Hello everyone. This is Tomohiro Nakamichi from Shibecha Town. This is the seventh installment of "Shibecha Days," in which I will share the charms of Shibecha Town from my point of view. The cherry blossoms have bloomed in the Kanto region, and the news of pollen has already started to spread, but in Shibecha, the wind is gradually blowing the air like spring. The snow is melting little by little, and I am feeling sad that winter is finally over.

Let me introduce Ms. Kaori Miyazawa, a landscape and railroad photographer in Shibecha Town.

She usually works at the same Shibecha Town Office as I do, in the Traffic and Disaster Prevention Section, and we have become very good friends over the past year. Ms. Miyazawa has been taking pictures of Shibecha Town long before I moved here. When Mr. Miyazawa started taking photographs, many people around him said such words to him. However, Mr. Miyazawa thought to himself, "There are so many beautiful places in Shibecha, so what am I going to photograph?

At the time, Instagram and other social networking services were taking off. When searching for Shibecha Town, the only photos that came up were everyday posts, and there were no photos of beautiful nature at all. So Mr. Miyazawa said, "Then I'll show them to you! and got up on her feet.

Miyazawa's Instagram page. Beautiful scenery of not only Shibecha town but also the neighboring town of Teshikaga

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Miyazawa-san started uploading photos of Shibecha Town on Instagram around 2018. Years later, he says, people began to come to the shooting location, where at first he was the only one.

He says, "When I talked to people who came to shoot, some of them came because they saw me on Instagram. When I talked to people who came to the photo shoots, I found out that some of them came from Instagram. Sometimes I realized that it was the same composition as the photos I took.

Miyazawa's photos were definitely promoting the town. I think that one day the town may disappear. I want to preserve them for the future, thinking about when that time comes.

In addition to landscapes, Mr. Miyazawa also continues to photograph the Kushiro Main Line that runs through Shibecha Town. The SL train that runs through Shibecha every winter is one of his favorite subjects, and in 2021, Miyazawa won the Excellence Award in the Shibecha SL Photo Contest.

SL running in the morning glow of Lake Tangji

Photo that won the Excellence Award in the 2021 "SL Photo Contest"

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This time I accompanied Mr. Miyazawa on his photo shoot. We met early in the morning at 5:00 a.m. at Sarlung Observatory in Lake Tangji. It was minus 20 degrees Celsius and the view we encountered on the snowy road was spectacular, which happens only a few times a year.

"Cold Cherry Blossoms" taken by Mr. Miyazawa. The title compares fog and ice to cherry blossoms

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In Mr. Miyazawa's photographs, we can sense a love for Shibecha, for nature, and for the railroad that goes beyond mere composition and technique. On SNS, easily recognizable and conspicuous tourist spots become popular, and Mr. Miyazawa shows us that there are countless such spots in Shibecha Town. I am sure that Mr. Miyazawa will continue to share the charms of Shibecha through his SNS. I, along with Mr. Miyazawa, would like to continue to share with you the beautiful scenery and charms of Shibecha Town.

Click here for Mr. Miyazawa's Instagram. Also, please take a look at "Shibecha Biographies", which is a film about Mr. Miyazawa's photography at Lake Tangji and his thoughts on photography. I am sure it will change your image of Shibecha town.


I hope you enjoyed the new fiscal year starting in April, and I know that many of you will be starting a new organization and a new life. I hope to enjoy my second year in Shibecha as much as I can, and I will continue to convey the charms of Shibecha Town to others.

I will continue to introduce the various charms of Shibecha Town with beautiful videos on the Youtube channel of Shibecha Town's Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers. Please visit our Youtube channel as well.