake. Along the old road you will find numerous haiku and waka monuments and stone Buddhas, including those honoring Matsuo Bashō. The pass saw battles between the Kiso clan and the Takeda clan in the Sengoku era, and in the late Edo period Princess Kazunomiya passed through here on her marriage procession. Free loan of hinoki conical hats and bear bells! This service lets walkers experience the look of Edo-period travelers, especially those walking between Yabuhara and Narai on the Nakasendo. The traditional original hinoki (cypress) hats, hand-painted with kanji, make perfect travel companions and evoke the spirit of Edo travelers. They’re great for the experience and for photo opportunities. What is a hinoki hat? A hinoki hat is one of Kiso region’s traditional crafts. It remains popular with locals and visitors as a practical fashion item and as a sunshade that traces its roots to the Edo period. How to try them You can try them at the tourist information centers listed below. We refund the full deposit when you return the items. ⚠ The deposit will not be refunded if the item is lost or damaged. (Items may be wet without issue.) Loan locations: ① Narai-juku Tourist Information Center ② Yabuhara-juku Nigiwai Hiroba Enkan ③ Kiso Village Tourist Information Center Addresses: ① 497-3 Narai, Shiojiri City ② 1019-1 Yabuhara, Kiso village ③ Lot 196, Yabuhara, Kiso village TEL: ① 0264-34-3160 ② 0264-36-3020 ③ 0264-36-2543 Opening hours: ① 9:00–17:00 ② 8:30–17:00 ③ 9:00–17:00 Closed: ① During the New Year holidays ② Every Tuesday ③ Every Monday Refundable deposit: 2,000 yen per item Payment method: Cash only

Gohbara-juku (Gohbara-juku) Location: Gohbara, Hirooka, Shiojiri City Gohbara-juku was the first post town on the Zenkoji Kaido after it branched from the Nakasendo at Seba-juku. It was established in Keicho 19 (1614) when Hidemasa Ogasawara, lord of Matsumoto Castle, developed the Zenkoji Kaido (the Hokuriku side route) to connect Nakasendo’s Seba-juku with the Hokkokukaido. Rather than an existing settlement becoming the post town, Gohbara’s original village lay on the east bank of the Narai River in the Ueno land division. When the post station was laid out, the settlement was moved around Genna 5 (circa 1619) to its present site together with the Kataishi hamlet, which had been on the west bank, to create the new post town. Highlights of Gohbara-juku Houses were laid out with wide frontages of five to six ken, featuring main gabled roofs with the short side facing the street and sparrow deterrents on the ridges. Each house has a forecourt with planted trees, creating an attractive streetscape, and shop names are displayed at every residence. Sōetsu Yanagi, called the father of the mingei (folk craft) movement, praised Gohbara-juku in his essays, saying the entire post town was “a single splendid work of art.” On the north side of the post town stands Gofuku-ji, which served as a resting place for Emperor Meiji during his imperial tour in Meiji 13 (1880). Read more about the Nakasendo and the five post towns in the city here↓

Motoyama-juku (Motoyama-juku) Location: Shiojiri City, Soga Honzan Motoyama prospered as the gateway to Kiso Road and the exit from the Matsumoto Plain. Two-story houses with latticework fronts line the streets, preserving a strong sense of the past. The town is also introduced as the birthplace of sobakiri (cut buckwheat noodles). In Keicho 19 (1614), Shiojiri, Seba, and Motoyama were designated as new post towns on the Nakasendo. Unlike Shiojiri and Seba, which were formed by relocating people from neighboring villages, Motoyama developed from a medieval settlement. It was the 32nd station counting from Edo, situated 30 cho from Seba Post Town and 2 ri from Niegawa Inn (Niegawa-juku). The post town divided into Kamimachi to the south and Shimomachi to the north, with the honjin, wakimotonjin, and dispatch office at its center. South of the town stood Hachiman Shrine, Choukyuuji, and Joukouji; to the north was Suwa Shrine, and across the Narai River lay Ikeo Shrine, though some temples were later abandoned. Because Motoyama bordered the Owari Domain in Kiso, a checkpoint was located south of the town to inspect women and timber. In Tenpo 14 (1843) the town had 117 households and 34 inns. Compared with Seba Post Town’s three-ken frontage, many houses in Motoyama had four- to five-ken facades. The town suffered several great fires, but surviving buildings date from the late Edo to Meiji periods. Facing the street, they feature hirairi degekata construction and second-floor rooms with senbon-koshi lattices, retaining much of the post town atmosphere. Notably, three residences built around the Meiji era—the Akiyama Family (Wakamatsuya), the Tanaka Family (Ikeda family), and the Kobayashi Family (Kawaguchi Family)—are registered tangible cultural properties of Japan. The honjin, Kobayashi residence, hosted Princess Kazunomiya, daughter of Emperor Ninkō, when she married Tokugawa Iemochi in Bunkyū 1 (1861), and it later accommodated the Meiji Emperor during his tour in Meiji 13. Each house still carries its traditional shop name, offering a glimpse into the past. The town’s specialty is soba. A note by Unrin in Hōei 3 (1706) in the miscellany Fūzoku Bunsen records Motoyama as the birthplace of sobakiri. Historic sites include the Motoyama Castle Ruins on a small hill behind the town, said to have been guarded by the Motoyama Minbu branch of the Kiso clan; Ike no Gongen (Ikeo Shrine), known for votive plaques for rain rituals, sericulture, and eye disease cures, whose shrine grove is a Shiojiri City natural monument; and the Shitamachi Stone Figure Group, featuring Dosojin, Koshin stone monuments, and inscribed tablets. For articles on the Nakasendo and the city’s five post towns, click here↓

