Welcome to the Kikuchi Cherry Blossom Festival 2026 🌸 Kikuchi City will hold the Kikuchi Cherry Blossom Festival at Shimin Hiroba to coincide with the cherry blossoms. Please enjoy the spring scenes of cherry trees spreading through the town on the breeze. 【A red carpet will be installed on the Kikuchi Shrine Sando】 Event period: March 20 – mid-April (scheduled) 【Kikuchi Sakura Marche】 Date and time: Sunday, March 29, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM The venue will feature local gourmet food, the Kikuchi Sakura Marche, workshops, and stage performances with a spring feel. There will also be family-friendly activities such as hands-on experiences for children, appearances by local mascots, and a small mobility test-ride event. 【Kikuchi Sakura Marathon Marche】 Date and time: Monday, March 22, 9:30 AM–2:00 PM A gourmet market will gather at Shimin Hiroba, the marathon’s starting point, bringing together Kikuchi’s local foods. Additionally, the KUMAMOTO FURUGI CARAVAN is scheduled for March 28 and 29. Please note that details may be announced on the day or subject to change. Mornings tend to be relatively less crowded, so a morning stroll is recommended. Please consider adding it to your plans! Contact Kikuchi Cherry Blossom Festival Executive Committee TEL 080-9106-7416 Executive Committee Chair Sato #Kikuchi Cherry Blossom Festival #Cherry Blossoms #Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture

Kumamoto Prefecture ranks third in Japan for strawberry production. Original varieties such as yuubeni and hinoshizuku are well known. A strawberry experience event using strawberries will be held on Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. Using sweet, juicy freshly picked strawberries, you can create a one-of-a-kind original strawberry parfait. This experience offers a special time beyond just strawberry picking. ■ Strawberry picking (all-you-can-eat) First, enjoy all-you-can-eat strawberries at Shichiraku no Sato in Kikuchi City. There are about 11 varieties, including yuubeni, Koiminori, hinoshizuku, Benihoppe, and the white strawberry Angel Night. You can savor their sweetness, gentle tartness, and rich aroma. ■ Strawberry parfait making experience You will make a strawberry parfait using the strawberries you picked. Toride Farm, a popular shop that turns local Kikuchi-grown melons and strawberries into ice cream and soft serve, also offers a unique rice-based ice cream that is delicious and popular. The soft serve made with Kumamoto milk is prepared on the spot by adding ice cream and finishing each one by hand. The highlight of the strawberry parfait is that you can use the fresh strawberries you picked yourself. You can go into the shop kitchen to swirl the soft serve or scoop ice cream yourself with a disher. The combination of strawberries and ice cream is astonishingly delicious. Why not create your own one-of-a-kind original parfait? Date and time: Sunday, March 8, 2026, 10:00–12:30 Location: Shichiraku no Sato (305 Okada, Shichijo-machi, Kikuchi-shi, Kumamoto-ken) Toride Farm For reservations and details, please check here. https://kikuchikanko.ne.jp/archives/featured/strawberry_parfait...

Today I visited Tsukigase Plum Grove in Tsukigase, Nara City, Nara Prefecture. The plum trees were about three to five percent in bloom.

#021 [Tourist Spot Feature Part 4 ✨] Introducing one of Tsunocho’s landmarks, Roadside Station Tsuno! Roadside Station Tsuno sits along Route 10 in Tsunocho and buzzes with visitors every day. Look around the parking lot and you’ll be surprised to see mostly out-of-prefecture license plates on the cars and trucks. Although it fills with travelers and drivers, the station is actually still relatively new. Roadside Station Tsuno opened on July 31, 2013, the day before Tsuno Shrine Summer Festival, the town’s signature celebration. From the moment it opened, it welcomed many guests and contributed greatly to Tsunocho’s growth. Its location on National Route 10 helps draw crowds, but there are other reasons too. Those reasons are its low prices and its facilities. Roadside Station Tsuno has even ranked third in past Miyazaki Prefecture roadside station listings, a sign of its strong reputation. First, about the low prices: items are noticeably cheaper than usual. That’s because products come straight from local producers. Skipping middlemen lets vendors sell at lower prices. By the way, I also buy vegetables and fruit at Roadside Station Tsuno. Next, the facilities. While they haven’t changed much since opening, the station offers a well-equipped product area, a food court, an information and rest corner, a nursing room, and restrooms with diaper-changing stations. Having diaper-changing tables is especially helpful for families with young children. The information and rest corner holds flyers and posters about Tsunocho and attractions across the prefecture. In the food court you’ll find Fukuura Cafeteria, famous for its seafood bowls; Osuzu‑an, serving jidori chicken soba; Ichido ramen; and a soft-serve ice cream stand. I love ramen, so I often eat here. The product area is naturally very popular, offering seasonal vegetables and fruit. At this time of year you’ll see many mandarins, strawberries, and cabbage on display. Isn’t having well-equipped facilities something very important for visitors? Whether you’ve never been to Roadside Station Tsuno or you’ve visited before, please come and see it for yourself.