The beautiful Nature landscape of the Aso Mountains Unfolds, and it is a mountain towns with a population of about 3,000 people (as of June 2024) with a high elevation overall.
Traditional agriculture is thriving, and in addition to delicious Rice and vegetables, "Gokase Wine" made from 100% Gokase grapes is also popular.
In winter Japan the southernmost natural snow ski resort offers a spectacular panoramic view of the Aso Mountains seen from and Slope.
We look forward to seeing you in Gokase Towns!
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Ume Juice and Umeboshi Making
On a crisp summer day today (June 19), the red, white, and pink azaleas welcomed us cheerfully at Kuraokakurara.
The eldest children from Kuraoka Nursery School and first graders from Kuraoka Elementary gathered to make ume juice and umeboshi.🤗
The children had harvested plenty of fresh ume at the Kuraoka district orchard the day before.😳💕
Under the guidance of the neighborhood’s “ume expert,” who lives in the Kuraoka area, everyone packed the prepared ume into jars.
They will take the jars back to school, turn them over every day, and let them develop until the juices rise.💪
When the red shiso season arrives, they will move on to the next step.💡 It sounds delightful.🥰
It seems the children, now junior ume experts, also took some ume home, so they will likely enjoy processing them at home while passing on what they learned to their families.🤩✨
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[🌸 Gokase Flower Viewing 2025 🌸 Results Announcement]
Thank you for waiting‼️
Here are the results of “Gokase Flower Viewing 2025” 🥳🎉
This time, in addition to followers of our association’s Instagram account, winners were decided by votes submitted via Google Form and by general voting at four polling stations set up around Gokasecho 👏✨
Amazingly, we received a total of 151 votes 😳❗ Thank you to everyone who voted 🙇♀️💕
We will send a “Voter Prize” to 10 people selected by lottery from among those who voted ✨
We have already contacted the winners 💡 Please note that the notification of winning serves as the official announcement of the winners 🙏
Now, here are the results 👇👇👇
[🥇 Gold Prize]
@reoron001219 (photo 2)
[🥈 Silver Prize]
@_yuta610 (photo 3)
[🥉 Bronze Prize]
@fowafuwarin5 (photo 4)
@sakai_0808 (photo 5)
This time, two entrants shared the Bronze Prize 🎉 Each entry was stunningly beautiful and made us sigh in admiration 🥹✨ As always, we are simply amazed by everyone’s photography skills 😳❗
Also!! We are announcing the collaboration award with the Gokase Sakura Project organized by Gokase Secondary School (@saku_puro): the “Gokase Sakura Project Award” 🤩 👏
The winner is…
[🌸 Gokase Sakura Project Award]
@thusandleavis (photo 6)
Congratulations to all the winners㊗️🥳🎉
And thank you truly to everyone who applied, voted, and participated😭❤️🔥
We’ll have a stretch of steady rain for a while, but hot summer will arrive soon 🎐☀️
Let’s cherish the changing seasons and enjoy the rain and heat alike 💪💕
We hope you’ll join our next event ✨ Thank you very much 🙇♀️🌸
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Fresh green at Unoko Falls 🍃
It feels like May has flown by in no time 😅
Saturday, May 31 in Gokasecho was a delightfully clear day 🌞
At this time of year, Unoko Falls has plenty of water and brilliant fresh greenery ✨
I was soothed by birdsong, the sound of the water, and the breeze 🥰
The light was just right, so I got some great photos 📷
When you walk down to the plunge pool, be careful—wet spots can be slippery, so watch your step 👣
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🌸"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🥰
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🌿New Tea Season🌿
The tea fields in Gokasecho are turning a vivid green😌🍵
The first and second photos show the house in Kuwanochi, in front of which the weeping cherry trees that we introduced in spring looked so beautiful📸✨
Against the fresh green of the remaining cherry leaves, the two-tone tea fields made an incredibly beautiful scene🥺👏
Fresh tea is arriving one after another at the Gokase Specialty Center, and the scent of new tea fills the shop🥰
Enjoy the fragrant, new tea leaves that make you feel as if you are standing right in the tea fields🍵✨
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Shiraiwa Mountain Opening 🌸
Today (May 11), the Shiraiwa Mountain Opening was held at the Gokasecho Highland Ski Area Parking Center😊
A Shinto ceremony took place on the mountain, with organizers and other attendees praying for safety while enjoying the crisp mountain air👏
After the ceremony, those who wished began climbing toward the rhododendron colony💪
Azaleas, Okamenoki, yama-shakuyaku (mountain peony), and rhododendrons appeared to be in full bloom💡
⚠ Notice ⚠
From May 12, Reiwa 7, the town road Hon-yashiki/Hagi Line and the Hagi Forest Road, which provide access to the Goboubatake trailhead (Shiraiwa Mountain, Mukaisakayama, and Kiridachigoe), will be closed to all traffic until further notice due to road disaster recovery work.
To reach Shiraiwa Mountain, Mukaisakayama, and Kiridachigoe, please use the Ogawadake: Tenyabo trailhead (road subsidence, many falling rocks, rough road).
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【🌸 Gokase Flower Viewing 2025 — Featured Submissions, Part 12 — 🌸】
The submission period finally ends today, Sunday, May 11. We’re showcasing entries to “#Gokase Flower Viewing 2025,” currently running on the Gokase Tourism Association Instagram account.💪❤️🔥
@hanpenpen2022
@goto0619
(in no particular order)
This time’s photos show the Akebono azaleas on Mt. Futagami and the white flowers in Kuraoka…what kind of flowers are those, I wonder?🤔 Everyone clearly knows well when and where different flowers bloom, and many have personal memories and attachments to these blooms. Those feelings seem to shine through in the photos — they’re truly lovely.✨
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“#Gokase Flower Viewing 2025” also ends today, Sunday, May 11!👏 If you meant to enter but haven’t yet, don’t miss the chance — submit before you forget!💡❗
≪#How to Enter #Gokase Flower Viewing 2025≫
Follow the Gokase Tourism Association Instagram account, then post a photo of flowers taken within Gokasecho on Instagram with the two hashtags #Gokase Flower Viewing 2025 and #date of photography (example: #March 20).🤳❤️🔥
Gokase Tourism Association Instagram account
https://www.instagram.com/gokase_kanko/...
【Period】From Thursday, March 20, 2025 to Sunday, May 11, 2025
⚠️Other terms and conditions appear on the Gokase Tourism Association website. Please be sure to read them before entering.
https://www.town.gokase.miyazaki.jp/kanko/ivent/1962.html...
⚠️Please take great care to avoid accidents while photographing.
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Miyazaki Gokase Tourism Association shared article.
An article is introducing Gokasecho 👏✨
Please take a look 😆!
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Josenji Temple with Azaleas in Bloom
In spring, Josenji Temple bustled with many cherry-blossom viewers.🌸
Now the petals have fallen, and the weeping cherry trees with fresh green leaves are beautiful.✨
Azaleas bloom across the temple grounds, and the contrast between the new greenery and the vermilion flowers is delightful.😆
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Koinobori Sports Day 🎏 & Azalea Festival 🌸
On May 5th, the event was held in District 8: Koinobori Sports Day and the Azalea Festival.
Under a clear sky where koinobori raised by local volunteers drifted gracefully, the sports day took place in the morning.👟
The program offered activities that people of all ages could enjoy, and both adults and children competed with smiles.😆✨
In the afternoon, the venue moved to the gymnasium for a quiz contest and karaoke competition.🎤
The day ended with a much-anticipated raffle, and the whole event was lively from start to finish.😍
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