*The photo was taken during a spring mountain-climbing event.* [Now Accepting Participants] The 20th Tenjiku Saiyuki Mountain Climb will be held! This mountain-climbing event takes you to Tenjiku, one of Reihoku’s landmarks and the highest peak on Amakusa Shimoshima. The 20th “Tenjiku Saiyuki Mountain Climb” will take place on Sunday, November 16, 2025⛰. The roughly 11 km round trip offers panoramic views from the summit and refreshing forest bathing, and a local product sale will also be held, so please sign up for an autumn outing. Participants can also earn 20 Kumamoto Health Points✨ Register via the QR code or from the News section of our website! ▶ Schedule: Sunday, November 16, 2025, 9:30–14:00 09:30 Departure ceremony 10:10 Start 14:30 Goal (estimated) ▶ Meeting place: Amakusa Koba-no-Mori Nature School (former Koba Elementary School), 6118-2 Tororo, Reihoku ▶ Parking: Please use the Koba-no-Mori Nature School parking area (around the lodging building). ▶ Course: Approximately 11 km round trip ▶ Eligibility: People who are healthy on the day and can follow the event rules. Children in elementary school or younger must be accompanied by a guardian. ▶ What to bring: Drinks, trash bags, towel, change of clothes, etc. ▶ Fee: Adults (high school students and older) ¥1,500; elementary and junior high students ¥500; preschool children free Fees will be collected at registration on the day. Please bring exact change if possible. ▶ Other: Rice ball bento (¥500) will be prepared for those who need it. If you would like one, please fill in the field at the end of the application form. This event accepts pre-registration only; there will be no on-site registration. Please provide information for every participant. The event may be canceled due to weather. In that case we will notify the email address you provided (if multiple people register together, we will contact the representative’s email address). Application deadline: Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 5:00 PM

【Nakasendo and 5 Post Towns in Shiojiri City】 There are 69 Shukuba on the Nakasendo Road between Edo Japan Bridge and Kyoto Sanjo Ohashi Bridge. Although there are more hills in the Shiojiri City area than on the Tokaido, there was no long stay in the river, so we were able to pass as planned. There were five shukuba on the Nakasendo road in the Shiojiri city area: Shiojiri Inn, Washima Inn, Motoyama Inn, Niekawa Juku, and Narai Juku. (1) Shiojiri Inn -Shiojirijuku- (30th from Edo Japan Bridge) Shiojiri inn was set up in Sakai in the Matsumoto and Suwa territories to change Rice shells and contraband items, and the honjin and wakihonjin used for attendance shifts were established, and the number of hatagoya was the second largest in Nakasendo and the largest in Shinano at the end of the Bakumatsu shogunate. (2) Washima inn -Barajuku- (31st from Edo Japan Bridge) It is a Shukuba that corresponds to the follow-up of the Nakasendo Road and Zenkoji Temple Highway. The inn was equipped with one of only three Kanme Kaisho on Nakasendo. Most of the faces of the Shukuba were destroyed by the great fire in the early Showa period, but the stone lantern of the night light remains in the place where it hits. (3) Motoyama inn -Motoyamajuku- (32nd from Edo Japan Bridge) Motoyama inn is said to be the birthplace of Soba cutting. It flourished as the entrance to Kisoji Road and the exit of Matsumotodaira. Honjin became a Accommodation when the Imperial Princess Wagu married Tokugawa Ieshige and during the Meiji Emperor's visit in 1880 (Meiji 13). (4) Niekawa Juku -Niekawajuku- (33rd from Edo Japan Bridge) Niekawa Juku is the entrance to Kisoji 11 Inn. As a transportation hub on the Nakasendo Highway, the Kakegawa Checkpoint was located, and it developed in the Accommodation industry and remote area commerce. (5) Narai juku -Naraijuku- (34th from Edo Japan Bridge) The Shukuba was called "Narai Senken" and was crowded. Richly preserved of the faces of that time, it is now visited by many people as a popular Sightseeing spot.

Yashagaike sits on the border between Minami-Echizen, Fukui Prefecture and Ibigawa, Gifu Prefecture. From a little higher up, doesn’t it look like some kind of shape? 💕 The view of Yashagaike from a short climb above the pond gives you a slightly special feeling. https://www.minamiechizen.com/en/spot/19456/...

Hello, this is 🍷 the Yamanashi Wine Kingdom Main Building It's the middle of October, and the trees are starting to change color little by little in sunny places and in places where the mornings and evenings are cold. The weather is unstable and I am a little worried about the progress of the Autumn leaves, but the signs of autumn are definitely approaching. And this season, too, the new sake was finished deliciously Gari! Enjoy the fresh taste that has been painstakingly made. Mornings and evenings are chilly seasons. Please dress warmly when you come. We look ✨ forward to your visit

Japan view of Mt. Yarigatake from Okuho Takadake, the world-famous Northern Alps. The sun was rising, and the pitch-black world was illuminated with red. We climbed to the top of the mountain in the middle of the night and waited patiently in the freezing temperature of 1 degree Celsius. It was worth waiting while shivering in the cold, and we were able to welcome the best sunrise.

The ridgeline of the Northern Alps seen from Azumino Sky Road • Panorama Ginza Traverse We will walk along the ridgeline from Mt. Tsubakuro to Mt. Otogatake while looking at Mt. Yarigatake! !!

Paragliding launch pad at the summit of Mt. Nagamine This is Azumino's only terrace with a superb view You can understand the topography of Azumino well!

Scenery of Mt. Nagamine in the early morning Today was clear in the Northern Alps

🍁 Autumn leaves 🍁 of Teshikaga The Best time to visit the Autumn leaves of Teshikaga is usually from early to late October. It is the most pleasant time of the year, and the weather is relatively stable. Activities are also a great time to visit, so please come and join us! 📸🍁🛶⛰️🤩 https://www.masyuko.or.jp/enjoy/mountain-climbing-teshikaga-2/...

This is one of the photos when I went to Kamikochi. Maintenance, fascinated by the unspoiled nature on the other side of the road, I pressed the shutter. I deliberately took a dark shot so that I could convey a quiet space.

Symbol of Azumino, Mt. Jonnen A pyramid-like mountain that can be clearly seen from the village Many climbers were aiming for this peak Today! If you want to enjoy Mt. Jonnen thoroughly, it is best to stay at the Tsunene hut! A happy time looking at Mt. Yarigatake and the Hotaka mountain ranges from the terrace Click here for Information on Tsunenen hut https://www.mt-jonen.com//

【The 11th Ezo Spruce Summit 🌲】 For two days from tomorrow (September 6th and 7th), the Aka Ezo spruce Summit will be ✨ Held in in Kawayu Onsen The first day will be held at the Kawayu hometown Museum, and the second day will be held at the Kawayu Visitor Center, and we will talk about the theme of "Forest × Food". CAFE SOFTWOOD on the 2nd floor of the Kawayu Visitor Center also offers Ezo spruce herbal tea (limited quantity, ¥690-)! You can enjoy ☕️✨ a special Ezo spruce herbal tea that you can't usually taste Talking, learning, smelling, tasting... Let's touch the 🌲 ❣️ depth of Ezo spruce

Snapped at sunrise on August 18, 2023, this photo captures me on Mt. Fuji’s crater, glowing in the morning light. I’ve hiked many of Japan’s famous hundred mountains, but Fuji’s sunrise hits different—sacred, breathtaking, and utterly unforgettable.

There are many scenic spots on the way up to Yashagaike. As you climb, enjoy the sound of the river and the birdsong!

Yashagaike shows different faces depending on the season. The deep greens of spring and summer are lovely, but how about the fiery autumn foliage? From the trailhead on the Fukui Prefecture side, it takes about two hours to reach Yashagaike. Try climbing at various times of the year!

Tsumago juku Car is prohibited 🚗⚠ from 10:00~16:00 Recently, there has been an increase in the number of cars entering the Shukuba during the Time Slot / Time of Day when traffic is prohibited. It is prohibited for the safety of pedestrians and the protection of the historical landscape, so we ask for your understanding and cooperation. Please park along National Route 256 at the second Car or the central Car Car. Fee Car parking is 500 yen per day.